The importance of tourism is reflected in the economic progress of a certain area and it is a significant factor in the transformation of space. The aim of this paper is to single out tourism as a factor of transformation of the economic structure of the population and the local development potential of the Zaječar District. The paper analyzed the tendencies of tourism development through the monitoring of tourist traffic, as well as the utilization of natural and anthropogenic tourist values in the function of encouraging tourism and (sustainable) development of the Zaječar District. The focus of this paper is regional differences in development potential and the achieved level of tourism development within this district, with the aim of presenting the possibility of connecting local self-government units in the function of creating a common strategy for the development of this territory. By applying the correlation method, the work established a link between the achieved level of tourism development (through traffic, number of overnight stays and length of stay of tourists) and the transformation of the economic structure of the population, based on data on their employment according to activities. The paper discusses the possibilities in which the development of tourism can stimulate first the local and then the regional development of this area. Key development problems (depopulation, senility of the population, traffic infrastructure) were also identified, which solving is necessary in order to create a basis for improving tourism, and thus the level of development of the Zaječar district.