Marija Labović, Director of TOS - We want every guest in Serbia to feel welcome and to inspire future visitors with their experience

Last year was a record for the number of tourist arrivals and overnight stays, and the new one also started with record numbers. As Marija Labović, director of the Tourist Organization of Serbia, says for eKapija, these facts are pleasing, but also binding. We discussed the strengths of our tourist offer, as well as segments with great potential, which should be further improved. Find out how TOS prepares for Expo 2027, how it educates its staff, and how it sees cooperation with the region.

- In 2023, according to NBS data, a foreign exchange inflow from tourism was realized in the amount of EUR 2.558 billion, which is 8% more than in 2022. Last year was also a record for the number of tourist arrivals and overnight stays, with a 13% increase in the number of arrivals and overnight stays of foreign guests. The new year 2024 also started with record numbers, with an overall growth of 8% in tourists. An increase in the number of domestic tourists of 6% and an increase in the number of foreign tourists of 11% are recorded. All these are facts that are very pleasing, but also oblige, so that the year 2024 will be recorded as very successful, as far as the tourism sector is concerned.

When it comes to foreign tourists, our biggest assets are city breaks, first and foremost Belgrade and Novi Sad with a rich offer of cultural and historical heritage, various contents, excellent gastronomic offer and interesting night life. Domestic tourists most often decide to stay in spas and mountain centers. The natural beauty of Serbia is certainly our advantage in the tourist offer, which is promoted through active vacations, staying in nature and rural tourism.

The Danube is an important tourist product that should always be emphasized, because it combines natural beauty and rich cultural and historical heritage.

- The tourism potential of Serbia is great and one of the main goals for this year is the improvement and development of rural tourism. Accordingly, the funds allocated by the Ministry of Tourism and Youth for businesses and individuals engaged in this branch of tourism, which includes farms, ethnic houses and rural households, have been separated from the budget of the Republic of Serbia. As the funds are primarily intended for investments in arranging, equipping and renovating the space, as well as expanding accommodation capacities, a significant improvement in Serbia`s tourist offer in the sphere of rural tourism is expected. Rural tourism is becoming more and more popular and interesting not only for domestic but also foreign tourists, so a quality offer is of great importance for success.

Also, the Danube through Serbia is an exceptional tourist product that combines natural beauty and rich cultural and historical heritage, exactly what tourists are looking for. The national multi-year project "Sail in Serbia", which was launched last year and continues this year, includes the construction of new piers, and thus the growth of water traffic. The entire nautical infrastructure along the Danube, which has already been built and which will be built, will affect the increase in Serbia`s tourism offer.

Vouchers certainly contributed significantly to the attraction of domestic tourists, the fact that they were distributed in record time this year also confirms how great the interest of our citizens is in this type of subsidized vacation. Also, they contributed to the extension of tourists` stay at the destination as well as the extension of the tourist season, and they also stimulated accommodation service providers to register and thus reduced the gray economy.

- During the previous years, and the Tourist Organization of Serbia will continue with this in the future, we successfully organized a series of trainings for employees in the tourism sector, with an emphasis on recognizing the importance of the human factor in tourism. We are aware that Serbian hospitality is one of the key segments of our tourist offer, and it is important to preserve it and improve it further more.

The trainings for employees that we implement are not only aimed at strengthening skills, but also at monitoring new trends and technologies that facilitate the work of restaurateurs and improve the experience of guests. We want every guest to feel welcome and to be able to convey their experience in Serbia in the best possible way, inspiring potential future visitors.

- The specialized world exhibition Expo is an opportunity for Serbia and Belgrade to present themselves to the world as good hosts, and at the same time it will have an impact on the entire image of the country. The Expo is a big event that will certainly attract a large number of international companies and tourists, and Serbia will become the center of the world during the three months of the World Expo.

We have already started with the promotional activities related to Expo 2027 and the promotion of Belgrade as a host at fairs abroad as well as at the recently held tourism fair in Belgrade. In the coming period, the promotion will be further intensified, as the exhibition approaches.

It was the Wine Vision of the Open Balkans event, which was organized for the second time in a row together with North Macedonia and Albania in 2023, that showed the importance of connecting countries both economically and touristically by creating a unique wine route.