Serbia achieved the strongest increase in foreign tourism revenue in Europe, according to the latest quarterly report by the European Travel Commission (ETC) from November 2024, as announced by the Serbian Tourism Organization (TOS).
The ETC report states that foreign tourism revenue in Serbia is up by a remarkable 116.7% compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
More than half of the reported European destinations have surpassed 2019 levels of foreign arrivals, with nearly a third experiencing growth of over 10%. Particularly strong performance has been shown by Southern Mediterranean destinations, led by Serbia, which recorded a 34% increase compared to 2019.
Malta follows with a 32% rise, then Portugal and Greece with 19% each, and Turkey with 16%.
European tourism in the third quarter of this year saw a 7% increase in foreign arrivals compared to 2023, and 6% compared to 2019.
The number of overnight stays also increased by 5% compared to 2023, TOS reports.