98 per cent increase compared to 2017 of Chinese tourist arrivals
Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić said today that the past year has been record-breaking when it comes to the arrival of domestic and foreign guests. He said that the trend of double-digit growth in the number of tourists has been maintained, 11 per cent being the increase in 2018 compared to 2017.
“In contrast to the previous years, for the first time in 2018, we had an identical number of domestic and foreign guests, about 1.7 million, indicating that Serbia is becoming an increasingly recognisable destination for foreign tourists, especially for those from distant countries,” said Ljajić to the news agency Tanjug.
According to the Ministry’s data, the highest growth recorded is of Chinese tourists arrivals with 98 per cent increase compared to 2017
“Over the past year, our country has visited more than 102,000 tourists from China, almost twice as much as 2017,” said Minister Ljajić.
When it comes to the development of domestic tourist centres, the minister says that for the first time Sokobanja entered the top five destinations in Serbia according to the number of overnight stays. According to Minister, Sokobanja had the highest growth in overnight stays, by as much as 90 per cent compared to the 2017 year.
Speaking about the forthcoming 41st International Tourism Fair, which will be held from February 21st to 24th, Minister Ljajić said that the participation of exhibitors from 45 countries is expected.
The country’s partner of this year’s tourism fair said Minister Ljajić, is Bulgaria, and for the first time its tourist offer will be presented by the Maldives, while Cuba and Indonesia return to the fair after the break for several years.