According to the latest report from the European Travel Commission, Serbia has maintained its position as the leading European destination in terms of growth rate of arrivals and overnight stays of foreign guests in the second quarter of 2024, compared to the pre-pandemic period. The State Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Youth, Uroš Kandić, highlighted that the number of foreign tourists increased by 40%, while the number of overnight stays increased by 69% compared to the same period in 2019.
This result confirms Serbia as the fastest-recovering destination in Europe, with a continuous growth of visitors from abroad. It was particularly emphasized that Serbia is one of the few European countries that increased tourism traffic with China in 2024, achieving an increase of over 20% in arrivals and more than 60% in overnight stays.
The European Travel Commission cites several factors contributing to this rapid recovery and growth, including a high participation of tourists from non-European countries and an increase in the number of direct flights compared to the pre-pandemic period. These trends are expected to continue supporting double-digit growth in the number of foreign guests by the end of the year.