Q:
A:
Foreign currency receipts from tourism increased in 2008
Belgrade,
17 January 2009
State Secretary at the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development Goran Petkovic said today that foreign currency receipts from tourism in Serbia in the first 11 months of 2008 were worth $874 million, which is an 11% increase compared to 2007.
In an interview with Beta news agency Petkovic said that planned revenues for 2012 are $1 billion, adding that by shifting focus to countries from the region and those tourists who want short holidays and tours, Serbia could achieve this target.
He said that owing to the activities of the Tourist Organisation of Serbia (TOS) in 2008 Serbia was placed in the catalogues of eight tour operators in Germany and major tour operators in Italy, Switzerland, France and Great Britain, which will also help increase revenues.
He said that this year more active work has begun on promoting Serbia in the Russian market, adding that foreign tourists are mostly interested in short holidays in Belgrade and Novi Sad and in cruises on the Danube.
He said that the number of boats which stop at harbours in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Kladovo, Donji Milanovac and Kostolac are being increased, adding that tourists tend to stay in these places longer than in Budapest.
Petkovic said that tourists complain mostly about the lack of information, inadequate street signs and insufficient publications and websites in foreign languages, adding that while they praise Serbian cuisine they are not satisfied with the rest of the facilities in hotels and hostels, which need to be improved. Our task for this and the next year is to improve street signs and to produce more maps, to construct more public toilets and to improve lighting in certain locations, said the State Secretary.
He said that owing to the activities of the Tourist Organisation of Serbia (TOS) in 2008 Serbia was placed in the catalogues of eight tour operators in Germany and major tour operators in Italy, Switzerland, France and Great Britain, which will also help increase revenues.
He said that this year more active work has begun on promoting Serbia in the Russian market, adding that foreign tourists are mostly interested in short holidays in Belgrade and Novi Sad and in cruises on the Danube.
He said that the number of boats which stop at harbours in Novi Sad, Belgrade, Kladovo, Donji Milanovac and Kostolac are being increased, adding that tourists tend to stay in these places longer than in Budapest.
Petkovic said that tourists complain mostly about the lack of information, inadequate street signs and insufficient publications and websites in foreign languages, adding that while they praise Serbian cuisine they are not satisfied with the rest of the facilities in hotels and hostels, which need to be improved. Our task for this and the next year is to improve street signs and to produce more maps, to construct more public toilets and to improve lighting in certain locations, said the State Secretary.
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