The Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, Tatjana Matic, stated today that the losses of domestic tourism this year, due to the corona virus pandemic, will amount to approximately one billion euros.
As it was published on the website of the Government of Serbia, Matic reminded that the state adopted several key measures at the beginning of the year, primarily the Decree on substitute travel, because travel agencies were in trouble due to already agreed arrangements worth around 85 million euros.
According to her, at the moment when it was realized that the tourist season would collapse, the state helped keep the agencies from going bankrupt.
She pointed out that the hotel sector received great support from the state and that 312 hotels in 68 places in Serbia received assistance of 10.5 million euros, explaining that it was about subsidies of 350 euros per bed and 150 euros per accommodation unit.
Matic also pointed out that the priorities in the domestic homeland are changing in worsening epidemiological conditions, and that they are gaining more and more importance as destinations where families can be isolated and where there are facilities for hiking and cycling.
She added that because of that, this year it turned out that accommodation capacities are limited in rural tourism, so more work will be done on the development of that area of tourism in the future.
Speaking about the trade sector, Matic pointed out that there were no shortages of products in Serbia and that stores have been well supplied since the beginning of the pandemic, unlike some other countries.
She stated that there were enough domestic and imported products, and that the short delay with the supply of flour and yeast was quickly resolved.
The Minister emphasized that the priorities for the line ministry in the coming period will be to bring tourism out of the crisis, as well as to continue the project of building local computer networks in primary schools.
She said that the network in 900 schools has been completed, and next year it is planned to be completed in another 500 schools, which will cover all schools with a computer network.
She also pointed out that a large project of setting up broadband telecommunication infrastructure in rural areas has started.
Matic emphasized that this means that the most economically underdeveloped areas will get telecommunication infrastructure, which, in addition to road and railway infrastructure, is the basis for the citizens to stay in those areas, further economic development and attract foreign investments, Kamatica reports.
