In its latest report on travel trends for the second quarter of 2024, the European Commission has highlighted Serbia as the leading European destination in terms of growth in foreign tourist arrivals and overnight stays compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to Uroš Kandić, State Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Youth.
Serbia has achieved a 40% increase in foreign tourist arrivals and a 69% rise in overnight stays compared to the same period in 2019, maintaining its status as the fastest recovering destination in Europe with sustained growth in foreign tourism post-pandemic, Kandić stated in an interview with Beta.
The report also notes that Serbia is among the few European countries to have significantly boosted its tourism traffic with China in 2024, with an over 20% increase in arrivals and a more than 60% rise in overnight stays.
The European Commission attributes Serbia’s rapid recovery and ongoing growth in foreign tourism to a high influx of visitors from non-European countries and an increase in direct flights compared to the pre-pandemic era.
