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POTENTIAL OF SERBIAN SPA TOURISM
INTERVIEW
WE WILL MAKE FULL USE OF OUR BEATIFUL SPAS’ POTENTIAL
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One of the priorities in development plans of our spa and mountain resorts which are known for their clean air, is to attract more foreign tourists. Preconditions for this are an improvement of the traffic infrastructure and development of modern spa & wellness resorts, says Tatjana Matić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications
By:
GORDANA KNEŽEVIĆ MONAŠEVIĆ
Photo:
MARINA JANČEVIĆ
A
nnual revenue from Serbian tourism last year broke the record of the most successful year so far – 2019. Considering the number of foreign tourists in the first five months of this year which is almost 70 percent higher than in the same period in 2021, we can expect an unsurpassed tourist season. What are the ways to enhance tourist capacities of our country, especially spa and special climate areas which have the potential for development of health and wellness tourism, what is it that Belgrade needs to enrich its tourist offer and which measures has the Government of Serbia undertaken so far to encourage investors and local authorities to invest in tourism – these are the topics we discussed with Tatjana Matić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications.
Foreign currency inflow in Serbia last year was around 1.6 billion euro, breaking the record of the year 2019, which was the most successful tourist season ever. What are the most attractive places in Serbia for tourists?
— In 2021 the foreign currency inflow from tourism was 1,596 million euro, which represents a growth of 47.2 % in comparison to 2020. The record was broken primarily thanks to domestic tourists who were most numerous, but also foreign tourists who recognised Serbia as an attractive and unique destination. These figures are very encouraging, confirming the potentials of our tourist sector, even in difficult and uncertain circumstances created by the corona virus pandemics. One of the most frequently visited tourist locations in Serbia was Belgrade, which is not surprising, knowing that our capital is a very dynamic and modern metropolis, which boasts a rich history and offers diverse cultural programmes. Guests preferring active holidays and spending time in nature, mostly visit Zlatibor, Kopaonik and Tara. When it comes to spas, the highest visiting frequency was recorded in Vrnjačka Banja, Sokobanja, Banja Vrdnik and Banja Koviljača. I am confident that the future of Serbia’s tourism lies in development of the mountain and spa resorts, rural tourism and manifestation tourism which combines vacations in the natural environment with cultural programmes and visiting historical sites.
Do we know the profile of foreign tourists visiting Serbia and what are our advantages as an attractive tourist destination?
— The total number of tourist arrivals in Serbia amounted to almost 2.6 million, of which 871,239 were international tourists. This shows that Serbia is becoming an increasingly important destination on the world tourist map. Visitors are predominantly tourists coming from the neighbouring or nearby countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Russia, Montenegro, Germany, and North Macedonia. This has been a continuity for years, considering the cultural and language ties between us.
Main advantages of Serbia’s tourist offer are outstanding hospitality, rich and diverse gastronomic offer, cultural and historical heritage, and traditional manifestations which are flourishing and attracting an ever-increasing number of tourists from around the world. The majority of international tourists declare themselves as having higher education and above average incomes. Approximately half of them are visiting for the first time, while the other half are recurring visitors.
During the first two months of this year, Serbia had almost twice as many arrivals than in the same period last year, which holds a promise for this year’s tourist season to be even more successful than the preceding one. What are your estimates when it comes to the 2022 income from tourism?
— The total number of arrivals in our country during the January-May period was around 1.4 million, which shows an increase of 68.3 % when compared to the same period in 2021. This is an indication that this season will certainly surpass the previous one. Cancellation of Covid-19 related restrictions for international tourists visiting our country will be an additional incentive, and so will be the continuing investments in infrastructure and the promotion of our country. The promotion of Serbia as a tourist destination during the pandemic proved to be very effective as Serbia ranked among the first 22 best countries to visit. Continuing this good practice, we will keep promoting our tourism with an aim to improve our ranking in the world market.
Serbia has no access to the sea, but it is rich in spa resorts. The thing is that these tourist potentials have not yet been sufficiently developed to become more attractive for tourists…
— One of our priorities when it comes to development of our mountain and spa resort with outstandingly clean air is attracting higher numbers of international tourists. Preconditions for this are to upgrade the infrastructure and to develop modern spa & wellness centres within the existing spa and mountain resorts. Existing natural resources in our spas and mountains are of great sig-
nificance for the regional economic development. With this in mind, the Ministry for Tourism has initiated projects and activities with an aim to improve the quality of products and offers, especially when it comes to spa & wellness services, as well as their positioning in both local and international markets.
The Government of Serbia has announced its intention to sell all spa resorts currently owned by the state Pension and Disability Insurance Fund. Some of them have already been sold, and some have been recently advertised for sale. Do you have some examples of successful privatisation, have some of these projects been launched already?
— Insufficient investment in Serbia’s spas during the 2000-2015 period led to devastation and damage of some hotels, tourist companies, and specialised health centres. I want to emphasise that sale refers to the real estate in resorts only, but the state ownership over the geothermal water sources remains. As of 2015, the situation has been continuously improving with health tourism becoming increasingly important and the state and private direct investments in spa tourism are growing on a yearly basis. One of the goals is to carry out a thorough evaluation of the spa resort capacities and then apply different models of strategic partnership. When it comes to privatisation, several hotels and other facilities are now in the hands of new owners who have invested considerable amounts of money in their reconstruction and renovation of accommodation facilities and other tourism amenities.
What is the general concept behind development of our spa resorts, is it developing health tourism and accordingly spa resorts as health resorts, or are they envisaged to be rest and relaxation destinations?
— There are more than 500 mineral, thermal and thermo-mineral registered water sources in Serbia, of which only 240 have been captured. Serbia is also rich in gas and mud with healing properties. Many spas and special climate regions in Serbia have both health and tourist facilities and offer both services. The relevant government decree identifies 29 spa areas in the country. Apart from the health aspect offered by our spa resorts, it is important to keep in mind the high demand of tourists today for the spa & wellness tourism. Complementarity of the recreational and health functions which are evident in many spa resorts across Europe and our aim is to implement these examples of best practices in Serbian spas. Initial steps in this sense were to trans-
form the Hotel Izvor in Aranđelovac into the first wellness hotel in our country, open a wellness centre in Vrnjačka Banja, as well as in Prolom banja, Banja Koviljača and Ribarska Banja, which also boast well equipped wellness centres. Niška banja Institute and the Rehabilitation centre in Sokobanja have well organised wellness centres. Under an ongoing project we are constructing two water parks and a wellness centre in Palić, which will contain a swimming pool with slides and other children’s attractions. In order to further develop this branch of tourism, we must first improve the overall infrastructure, but we have no doubt that we will eventually succeed in making full use of our beautiful spas’ potential.
Investments in construction and adaptation of the spa resorts and their hotel capacities are among most attractive for foreign investors in Serbia, and they are also supported by the government subsidies. What is the extent of investors’ interest?
— Successful privatisation is one of the Serbian government’s aims along with investments in new modern products and services. This implies different strategic public-private partnerships and investments of both foreign capital and the government’s funds. We have a positive example of Vrnjačka Banja’s successful model of combining private and state investments. Development and improvement of a traffic and communal infrastructure as well as development of modern spa & wellness centres are crucial for further development of tourism in spa resorts across Serbia. Every year, the Ministry for Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications issues calls for applications for subsidies and grants intended for tourism development projects, as well as loans to support improvement of services quality in tourism, which includes development of spa tourism.
This allows local authorities to come up with their own development plans for an efficient use of investments for the purpose of efficient exploitation of healing water sources. Last year, the Ministry invested 123 million dinars in infrastructure projects in spa resorts across Serbia, and 10 million dinars for educational programmes, promotional activities, and support to various manifestations. In the following years, we expect a full development of this particular branch of tourism in Serbia.
How many attractive locations with potential to attract renowned hotel chains does Serbia have and what are they?
— Hotels that operate in accordance with the principles of environmental protection are becoming increasingly prominent today. Many hotels recognize the benefits of implementing ecological approach in doing business, as a basis of competitive advantage and to diversify their offer. We are talking here about and increasing trend in building “green” hotels with ecological awareness, which operate with a focus on environment protection, using recycled materials, efficient water consumption and waste reduction. There is a significant potential across Serbia for developing such hotel industry, and our first hotel chain classified under high “A hotels” category is operating in Bukovička and Vrnjačka banja, on Zlatibor and in Šabac. One of our goals is full expansion of this Serbian hotel brand.
Belgrade, of course, attracts the majority of international tourists, being the capital of the country. What is it that Belgrade is still missing in terms of offer and capacities, in order to attract more visitors throughout the year?
— Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries and one of crucial importance for our capital – Belgrade. A large number of global media placed Belgrade high on the list of cities which must be visited. Our capital is the first on the list of places in Serbia visited by tourists. Last year we had more than half a million arrivals, which makes almost one third of all arrivals in Serbia. This city has diverse potentials and a great opportunity to accelerate development of tourism throughout its territory, but particularly in the suburbs. Apart from façade renovation, revitalisation of areas with special ambiance, new park arrangements an improvement of substructure with an accent on diversifying accommodation capacities, such as high-class hotels, hostels, camps, but also accommodation capacities along the Danube. Belgrade is Serbia’s major economic driver so I am hopeful that the development of the city’s potential will significantly contribute to better positioning of Serbia in the world.
