Turkiye Entices Growing Number Of Serbian Tourists As Arrivals Soar: Envoy

Interest in Turkiye's tourist sites is skyrocketing in Serbia, according to the Turkish ambassador to Belgrade, who said that arrivals from the Balkan nation had surged 85% compared to previous years.

"We foresee the number of tourists coming from Serbia to Turkiye exceeding the 300,000 (annual) threshold. In the medium term, we're going to reach 500,000 and in the long term, and this number will reach 1 million," Hami Aksoy said at a major sectoral event in Belgrade on Thursday.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency at the 43rd Belgrade International Tourism Fair, Aksoy said that amid the swell in tourism, flag carrier Turkish Airlines could help further boost travel by launching direct flights between Serbia's capital and the resort city of Antalya in southern Turkiye.

The fair, convening on Thursday under the slogan, Between the Mountains and the Sea, features more than 40 local travel agencies and many more based in over a dozen countries.

"Turkish Airlines has close relations with Serbia's national airline, AirSerbia. Together, we aim to increase bilateral flights," added Aksoy.

Turkiye is one of the major participants at the Belgrade Tourism Fair, which ranks as the largest tourist event in Southeast Europe with more than 50 companies and over 120 people, including a business delegation from the Turkish capital Ankara.

Boosting tourism and airlines

Taking place simultaneously with the Belgrade Tourism Fair, the Food Service Industry Fair HORECA also gathered wide representation from Turkiye.

Muhammet Saritas, chairman of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce Committee, who said flights between the two countries' capitals would serve to benefit both the airline and tourism industries.

Underlining that "the main goal" for Turkiye would be to attract more tourists to areas near Ankara, such as the neighboring cities of Konya and Eskisehir as well as the picturesque Cappadocia region, Saritas said this would prompt a further rise in demand for flights.

Also at the event was Mehmet Oktay, mayor of Turkiye's famed seaside town of Marmaris, who said he had taken part in promising meetings in Serbia.

"The Balkan market is important for our industry. We've had hard times for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic but this is coming to an end," Oktay said.

"There are opportunities in Marmaris to meet all manner of needs for tourists coming from Serbia. We welcome tourists from the region to Marmaris," he added, calling his town the "pearl of the world."

According to Mert Demiral, the tourism and culture counselor of the Turkish Embassy in Belgrade, the number of Serbian tourists visiting Turkiye from January to October last year had secured an increase of 78.46%.

The three-day fair is hosting participants from Turkiye along with Greece, Montenegro, Egypt, Bulgaria, Russia, North Macedonia, Tunisia, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia, and, for the first time, Malaysia. -