The first business meeting of domestic tour operators with representatives of tour operators from Turkey from as many as 15 cities was held in Novi Sad. This large business meeting was jointly organized by the, National Tourism Organisation of Serbia, the Turkish Airlines representative office in Serbia and the Tourist Organization of the City of Novi Sad to host the event. The organizers of the trip from Turkey had the opportunity to get acquainted with the sights in Novi Sad and Belgrade during the three days of their stay in our country.
Adviser to the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications in the Government of Serbia, Vesna Antic, pointed out that the number of tourists from Turkey has been increasing steadily since 2011, and that for the growth trend to continue, there are many prerequisites, such as two flights a day, visa-free every day. the regime between Serbia and Turkey, as well as the common cultural heritage. He also recalls that economic cooperation between the two countries is on the rise, as evidenced by the recent visit of the President of Turkey.
Director of the National Tourism Organization of Serbia Marija Labovic says that it is very significant that this is the first time that as many as 40 tour operators have come from Turkey, from 15 cities. “Turkish tourists are growing in number in Serbia, and this is an opportunity for travel organizers to make contacts with colleagues from our country in order to increase the number of Turkish tourists in the coming period,” Labovic said, adding that Serbia also has great potential for congress tourism.
Director of the Tourist Organization of the City of Novi Sad, Branislav Knezevic, emphasized that this event is extremely important for Novi Sad in order to prepare the city as the European Capital of Culture for 2021, but also to promote our city as the Youth Capital of Europe for 2019. He also believes that the events that connect the tourist economies, in this case two very friendly countries Serbia and Turkey, are a priority in business and give great support to the tourism economy. This is confirmed by the ongoing meetings at the highest state level, Serbia and Turkey, in our country. We expect these meetings to connect the tourism industry and increase tourist arrivals and overnight stays from Turkey.
The director of Turkish Airlines in Serbia, Mehmet ALAGÖZ, emphasized that the focus of this business forum is to familiarize tour operators from 15 cities in Turkey with the tourist offer of Serbia. Also, the initiative is to offer Novi Sad, as well as other parts of Serbia, and to extend their stay in our country, in addition to the well-known Belgrade offer. A member of the City Council for Economy of the City of Novi Sad, Milorad Radojevic, stated that since the beginning of the year the number of foreign tourists from distant destinations to Novi Sad has increased, and that the organization of such a gathering is very important for the further development and development of the tourist economy in the city of Novi Sad and environment.
