Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunication Rasim Ljajić has said that the introduction of direct flights Niš-Bratislava will increase the number of Slovak tourist coming to Serbia.

“We cannot say that we are happy with the number of Slovak tourists. In the first nine months there were more than 8.000, and by the end of the year there should be a bit more than 10.000”, Mr Ljajić has said at the Niš airport expecting the arrival of first plane of the “Ryanair” company which is going to fly Niš-Bratislava.

He has underlined the information that out of the total number of passengers flying from the airport in Niš, 20 per cent are people from abroad. “Among the passengers from abroad 80 per cent are tourists. This is the chance for Niš but also for the municipalities around Niš. Reviving the airport in Niš is the opportunity to develop Niš as a touristic centre, and the Ministry will make its own contribution to promote the touristic potentials of this part of Serbia”, Mr Ljajić has stressed.

Speaking of the potentials of Niš, Minister has said that, if everything goes as planned, the Niš Fortress will become a serious destination next year, attracting a significant number of tourists. Ha has said that projects for improvement of the touristic offer of the Fortress will be realised by the Ministry and the local self-government, with a possible cooperation with the Turkish Development Agency (Tika). “We are trying to convince the representatives of the Turkish Development Agency to invest in the reconstruction”, Mr Ljajić has concluded.