State Secretary and Assistant Minister for Tourism Lukrecija Đeri and Renata Pindžo participated in the proceedings of the 100th session of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization of the United Nations (UNWTO) in Rovinj.

At the discussion entitled “Innovation in tourism: finding new ways to overcome seasonality” State Secretary Lukrecija Đeri said that Serbia is not a country characterized by seasonality in tourism such as the Mediterranean countries, but that seasonality is one of the key issues and challenges that tourism is facing.

Assistant Minister for Tourism Renata Pindžo said that when it comes to domestic tourists, the statistics in Serbia have improved, and that in the first three months of 2015, a growth of 9% was recorded compared to the same period in 2014.

She added that tourism in Serbia is finally recognized as a development opportunity and that is one of the priority sectors for the future.

Pindžo noted that Belgrade reaffirmed its title of a European metropolis, thanks to a record number of visitors and the successful organization of the 37th Belgrade Tourism Fair as well as the Summit of China and 16 Central and Eastern Europe countries.

She commended Serbia’s efforts to implement visa liberalization for new markets as well as the major contribution of “Air Serbia” in connecting the country with many destinations.

The jubilee session, which marked the start of a three day proceeding by the highest tourism representatives, was opened by the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization Taleb Rifai.

He stressed the significant contribution of tourism as a key driver of economic growth and prosperity in the world and informed everyone about the guidelines for future development at a global level.

Special attention was paid to the preparations for the 21st session of the General Assembly and the organization of 101st and 102nd meetings of the Executive Council.

In 2013, Belgrade successfully hosted the 95th session of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organization which was attended by 29 delegations and 146 participants. Serbia is a member of the Executive Council (UNWTO) since October 2009.

The Serbian representatives used this opportunity to announce the General Assembly of the European Travel Commission, which will be held in October in Belgrade.