This year’s World Tourism Day will be celebrated under the slogan SUSTAINABLE TOURISM – A TOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT (September 27, 2017). On this occasion Mr. Taleb Rifai, World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General , says:  "Last year alone, 1.2 billion travelers crossed international borders in one single year. By 2030, this 1.2 billion will become 1.8 billion.      The question, as we celebrate World Tourism Day, is how we can enable this powerful global transformative force to contribute to make this world a better place and to advance sustainable development. Whenever you travel, wherever you travel, remember to respect nature, respect culture and respect your host“.
The central celebration of this year’s World Tourism Day will be held in Qatar and will be focused on two basic topics: “Tourism as a Driver of Economic Growth” and “Tourism and the Planet: Committed to a Greener Future”.
The National Tourism Organization of Serbia will celebrate the World Tourism Day granting its highest award - Tourist Flower for the period from July 2016 to July 2017.
The Award, which understands, in addition to the diploma and the appropriate statue, by categories, also the attendance to the fairs and workshops abroad, is given for the important accomplishments in the quality rising of tourist services, as well as contribution to the tourism development, improvement and promotion in the following categories: Tourism Organization, Tourism Event, Incoming Travel Agency, Accommodation Facility (with two sub-categories: the hospitality facility type HOTEL and other accommodation hospitality facilities) and Organization or Individual for Contribution to the Tourism Improvement.

Europe is the best visited region on the planet, is the conclusion of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) for the year 2016. According to its data „International travels in the world had the 4% growth in the period from January to June 2016, compared with the same period in the previous year. Destinations all over the world were visited by more than 560 million tourists, 21 million more than in 2015. Asian and Pacific countries had the number of tourists’ growth of 9%, which is the highest growth in the world.

The number of visits to America, first of all the Central and South ones, had the 4% growth, some parts of Africa had the 5% growth, while some parts of Middle East declined for 9%. Europe is still the best visited, it has the 3% visits number increase.  But all parts of Europe are not equally demanded – the North, Central and Eastern Europe were visited by 5% more tourists, the Western one only by 1% more, while the Mediterranean part of Europe was visited by 2% tourists more.“ Within Europe, the most visited country is still France.

Serbia fits in the general picture in its own way – in the first six months 2017, there were almost a million nights in Belgrade, with the number of tourists increase of more than 19%, while the increase at the country level is about 15%. Ms. Olga Baletić, PR of the National Tourism Organization of Serbia, points out „Beside the fact that Serbia is an authentic country with outstanding offer, the international guests highlight first of all the hospitality of Serbian people and show their wish to come back again“.

Serbia participates in the international tourism turnover, as well. As declared by Mr.  Aleksandar Seničić, CEO of the National Association of Travel Agencies of Serbia (YUTA), „More than a million Serbs spends their summer holiday abroad this year, first of all in Greece. Then follow Montenegro and Turkey, then Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Egypt, Croatia, etc. Compared with the last year, travel agencies have got the 7% increase of the travelers number“.

About 2,000 events are held annually in Serbia and those such as Exit, Beer Fest, Guča, Nišville and Barbecue Show in Leskovac alone bring about two million tourists and accomplish the income of about 30 million Euros. The number of the local and international guests is almost equal at them, mostly from the Western Europe. Most events are held in August, but September does not lag behind, either, particularly with the events related to festivals, gastronomy and fruit picking days.  

The summer season on Serbian mountains - Kopaonik, Zlatibor and Stara Planina has been under progress for two months and as declared by the Management of the Public Company Ski Resorts of Serbia, „During this time period, the achieved number of drives, as well as the number of sold ski passes for the features of the Ski Resorts of Serbia has reached the record figure. Since season beginning, the sold ski passes number on Kopaonik has been increased for 60% and on Tornik for 46%. The financial data show this summer has exceeded all expectations. Thus, the accomplished turnover is 70% higher compared with the previous year.  The excellent visit was supported by the Top Summer Weekends and other promotional actions“.
Ski Resorts of Serbia created many features for tourists, from adrenaline attractions, such as bobsleigh on the rails, zip line and tubing lines, through the Adventure Park, mini golf, to the multifunctional sport grounds. For the first time this summer, the race Triathlon – 3S was organized on Kopaonik, in which the partcipants were competing in biking, trekking and mountain cart run down. The traditional race Three Sides of Kopaonik was performed with To All Sides Association.

Contributing to the development of cultural tourism in the region, the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection from Novi Sad and the Heritage House from Belgrade organized at the Petrović Royal Court, in the Modern Art Center of Montenegro in Podgorica  (August 3 – September 2, 2017) the Exhibition “Petar  Lubarda 1907 – 1974 – 2017”, on the occasion of the celebration of 110th Anniversary of the artist’s birth. After Podgorica, this Exhibition in the extended form will be shown in the museums – project organizers: the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection (September 7 – November 5, 2017) and the Heritage House (November 9, 2017 –January 10, 2018), where Lubarda’s paintings from the Museum of the City of Belgrade, Museum of Serbian Orthodox Church, Government of the Republic of Serbia, Matica Srpska Gallery and Milan  Konjović Gallery from Sombor.
The connection of culture and tourism has been shown also through the cultural / tourism event SUMMER IN THE GALLERY GARDEN, organized in Novi Sad since 2012 by the Pavle Beljanski Memorial Collection and Matica Srpska Gallery. This year’s event offers to the fellow – citizens and guests of Novi Sad, the European Capital of Culture 2021, an interesting and diverse program during summer evenings, consisting of music features, travel reports about Portugal, Santiago de Compostela and Peru, films, quizzes and other features created to become the recognizable cultural / tourism offer of the city.

Special Hospital Kanjiža Spa provides its guests with the opportunity, in addition to the rest and recreation, to get insight into their medical condition, by its summer programs and packages MY WEEKEND,  ULTRA LAST MINUTE, SHOPPING AND SPA WEEKEND and the TEN DAYS PROGRAM: OSTEOPOROSIS, as well as the DETOX package including the swimming pool, sauna, general relaxation massage, squeezed fruits and vitamin salad, AI CHI program of the spirit and body harmonizing and the SALT SAUNA, in which bricks are used from salt rocks from the Himalaya, combined with wood. Special hit this summer is the program SUMMER IN KANJIŽA SPA - ULTRA LAST MINUTE.
In order to make the staying in Kanjiža Spa, famous for staying of many sport teams, as attractive as possible, the guests are suggested to spend a part of their free time outdoors, either cruising on the Tisa river or at the organized lunch near it. Under cooperation with DMO Kanjiža, the excursions “Meeting Kanjiža“, „Shopping Tour to Szeged“ and „Visit to the Consumer Goods Market in Subotica” are organized, as well.