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CREATIVITY, CONTINUITY, QUALITY AND COMMUNICATIONS
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National Tourism Organization of Serbia (NTOS), under cooperation with this year's host, Tourism Organization of the City of Subotica, organized on Palić, one of once most visited and most attractive and now a little bit as regarding tourism neglected and uninterested destinations of Serbia, the 9th Tourism Forum (May 9–12, 2018), with the objective of informing the representatives of the local tourism organizations through educational sessions and workshops of the strategic direction of tourism development and contemporary trends in the presentation and promotion of tourism potentials.
In this respect, Ms. Marija Labović, NTOS CEO, pointed out „With the increase of the number of local and international tourists Serbia has to follow the trends, since the tourists look for contents, happening, they want their time to be completely filled. Therefore, our topic Creation, Development and Promotion of Tourism Products supports tourism offer of Serbia as destination“.
Since tourism is an economic branch which shows continuous growth (the global tourism turnover grows faster than the global gross domestic product and in 2017 tourism had the growth of 4.6% and the global economy of 3%), Mr. Rasim Ljajić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, opening the Forum, says „For the future of Serbian tourism the key points are creativity, continuity, quality and communications.
Even if there are not enough financial funds, creativity should be there“. Having called Palić „The destination with the greatest unused potential, which shall be changed in the forthcoming period“, Mr.Ljajić announced the tourism targets of Serbia in 2018 – „3.5 million tourists, among them 1.7 million international tourists, 9.5 million nights and the foreign currency income between 1.35 and 1.40 billion Euros“.
The Forum was followed by many sport competitions, as well. The Representatives of the Municipality and Tourism Organization of Subotica showed to the Forum participants and tourism journalists also the attractions of the City of Subotica.
ISTN provides report from The 9th Tourism Forum in the chapter EVENTS
The next, 10th Tourism Forum will be held in Banja Koviljača. |
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WHEN THE NATURE AND HISTORY ARE CONNECTED
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Upon the hosts invitation from the National Park Sutjeska (Bosnia and Herzegovina), tourism journalists and tour operators from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Russia, visited this outstanding destination, characteristic for its landscape beauty and diversity, other than the relation to history, whatever its current interpretation may be. At 380 km from Belgrade and 93 km from Sarajevo, in the mountain area in the Southeast part of the Republic of Srpska, at the border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, quiet valleys, dense forest complexes, pastures and mountain peaks replace each other - the National Park Sutjeska, the oldest and biggest National Park in Bosnia and Herzegovina, becoming increasingly interesting for tourism, includes the Sutjeska area with the Nature Reserve Perućica, parts of the mountains Maglić, Volujak, Vučevo and Zelengora, the canyons of the rivers Sutjeska, Hrčavka and Jabučnica, Skakavac waterfall, as well as 8 mountain lakes of glacial origin - ‘The Mountain Eyes”. The most attractive part is the Rain Forest PERUĆICA. However, nature is not the only attraction of this region. An important place is taken by history, as well. Recent history was marked by the monument from the Second World War, which tells its story about the Battle on the Sutjeska and the Fifth Offensive.
Therefore Gear Patrol magazine included the National Park Sutjeska among 25 best global destinations that should be visited, and film director Emir Kusturica shot here the scenes for his film On the Milk Route, with Monica Bellucci, Mr. Dejan Pavlović, CEO of the NP Sutjeska, says „The NP Sutjeska place is on the top of the global elite destinations. We renewed the accommodation capacities, we have got exclusive villas, our food are the organic products bought from the local inhabitants. We are a natural oasis with a medical/tourism center we shall initiate“.
All in all, the National Park Sutjeska - Tjentište is really a travel destination to be recommended. The offer is contributed also by the Sport & Recreation Center with the grounds for almost all sport types, as well as the outdoor swimming pool. Plus history, with or without the former times sentiment. And, in the opinion of the Internet Serbia Travel News Team, this is the winning combination.
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THE FLIGHT TO THE WORLD |
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According to the indexes of the Republic Institute for Statistics, since the beginning of the year 11% more tourists stayed in Serbia compared with the same period last year (10% more local tourists and 12% international ones). The most visited travel destinations of Serbia were Belgrade (which has already reached 2,500 registered beds), Novi Sad, Kopaonik and Vrnjačka Spa.
Among foreign countries, the highest number of nights was achieved by the tourists from Romania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Bulgaria, Macedonia and then also from Greece, China, Turkey and Slovenia. As declared by Mr. Rasim Ljajić, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications, „Beside the countries in the region, to our priority markets belong also the countries of EU, China, Iran, Japan, Korea, Turkey and Russia, and we shall have special campaigns toward these countries for the guests attracting“. |
That the campaign provides good results, especially toward the Chinese market, shows also the guest visit of a delegation of the Shanghai Tourism Organization, which handed over during the visit to the CEO of the National Tourism Organization of Serbia, Ms. Marija Labović, the Golden Key of the City of Shanghai, with the invitation to attend the China International Travel Mart CITM 2018 in Shanghai, in October this year. How important the tourism partnership between Serbia and China in the 2018 EU-China Year of Tourism is, shows also the fact Serbia was visited in the first three months of this year by 254% more Chinese tourists compared with the previous year.
Serbia positioning in the global travel market is shown also by the just published data of the International Congress and Convention Association ICCA, placing for the year 2017 Serbia to the 42nd place in the world and the 22nd one in Europe, with the total of 71 meetings of international Associations. Hereby, Serbia accomplished its historically best result at the Annual List of global destinations.
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MARKET GAINING |
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The US TV network CNN published at its portal a series of photographs and a report of Serbia, recommending 11 destinations the tourists should certainly visit. Among them are also Novi Sad and Subotica, with the compulsory directing to the EXIT Festival. This is certainly inspirative for the Tourism Organization of Vojvodina (TOV), which featured, along with the Tourism Organizations of Novi Sad, Subotica, Zrenjanin, Kikinda, Vršac, Sremska Mitrovica, Pančevo and Sombor, the tourism offer of the Autonomous province of Vojvodina at the COTTM Tourism Show (China Outbound Travel & Tourism Market) in Beijing (April 16–18, 2018). After she shared the award vouchers to the tourists from China, in order to visit Serbia, at the Workshop organized for tour operators, after the show, Ms.Nataša Pavlović, TOV CEO, says “This Show proved to be an excellent opportunity for us to get the offer of Vojvodina closer to the potential tourists from China, since there was a great growth of arrivals to Serbia from this country last year. At Vojvodina level, there were even 230% more nights of the tourists from China”.
Gaining new markets, the Tourism Organization of Vojvodina hosted within the 50th Meeting of the Council for Culture, Education and Social Affairs, Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (Novi Sad, April 17–19, 2018) the delegation members in Sremski Karlovci and then promoted the whole tourism offer of Vojvodina, with the focus on cultural heritage, brief City Breaks, farms, active holiday, gastronomy and the plentiful offer of various events, at the Tourism Product and Potential of Serbia Presentation to the French Market (Belgrade, April 20, 2018) and was a good host in Novi Sad and Sremski Karlovci. Anyway, these two destinations have got in the first part of this year the number of tourists increase of 14% (7% local tourists and 19% the international ones).
  
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THE BEST 99 ONES IN SERBIA |
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Completing the Project The Best 99 Ones in Serbia in 2017, at the College of Tourism in Belgrade, Certificates and Thank-You Notes were handed over to the best ones in the tourism of Serbia. This Project, initiated and organized by the Association for Tourism and Environment Development The Serbia I Love and supported by the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of the Republic of Serbia, National Tourism Organization of Serbia, Vojvodina and Belgrade, as well as the Tourism Organizations of the Cities and Municipalities of Serbia, the Associations HORES and YUTA, as well as many educational and other institutions and media, has got the objective of the service advancement in the tourism of Serbia and the promotion of the highest quality tourism participants in the categories Tourism Resorts – Tourism Centers – Information Centers, Rural Households – Farms, Restaurants with the Traditional Cuisine, Wine Centers and Cellars – Brandy Taprooms, Incoming Travel Agencies, Museums – Cultural / Historical Monuments, Natural Attractions, Events, Hotels – Motels and Spas. As declared by Mr. Radmilo Bumber, Project Author, „The team working on the Project The Best 99 Ones in Serbia was visiting the whole country. Our objective is to enhance the tourism services and promote the best ones. Since this moment applying for this year has already begun. We are inviting everyone to send their vote for those they believe are the pride of Serbian tourism“.
The List of the Awarded Ones, among them also Zlatibor, Prolom i Sokobanja, Niš, Kragujevac, Novi Sad, Novi Pazar, Belgrade, Koštunići, Rajski Konaci, Branković Bakery in Niš, The Specialty ‘Flat Bread for Everyone in Užice, Palić, Rajačke pivnice Negotin, Sombor, Distillery BB Klekovača Bajina Bašta, the Travel Agency Robinzon Belgrade, The Fortresses The Golubac Town and Kalemegdan. The Devil’s Town, Bela Crkva, Knjaževac, Avala Tower, Archeological Localities Viminatium, Felix Romuliana Gamzigrad and Lepenski Vir and other destinations and localities are provided by ISTN in the supplement.
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THE SPRING WITH THE VIEW TO THE SUMMER |
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Ski Resorts of Serbia left behind it the most successful winter season so far as regarding business results, the number of skiers and sold ski passes on Serbian mountains - Kopaonik, Stara planina and Zlatibor (Tornik).
In these resorts the mountain tourism fans could enjoy the panoramic drives by chair lifts of the Ski Resorts of Serbia already during the May holidays.
And the preparations for the forthcoming summer seasons are fully in progress, first of all in the most attractive mountain resort of Serbia – Kopaonik. Mr. Dejan Ćika, CEO of the Ski Resorts of Serbia, announces “For the forthcoming summer season the new built Adventure Park is ready, which will be the real attraction in the ski resort.
The new outdoor gym is also ready and will be free of charge for all users. Among the new features, installation of the artificial ski track at the Krst location has been planned. It will be a unique attraction of this type in this part of Europe, which makes the Ski Resorts particularly proud.
For this summer season the offer will include also the new e-bikes to facilitate its users the drive on the mountain and make it more pleasant“.
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THE INTERACTION OF THEORY AND PRACTICE
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Serbia, where about 350 hotels currently operate, has got 18 travel destinations. The most visited one is Belgrade, with about a hundred hotels, a half of them the four star ones. However, the bad point is staff. The education related to the hotel business is the cornerstone of success and a great contribution to this is provided by Singidunum University, which signed with the regional agent Protel Hotel Software, the company Resort Infosys d.o.o. from Belgrade, the Agreement of Cooperation (November 2017), having received on this opportunity 100 free of charge licenses for the operation in the Protel System. By this Agreement the students of the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Singidunum University were enabled to have the training in the hotel business management in Protel Software, incorporated into the educational program of the subject Information Systems in Tourism and Hospitality and Quality Management in Hospitality. After the completed training and successfully passed examinations within the subjects in which the training is carried out, the students were able to receive the Certificates, as well.
Within the interaction of theory and practice, the Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management Singidunum University organized for the students of the program Food Economics, a popular field studied at many global Universities, the paid practice on Kopaonik in the Grand Hotel and for the students of professional high and grammar schools the competition in the Case Study solving with the topic Souvenirs – Tourism Promotion and the Local Identity Symbols. The objective was getting the high school students to know the tourism potentials of Serbia, development of their creativity and self-confidence, communication skills, as well as mutual meeting and having a good time.
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SOUVENIR DESIGN ART |
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According to the official data of the Secretariat for Administration of the City of Belgrade, Belgrade was visited by the total of 1,02 million guests in 2017, which is the increase of 16% at the annual level. And certainly almost each of these tourists took a souvenir as a memory. The importance that the souvenir is original, authentic, unique, to get the tourists to know the values of Serbia as much as possible is shown also by the fact that in the Serbian Tourism Development Strategy there are guidelines pointing out the “Souvenirs should represent at the same time the traditional and modern Serbia”.
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In this respect, the Tourism Offer of Belgrade is completed by the items offered in the DOMINO Studio, located in the center of the tourism part of the city, in the pedestrian zone in Kralja Petra Street. As declared by Ms. Dragana Stojanović, the owner of DOMINO Studio, “DOMINO Studio enhanced the tourism offer of the city by great selection of art designed souvenirs intended for the tourists wishing to take such a memory from Belgrade. In the gallery space, beside furniture and home items of the local and international designers, we also exhibit many gifts, drawings, paintings of famous authors and art manufactured souvenirs. We organize artists’ exhibitions, and within the shop are a café and a garden, a break point for refreshment in the center of the old Belgrade, with the sounds of jazz and Bossa, the taste of homemade sweets, 100% Arabica, fresh squeezed juices, tea and the local sort wines”.
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READY FOR THE SEASON |
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Special Hospital Kanjiža Spa, which promotes its current programs and packages MY WEEKEND, ULTRA LAST MINUTE, SHOPPING AND SPA WEEKEND, PROGRAM FOR 10 DAYS: OSTEOPOROSIS, WELLNESS and TEAM BUILDING at the event BELGRADE MANIFEST (May 25 -27, 2018, Belgrade Fortress) enters the full season with its offer to the guests to get insight of their health condition, beside the rest and recreation, as well as with the excursion organization “Meeting Kanjiža“, „Shopping Tour to Szeged“ and
Kanjiža Spa, having the curing mud and thermal mineral water with the temperature of 51 to 72°C, beside the medical complex consisting of the hotels Abela and Aquamarin, offers also the accommodation in the hotel „Aquapanon“ (4*) having also a spa center, outdoor and inddor swimming pool with salt water, Jacuzzi and sauna.
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As declared by Ms. Elena Veselinov, PR of Kanjiža Spa, “At the moment we are fully in action, since the applying for the vouchers of the Government of Serbia to the amount of RSD.5,000 is very much going on. We are preparing also to be the host to many individuals and groups arriving at Kanjiža to attend the unique natural phenomenon – The Tisa River Flourishing, we expect to happen end of May or early June this year. This year's great action - the 10 – 40 % discount for retired persons is in progress, as well“.
In order to make the staying in Kanjiža Spa as attractive as possible, they organize for their guests also the town sightseeing, excursions to the Ethnic House in Male Pijace, Lička House in Velebit (with brandy tasting), Majka Salas and ‘Fruit Queen’ Salas, to the Wine Castle in Hajdukovo (with wine tasting), Zobnatica Stud Farm, as well as to the Palić and Ludoš Lakes.
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ISTN provides attached current programs of Kanjiža Spa. |
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BEAUTIFUL, USEFUL AND HEALTHY |
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Recent research with the topic MEDICAL TOURISM showed about 203 million Europeans travel annually for medical reasons and then spend about 115 billion Euros. The statistics also say 5% of all international travels are related to the medical tourism (in the total turnover structure about 40% goes to dental services, 42% to orthopedics, cardiology, cardiac surgery and neurosurgery and 15% to esthetic interventions). The experience shows the key factor in a destination selection is, in addition to the price itself, certainly also the medical service standard, but also the attractiveness of the location in the tourism sense. Thus, Serbia is becoming increasingly interesting for those connecting beautiful, useful and healthy.
Within the medical tourism, one of more demanded institutions is DIVA LASER CENTER in Belgrade, the dermatological institution with the longest tradition, which focuses in the esthetic medicine PREVENTION, as the best available antiaging therapy. Ms. Nataša Zmbov, Founder of DIVA LASER CENTER, says „At recent seminars in this branch in Tel Aviv and London, our expert team returned refreshed by new know-how in this branch and it introduces the feature HEALTHY AGING MEDICINE as a quite new approach to the treatment.
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Healthy Aging Medicine is actually a quite new philosophy, by which regular physical activity, healthy balanced nutrition, with the positive attitude to oneself and the people around, under the implementation of the relevant laser and other procedures, is the golden standard in the therapy against the skin aging. This contemporary medical approach gives the best results and ensures the therapy success”.
In DIVA LASER CENTER, visited by the patients from the whole Region, dermatoloGICAL laser CONSULTING IS FREE OF CHARGE.
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ANOTHER ROMAN SPA AT THE EUROPEAN SOIL |
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Vrnjačka Spa, which celebrates this year 150 years of organized tourism, is the first one in Serbia and the only one from a country not being an EU member, which entered the family of ROMAN SPAS AT THE EUROPEAN SOIL, having the slogan „United in Diversity – We are Stronger Together“. Signing (on April 23, 2018) the Memorandum of Joining this Association, Mr.Boban Đurović, President of Vrnjačka Spa Municipality, highlights „This is a big step for Vrnjačka Spa, which had 810,000 nights in 2017. A well packed product – four Roman Springs, used already at the Roman Era and the contemporary Wellness and Spa centers, will be visible from now on also to the guests from Europe, Asia and America“. Mr.Tobias Bielenstein, Executive Director of the Roman European Spas Association, says „The joining objective is connecting to the international tour operators, uniting the authentic spa offer attractive for the international guests. We shall work with hotel managers, connect them with tour operators, offer Vrnjačka Spa. This is the first step only."
Beside Vrnjačka Spa, the Association includes also Badenweiler (Germany), Baile Herculane (Romania), Budapest (Hungary), Chaves (Portugal), Dax (France), Aidipsos (Greece), Hisarya, Kyustendil and Varna (Bulgaria).
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THE CULTURAL HERITAGE – THE ART OF SHARING |
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EUROPEAN HERITAGE DAYS, the mutual initiative of the Council of Europe and European Commission, present each September the biggest and cultural/tourism event under participation of 50 European countries with more than 70,000 side events, including more than 30 million citizens. Since 2018 is the European Year of Cultural Heritage, it was decided this year’s mutual topic of the European Heritage Days should be just European Year of Cultural Heritage – The Art of Sharing. The focus is put on the need of getting to know and understand cultural heritage as the mutual resource, the awareness rising of the mutual history and values and strengthening of the feeling of belonging to the mutual European space. |
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Since Serbia has been participating in the European Heritage Days celebration for many years, the event organizers invite all citizens to join the events and projects. They highlight „The inspiration may be found anywhere, in the natural environment and heritage, archeological findings, architecture, cities, medieval monuments, artistic and architectural styles, folklore traditions, traditional skills, knowledge and beliefs, habits, food, literature, art, etc“.
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