Serbia touts potential to draw Asian tourists

By Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - The potential of the Balkan nation of Serbia to attract Asian tourists was promoted at a workshop in the capital Belgrade on Thursday.

Nearly 40 tourism agencies from 12 Asian countries, including China, South Korea, and Kazakhstan, took part in the workshop co-organized with Turkish Airlines and the Serbian Tourism Organization.

Mehmet Alagoz, Turkish Airlines’ head in Serbia, said that they want to introduce the tourism potential of the nation, which he called "the heart of the region.”

He said that the workshop attendees saw that Belgrade is not the only reason to visit Serbia, as they also learned about destinations such as Zlatibor, Kopaonik, Novi Sadm and Nis.

Miroslav Knezevic, undersecretary at Serbia’s Tourism, Trade and Telecommunications Ministry, said Serbia is known for its kind and hospitable people and called on Asian tourists to come visit.

Marija Labovic, deputy head of the Serbian Tourism Organization, said in 2018 Serbia racked up the fourth-highest increase in foreign tourist numbers in a European country.

"In the coming years, we need to make more efforts to get better results," said Labovic.

During the workshop, guests also saw a video about Turkey's new mega Istanbul Airport, touted as the world’s new air hub.