River transport the main tourist ace of Serbia - By 2025 construction of 15 passengers' docks for international traffic planned

Serbia has significant potential to develop passenger traffic on the rivers, which are presented as one of the main advantages of our country at the recent Tourism Fair in Belgrade. Aleksandar Vucic inFerbuary announced that in 2016 invest 10 million euros into the Danube , in order to regulate the complete infrastructure and develop regional tourism.

Strategy of development of water traffic in Serbia in the period from 2015 to 2025, which the government adopted in late 2014, implies the construction of 16 passenger ports for international traffic. As the Ministry of construction, transport and infrastructure stated for eKapija, local self-governments have so far submitted the initiative for development of passenger ports at 15 locations.

Sremski Karlovci at the map of river tourism again

The Ministry of trade, tourism and telecommunications will co-finance the construction of the port in Sremski Karlovci with RSD 23 m.

(Photo: smederevo.org.rs)

PC Directorate for construction, urbanism and construction land Smederevo signed a contract with Belgrade’s company Jugoslovensko recno brodarstvo, which will carry out works on project and technical documentation and construction of the dock for access of passenger ships in Smederevo.

As previously announced, the state should invest in the construction of the dock in Smederevo a total of RSD 20 m while city budget should set aside RSD 2 m.

With this project, Smederevo will get an attractive exit to the Danube which will in line with the objectives of the City for 2016 contribute to development of investments, tourism and employment.

(Photo: Ivana Vuksa)

According to the Agency for port management in the period from 10 April to December 31 2015, there were a total of 905 passenger vessels landings in Belgrade, Novi Sad, Donji Milanovac, Veliko Gradiste, Sremska Mitrovica and Bezdan.

The Agency stated that during last year Serbia was visited by about 60,000 passengers and in 2016 the same number of ships with a slight increase in the number of passengers is expected.

In 2015, passenger dock "Luka Beograd" had 512 dockings. As Mirko Steta, head of passenger port says for eKapija, in the upcoming season a slight increase in foreign tourist arrivals is expected, since 550 docking were announced.

By 2020, over 100,000 tourists

- Until 2020, the Strategy of development of water transport implies an increase in the number of tourist boats in the Republic of Serbia of 4% per annum, which is more than 1,000 landing of ships and over 100,000 tourists per year- Agency for port management states.

Katarina Marinkovic