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"The hidden gem of Europe where no one will be bored" - Cities in Serbia are becoming more and more attractive tourist destinations
Source: eKapija
Friday, 07.03.2025.
23:24
Friday, 07.03.2025.
23:24
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View from the Belgrade Fortress (Photo: Unsplash / Dimitrije Milenkovic)
when many Slovenians came to the capital of Serbia, with extraordinary, additional trains, quite before the New Year`s Eve. In those days, Slovenian could be heard on the railway, if not more, at least as much as Serbian. Many people then asked what attracts Slovenians so much to Belgrade, and they revealed to them that it is because of good music and festive atmosphere, visiting sites related to the history of our once common country, but above all because of the warmth and spirit of Belgrade.
Today, ten years later, Slovenians are still happy to visit Belgrade and other cities in Serbia, but in the meantime, the structure of guests who come to our cities to get to know our history, culture, cuisine, day and night life has changed significantly. It is no coincidence that in recent years on the streets of our most famous cities, at any time of the year, along with English, we hear more and more Turkish, Chinese or Russian. And the statistics, that is, the data of the departmental Ministry of Tourism and Youth, confirm that the number of tourists from these countries is constantly increasing. For example, in 2024, compared to the year before, the number of guests from China increased by as much as 70%, guests from Turkey by more than 15%, and guests from Russia by 8%. Significant growth, and a double-digit one, was also recorded in the number of guests from Bulgaria (19.6% more than in 2023), from Croatia (11.5%) and Romania (11.2%).
On a monthly, as well as an annual basis, tourism officials have been bragging for years about the growing number of guests of different generations who, both in groups and in their own organization, visit the most famous Serbian cities, above all Belgrade, Novi Sad and Niš. Some as part of weekend tours or extended weekends, others as part of city break tours...
But what is it exactly that attracts more and more tourists from other countries to visit our cities?
As explained by SCC, foreign tourists who visit Belgrade and Novi Sad most often look for urban and cultural facilities. Belgrade, as the capital, offers a rich nightlife, cultural events, galleries, museums and historical monuments. Novi Sad, with its famous festival, attracts visitors interested in music and art, but also in cultural and historical tours. Tourists want to explore the urban environment through hiking, cycling, and also to enjoy modern restaurants, as well as local wines, according to SCC.
Belgrade (Photo: eKapija / Aleksandra Kekić)
As experts in this area say, although tourists come to our cities for various reasons, there are definite patterns in their preferences therefore, younger people generally choose the mentioned cities because of the dynamic nightlife, affordable prices and events, with Exit standing out in particular. On the other hand, tourists who are attracted by culture come driven by the desire to explore museums, galleries and historical attractions, while city break tourists want to experience the atmosphere of city districts, enjoy local gastronomy and observe the daily life of the residents. Digital nomads, who find a favorable standard of living and a good infrastructure for work in Belgrade, with more and more coworking spaces and options for longer stays, are also increasingly present, as experts emphasize.
If it can be judged based on the answer from the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia, destinations in Serbia, when it comes to young people from China, Turkey and Russia, for example, offer exactly what suits them.
- Young tourists, especially from these countries, prefer dynamic activities, entertainment, nightlife and cultural events. This segment of tourists is looking for experiences that combine fun, adventure and social interactions, so festivals and adventure tourism are popular among them - according to SCC.
However, in the absence of other additional, precise data on what is increasingly attracting foreign tourists to choose our cities when choosing city destinations in Europe, as a sort of guideline and guide in that research, perhaps what can be used best today is what one cannot live without, and these are social networks and the Internet. Because, for years, tourists of different generations and from different parts of the world have been diligently and almost daily publishing their impressions and experiences acquired during the tour of cities in Serbia.
Illustration (Photo: bbernard/shutterstock.com)
The next tourist stop Belgrade: "You will never be bored there"
Although one might think at first, if you look at the difference in generations and the countries from which tourists come, that they also have quite different interests and desires, but that is only partially true. What the "Belgrade video scrapbooks" that foreign tourists upload to the Internet during or immediately after visiting our capital city say is that there are a dozen sites that almost all of them recommend, regardless of country of origin or generation.
Thus, the Belgrade Fortress with its numerous historical points and rich greenery is regularly recommended and as an additional recommendation of the growing number of foreign guests to future ones, is watching the sunset from the fortress and capturing that moment on camera.
As expected, on the list of foreign tourists under "must do" is also a walk in Knez Mihailova, which, as it seems, is recommended not so much because of the numerous shops and boutiques, as much because of its charm, which is contributed by the architecture of the street in which historical and modern styles merge, and because this street pulsates almost all day long.
- It is a kind of heart and soul of Belgrade, you can spend almost the whole day in it and you will not be bored - is one of the recommendations of tourists in videos that can be found on the Internet on the topic of must-see locations in Belgrade.
Skadarlija is, as expected, an unavoidable stop for most guests of Belgrade. In it, guests of the capital city are attracted not only by the delicious food in numerous restaurants, but everything that, as they say, constitutes the soul of this street - its cobblestones, the music that comes from the restaurants, but also the history of this street itself, primarily artistic and bohemian.
The Nikola Tesla Museum, river boat tours, and more and more the Sava Promenade with numerous cafes and restaurants, are also listed as must-sees and must-visits in Belgrade, regardless of whether these recommendations come from younger or older tourists.
And while many residents of the capital consider that Belgrade lacks greenery and green areas, that the city is "under concrete", interestingly, foreigners see our capital as quite green, with lots of trees and parks. As some of the main oases that are on the list of things to visit in Belgrade, there are Tašmajdanski and Topčiderski parks, Košutnjak and especially Avala. In their videos, foreign guests describe it as a place "for relaxation and respite in the fresh air from the busy city" with the suggestion that you should not miss the Aval tower because of the "magnificent view of the city from it".
Although it might not be expected, foreigners from different climates are interested in visiting religious buildings, especially those that are architecturally important. Of course, the Church of St. Sava stands out here, but along with it, visits to the Church of St. Mark, the Ruzica Church, and the Bajrakli Mosque are also recommended.
For decades, it has been known locally that the proud citizens of Zemun have been "snapping" that Zemun is the capital of Belgrade, and it is interesting that the uniqueness of this Belgrade municipality is also seen by foreigners and they describe going to Zemun as a completely different experience, as visiting a "city within a city". And there, their regular stop is Gardoš and visiting restaurants and cafes in the old streets of Zemun.
But, on the other hand, there are still some differences when it comes to tourists` affinities. Younger guests of Belgrade, apart from these "main" points that are the focus of most, recommend future guests to definitely feel the spirit of Dorćol, its side streets and part of the alternative art scene that operates in Dorćol bars. It is also recommended that, while walking on the sidewalks of Dorćol, they indulge in the screeching sound of the old trams on the tracks along the streets of Dorćol.
The additional local "vibe" is indicated by both younger and older tourists, which can also be felt at Belgrade`s markets in the city center.
Overall, regardless of age and country of origin, the guests of our capital in their "video books of impressions", on social networks and YouTube, Belgrade is described as a hidden gem of Europe where no one will be bored.
- Everyone is on the move in it, it is constantly alive both day and night. Although it may sound a bit daring and exaggerated, and how it reminds me of New York and life in it - one YouTuber pointed out in his impressions of Belgrade.
Novi Sad (Photo: Shutterstock/xbrchx)
Both Novi Sad and Nis are increasingly being visited by foreigners
It is not only Belgrade that is regularly in the video lens of foreign guests, but also Novi Sad and Niš are increasingly in it from year to year. It is clear that Novi Sad has gained considerable popularity as a destination among foreigners due to the famous Exit, but if one can judge by YouTube posts in recent years, "Serbian Athens" is on the route of tourists from different parts of the world more and more often, even in months that have no connection with Exit.
The advantage of Novi Sad, they point out, among other things, is that most of the most interesting and important locations in it can be visited on foot, without the need for any means of transport. In the city itself, visitors from different meridians are primarily attracted by the architecture of the buildings in the strict center of the city, the famous Synagogue, Freedom Square and its surroundings, and the equally dynamic Zmaj Jovina and Dunavska Street.
Then, of course, the Danube Park, and then to the Petrovaradin Fortress across the bridge, foreigners recommend. In the spirit of the people of Novi Sad, tourists from abroad recommend that, when you arrive at the fortress, you should not rush, but that every part of it should be carefully explored, including the streets of the suburbs with interesting craft and catering establishments with authentic products. And finally, the view from the fortress over the mighty Danube and the city center. And then back and equally stretched along the pleasant Novi Sad quay, those who felt the spirit of Novi Sad during their weekend or city break tour tell future guests.
To those who plan to stay a little longer in this city, their tourist predecessors also recommend a trip to Sremski Karlovci, a tour of their wine cellars and a walk through the streets adorned with historically important buildings.
As for Nis, one of the main associations of foreigners with this city, judging by their videos from Nisava, is Constantine the Great and everything related to him, which is why many of them, when they come to Niš, follow the footsteps of Constantine, looking for locations related to that period of history. But that`s not all. Foreigners equally enjoy the pedestrian zone of Niš, a walk along the quay from which the view of the nearby Niš fortress, which, when they reach it, they explore with particular care.
Those in the know, and above all connoisseurs and history lovers, do not bypass the Medijana site, the former Red Cross camp, or the Ćele tower as part of their Niš tour.
Foreign tourists have come up with their own city tours in Serbia, but what about domestic tourists?
When talking about the tourist offer of cities in Serbia, we mainly mean the offer intended for foreign tourists, attractions and locations that they would be interested in visiting. But it is clear that the offer intended for them cannot be completely the same as the one that domestic tourists are interested in, and who are familiar with the attractions for foreigners.
Domestic guests, as well as the local population, should definitely be offered something more specific,
which is not the basic history and basic story most of us know, and in the years behind us, this has been recognized by some of the tourist workers and employees, primarily tourist guides. Guided by that thought, they decided to go one step further and design guided tours whose focus will be on lesser-known stories from the history of Serbian cities.
One of those innovative guides is Sanja Đaković, who launched the tour "Love Walk in Belgrade" eight years ago, which in the meantime, after the initial success, became an integral part of the tourist offer of the capital city and which was then further developed.
- When I launched that tour eight years ago, the recommendations of my colleagues from the tourism industry were that I should not engage in this type of program because, as they said, there is no interest in them. To my great joy, however, it turned out differently. I can already freely call a good number of guests who come for walks as regular guests who are waiting for me to show up with a new topic and come. It often happens that they come back for walks, but also that they organize some of the walks to celebrate birthdays, socialize with colleagues from companies... I am especially happy when they bring children on walks, because it is a fun way to learn more about the history of the city, and therefore to love and preserve the city more, because as Duško Radović said, "there is no one else like it" - says Đaković.
"Love Walk in Belgrade", the first one, because now there are four of them, started in 2018, and here we are already entering the eighth calendar year that the walk has existed, she emphasizes.
- Themed walks were born out of my thinking that Belgraders can be tourists in their own city. Starting from the premise that our people know some basic things from history, of course we should offer them different content than foreigners who come to a city for a short time and know little or nothing about the city. I started with a love theme, because there is no more beautiful theme than love, but during the walk, the guests are told a lot about what all the people I`m talking about did and achieved, what it is which makes them significant, and during each of the walks, I try to "illuminate" some extremely important figures for our history that we have somewhat suppressed or forgotten - Đaković points out, adding that one love walk inevitably led to another.
- When you start exploring the love stories of famous people from our history, you understand that most of them, apart from their very interesting lives and the legacy they left us, also had very interesting love stories, so it would be a "shame" if those stories were not told. As I said, I now have a total of four love-themed walks and each of them has its own route. The first one goes from Pionirski park to Kralj Petar Prvi school and there the love stories of Andrić, Crnjanski, Nušić, Jelisaveta Načić are told... The second one goes from Kosančić`s wreath to Republic Square and the love stories of: Olje Ivanjicke, Velimir Rajić, Aleksandar Derok, Anice Savić Rebac, Sloboda Trajković and Lola Ribara are told. The third is "Love walk through Dorćol" and during it guests hear the love stories of Duško Popov, Pašić, Mokranjec, Skerlić, Ksenija Atanasijević, Meša Selimović... And the newest one that started recently is called "Love in the Museum" and while walking through the National Museum we tell love stories of our famous artists - she explains.
Knez Mihailova (Photo: Sanja Sekulović)
When she realized that first of all domestic tourists, but also the citizens of Belgrade, were interested in these walks with lesser-known stories from the history of the city, Sanja Đaković did not stop there, so in the meantime she launched other thematically specific and interesting tours.
- In eight calendar years, I have designed a total of 10 themed walks and I hope that will not be the end. In addition to the four walks on the theme of love, there is also "Kralja Petra Street, the history of the city in 1,000 steps", through which you can really tell almost the entire history of the city, then the walk "Endowments, noble people with a big heart", during which we talk about those noble people who built us schools, hospitals, buildings in the center of the city that have inscriptions saying that they are endowments, but we usually don`t notice them. The walk "Ladies, created from many courages" is dedicated to famous ladies and the criteria for choosing the ladies I will talk about was that they won something for us for the first time, so I am talking about the first female journalist, doctor of science, pilot, docent, doctor... There are also walks during which I talk about entertainment in Belgrade until the Second World War, crime, "Red Lanterns". My idea was to give guests an overview of life in Belgrade in the past through various topics. It very often happens that the walks are "intertwined" in the sense that something I told the guests in one walk is supplemented by a new topic and a new walk. Guests often tell me that when they have completed most or all of the walks, it is as if they have put together a mosaic of Belgrade`s history - Đaković says.
The themed walks that she does, she adds, are primarily dedicated to our guests, that is, to people who somehow know about the personalities she talks about. However, a few years ago, a tourist agency from Croatia organized a "Love Walk in Belgrade" for Valentine`s Day, so Sanja made a mix of stories from all four love walks.
- Guests from Macedonia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Italy also came as individuals. One of our brothers-in-law, an Italian, was on the walk "From the police notebooks: Murders and conspiracies in Belgrade" and he liked the walk, so he recommended the walks to his fellow countrymen. If we talk about the gender and age structure of the guests, they are mostly women from around thirty years old and above - Sanja points out.
Further adaptation of urban destinations - What is the plan and what are the options
Tourism officials, experts and officials in the field of tourism assure that Serbia is still trying to adapt its urban destinations to the needs of foreign tourists through better infrastructure, multilingual services, international restaurants and hospitality establishments, as well as cultural events that have an international character. Domestic tourists prefer authentic and local experiences, so cities offer attractions such as ethno-weekends, folklore events...
The recommendation of experts in this field is that our cities could continue to develop innovative tours that offer a unique experience, such as "mystery tours" inspired by local legends or "escape room" adventures that combine city exploration and solving interactive tasks. In Belgrade, there is already a concept of an "escape room" in the open air, where visitors search for treasures and visit the city`s sights while solving tasks. Similarly, Novi Sad could develop its own version of this game, using its tourist attractions, Petrovaradin and city center, as a backdrop for an interactive adventure, experts advise.
As the interlocutors we talked to conclude, inspiration for further development can be found in examples like Ghent in Belgium, where the entire city was turned into an "escape room" game. This would contribute to the development of original tourist concepts and provide tourists with a memorable experience.
As they note, digitalization could also enrich city-break tourism. As an example, the TO Vojvodina application - "Vojvodina Travel" is mentioned, which offers a detailed overview of tourist content throughout Vojvodina, including interactive maps and guides. Or the "Novi Sad - Guide" application, which allows visitors to easily find information about sights, restaurants, and shopping centers in Novi Sad.
D. Aleksić
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"Tourism and Hospitality - Say "yes" to new adventures!"
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Tags:
Ministry of Tourism and Youth
Serbian Chamber of Commerce
Sanja Đakovič
Love Walk in Belgrade
festival
Exit Novi Sad
city break tourism
weekend tours
digital nomads
urban destinations
escape rooms
mystery tours
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