Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic says two billion dinars will be earmarked for tourist vouchers for holidays in Serbia that will be able to benefit another 400,000 of our citizens, adding that it is planned that the destinations, apart from spas and mountains, be and Belgrade and Novi Sad.

He told Tanjug news agency that in the first five months of this year Serbia will suffer about EUR 300 million because of a smaller foreign exchange inflow than foreign tourists, adding that it does not include domestic tourist trips.

"That is why this action is significant, because we will at least partially compensate for the shortfall due to the smaller arrivals of foreign guests by the action of tourist vouchers," Ljajic said.

He said that by February 26, this year, 160,000 vouchers had been distributed and reminded that in less than a month and a half, all 100,000 vouchers had been distributed, and that the state had to use the funds from the budget reserve for an additional 60,000 vouchers.

"It speaks to an interest in this action. With the new 400,000 vouchers, we are considering expanding the range of those who can use them, "Ljajic said, adding that the vouchers were used mostly by pensioners, as much as 54 percent, followed by the unemployed and those whose income was less than 60,000 dinars.

He states that Belgrade and Novi Sad are now being considered as destinations for holiday vouchers, and reminds that vouchers in these cities could not be used because destinations in the interior of Serbia, primarily spas and mountains, were primate.

Considering that this action came in response to the situation caused by the coronation, Ljajic says that the two cities, which are most affected in terms of falling tourist traffic, are being included, because, they say, they have pulled the whole tourist traffic in the country.

He announced that the final text of the regulation on the use of tourist vouchers would be prepared next week.

Ljajic says that vouchers could be used in about 1,460 catering establishments so far, and if Belgrade and Novi Sad are included, he believes there will be more such hotels and guesthouses.

"There is no doubt that we will replace the new guests with the loss that will result from the decline in international tourist travel. This is an attempt to reduce losses, which will surely be large this year, "Ljajic said.

He says that at a global level, the loss in the tourism sector will be around 450 billion euros, because, he points out, tourism is the first branch of the economy hit by the pandemic.

However, he said, he was encouraged by the fact that, after the global economic crisis, tourism has shown that it is the first to recover and is most flexible in such crises.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic says two billion dinars will be earmarked for tourist vouchers for holidays in Serbia that will be able to benefit another 400,000 of our citizens, adding that it is planned that the destinations, apart from spas and mountains, be and Belgrade and Novi Sad.