Russian tour operator: Serbia’s visa changes could hit tourism

Serbia’s potential move toward stricter visa requirements aligned with the Schengen system could significantly hurt its tourism industry, according to Artur Muradyan, vice president for international tourism at the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) and CEO of tour operator Space Travel.

Muradyan said that introducing a relatively simple national visa would have a limited effect on tourist flows, but requirements comparable to those for Schengen visas could have a much more serious impact, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media. 

He said such a move would affect not only Russian travellers but also tourists from other countries whose citizens require visas to enter the Schengen Area, including Turkey and China. Those two countries are Serbia’s largest tourist markets, while Russia ranks third, he said.

“Only business travel will remain, along with expats and tourists who are accustomed to this undoubtedly interesting destination. But the mass market segment will be cut off,” Muradyan said.

Russian travellers have made around 170,000 trips to Serbia annually in recent years, including all travel purposes, according to Muradyan. He estimated that about 90,000 of those trips are made specifically for tourism.

He said the cancellation of visa-free entry generally has a negative impact on tourism and could send a particularly negative signal to Russian travellers, as the number of European destinations accessible to them without a visa continues to shrink.

However, Muradyan stressed that it is too early to speak of Serbia introducing full Schengen visas. Serbia would first need to become a member of the European Union and join the Schengen system.

He pointed to Cyprus as an example, noting that the EU member still issues national visas rather than standard Schengen visas. He suggested that tourist flows could increasingly be distributed among destinations such as Bulgaria, Montenegro and Cyprus if Serbia introduces stricter entry requirements.

Earlier, on August 11, Serbian Minister for European Integration Nemanja Starović said Serbia aims to be ready to join the Schengen Area by the end of 2027, as the country continues its EU integration process.

By Sabina Mammadli