By all accounts, 2022 will be one of the most challenging years. Some of the biggest challenges will be the road from a pandemic to an endemic situation, worrying about inflation, green agenda, energy and climate crisis… What do you think will be the biggest challenges in Serbia?
2022 will undoubtedly be a year of great challenges for the whole world. Over the past two years, the pandemic has brought many challenges and problems, as well as many unresolved issues, especially when related to the global and economic crisis, which are key catalysts for change today. Now, in the first quarter of 2022, we can say that the end of the pandemic is in sight and that the whole world is gradually moving towards the liberalization of tourist migrations and the conditions which facilitate progress globally. We hope and expect that the year ahead will bring additional relief and new opportunities for the development of the most endangered sectors in Serbia, especially as more and more foreign tourists are choosing Serbia as a safe and attractive tourist destination. Another reason for optimism is the encouraging data on the record foreign currency income from tourism in 2021, which surpassed even the record-breaking year of 2019, and proved that Serbia’s tourism potential can flourish even in the limited conditions created by the pandemic.
We have new investments ahead of us and we are going to launch tourism development projects that include infrastructure projects, education, promotion, tourism training for local tourist boards and associations, as well as the promotion of tourist destinations and events that specifically present the culture, traditions and customs of a particular locality.
This year, Serbia will hold presidential, parliamentary and Belgrade elections on April 3rd. What should be the priorities of the new Government of the Republic of Serbia (its ministries) and the president of the state?
Our Ministry’s priority in 2022 is to continue with digitalization, which, in addition to building a network in rural areas, also entails the continuation of creating a computer network in elementary and high schools. So far, half of the schools in Serbia, i.e. over 900 of them, have these computer networks. We will also continue to encourage the development of e-commerce and the digital society. Furthermore, the main goals include maintaining the achieved economic growth and the implementation of reforms to mitigate the consequences of the pandemic-induced crisis, as well as preservation and support of the tourism sector. The Ministry will strive to invest effective effort in all three sectors to make significant changes for the better.
The current government has achieved excellent results, especially during the pandemic. I am especially proud of last year’s results of the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications (MTTT) during a very challenging period for the hospitality and tourism sector, as well as projects to digitize tourism and education, domestic tourism development and bridging the gap between urban and rural areas.
The Government of Serbia and MTTT are continuously monitoring the situation on the market and in the future, we will take adequate steps towards state integration, with the aim of protecting our citizens’ living standard and maintaining market supplies. With the implementation of all plans that the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications has for 2022, we are confident that this year will also be a year of growth and progress.