Serbia hopes visa-free agreement will bring in more Chinese tourists

Exhibitors in Serbia are hoping that their government’s recent measure to do away with visa requirements for Chinese tourists will help increase arrivals from the world’s second-largest economy. Vladimir Koricanac, a manager with Serbia Tour Operator, was quoted by TTG Asia as saying that earlier, visa requirements for the nationals of China were hampering them from obtaining a tourist visa easily to Serbia. It was taking at least 20 days and Chinese, additionally, had to submit documents which had to be processed by Serbia, he added. Koricanac said that by removing visa requirements for Chinese tourists, they expect a surge in the FIT (Free Independent Tourist) market from the Asian superpower. Darko Kuzeljevic, the project manager at Serbia Tour Operator, said that he expected the 10- to 15-night Balkan Tours, which combines Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro, will attract the FIT segment from China because of the pretty scenery. He added that after the leisure segment is developed, they would target the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Events) segment of China. Gregor Levic, owner and general manager of Serbia-based iDMC Travel, said that they were also targeting the Chinese FIT segment. Besides, their company is geared up to receive visitors from China as it has guides, interpreters and a sales staff who speak Mandarin. If you are looking to visit Serbia, get in touch with Y-Axis, a premier immigration consultancy firm, to file for a visa from one of its several offices.