The World Travel & Tourism Council has signed an agreement with the government of the Republic of Serbia to produce a wide-ranging study that will demonstrate the tourism potential of the country.

The deal was signed with the ministry of finance & economy, through the National Tourism Organisation of Serbia.

The study has been commissioned to fully assess both the economic impact of tourism on the Republic of Serbia, as well as outline current and future policy recommendations for the country.

This is a proactive approach to enhance the current efforts of the NTO and the Ministry and is a first such relationship with WTTC.

WTTC president David Scowsill launched the commission for this study at his address to the UNWTO Executive Council Meeting in Belgrade.

Scowsill said: “In order to stimulate investment income from the private and public sector, countries require reliable, robust data on tourism.

“As the forum for business leaders in the tourism industry, WTTC is best placed to understand and advise upon the requirements of private-sector investors.”

A full policy review will be conducted along with a section on global and the country’s tourism trends. 

Combined with the detailed the economic impact assessment, the trends and policy review will guide the recommendations for policy measures that would best enable tourism to achieve its economic potential, and serve as a foundation for the development of the Republic of Serbia’s National Tourism Strategy.

The report will be prepared during the second half of 2013 and will be presented to the National Tourism Organisation and Ministry in late 2013.

NTO chief executive Gordana Plamenac commented: “We are experiencing significant year on year growth from many of our important markets, but we are also aware of the need for accurate independent analyses which will further boost confidence from foreign investors and help our country to maximize returns from tourism and to achieve better exposure internationally.”