Serbia's tourism vouchers quickly claimed as demand surges

The Serbian government allocated 30,000 tourism vouchers worth 10,000 dinars each, funded by a 300 million‑dinars budget. Eligibility is limited to pensioners whose monthly pension does not exceed 80,000 dinars. On the first day of registration more than 25,000 applications were recorded, and by the second day the total rose to 26,339, leaving only 3,661 vouchers still available.

Vouchers must be used for a stay of at least five nights outside the holder’s place of residence and are valid until 1 November 2026. Most applicants are targeting spa destinations (banje), which have historically absorbed the bulk of voucher demand. Rural tourism establishments have seen slower uptake, although the number of registered rural farms has risen from about 800‑900 to roughly 1,800‑1,900 in recent years. Vladimir Ivanović, founder of the Selo.rs project and director of the Ljig Tourist Organization, noted that the vouchers have positively impacted overall tourism traffic but remain concentrated on spas and lower‑cost rural options.