LJAJIC: Tourist season lost, damage potentially lower if the crisis end by June

The Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications of Serbia, Rasim Ljajic, stated today that the tourist season was lost due to coronavirus and that the damage could potentially be reduced if the crisis ended by June.

Ljajic said on TV Pink that, according to the law, the money paid for summer vacations needed to be repaid to the citizens and added that the estimate was that close to 100,000 had already been repaid, it is said on the government's website.

On the other hand, he said, there will be problems with arrangements paid for May, as the agencies have already paid the money to hotel managers and transporters, and these are real costs.

– A solutions is now being sought in cooperation with the agencies and the passengers. We are trying to reach an agreement for the agencies to repay the passengers, and one of the ways is for these citizens to be provided with an arrangement in the same or a different destination within a year – he said.

Ljajic added that the priority was to protect the citizens' interests, as well as those of the agencies, as their potential bankruptcy should be avoided.

Ministarstvo turizma i omladine Republike Srbije

Ministry of Trade Tourism and Telecommunications

Rasim Ljajić

tourist season

coronavirus

pandemic

summer vacation refunds

hotel managers