TOURIST TRAFFIC RECORDS GROWTH

BANJA LUKA, DECEMBER 31 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska Minister of Trade and Tourism Denis Šulić told SRNA that entering 2026 will mark the beginning of the full implementation of the Central Information System, adding that a special focus in the coming months will be placed on joint promotion of domestic products from Republika Srpska and Serbia.

"We believe that support for domestic production and the branding of local products represent strong economic and development potential," Šulić said.

Šulić noted that through systemic legislative reforms, intensive field activities, and direct support for domestic tourism, Republika Srpska achieved significant growth in tourist traffic in 2025 and laid the foundations for a more regulated and sustainable market.

"Behind us is a year in which we established clear and solid foundations for systemic changes in the fields of trade and tourism, focusing on market regulation, consumer protection, and modernization of the tourism sector," Šulić emphasized.

He added that Ministry representatives were strongly present in the field as well.

"Alongside visits to local communities across Republika Srpska and support for development projects, we actively worked on presenting Republika Srpska's tourism offer at numerous domestic and international fairs. In the coming period, we will continue this continuity with appearances in Vienna, Belgrade, Banja Luka, and New York, with the clear goal of further positioning Republika Srpska as a recognizable tourist destination," Šulić said.

He stressed that the continuously growing results in the tourism sector are particularly encouraging, confirming that the measures implemented by the Ministry are producing concrete and measurable effects.

"In the first 11 months of this year, Republika Srpska recorded 477,944 tourist arrivals and 1,125,259 overnight stays, which represents an increase of 20,383 arrivals and 29,527 overnight stays compared to the same period last year," Šulić highlighted.

He pointed out that a significant contribution to these results was also made by the tourist voucher project, which has shown that direct support for domestic tourism benefits both citizens and the economy.

"Precisely because of these extremely positive effects, we will continue implementing the tourist voucher project in the coming year as well, with the aim of further increasing tourist traffic and ensuring balanced development of tourist destinations throughout Republika Srpska," Šulić concluded.