In the 2024 nautical season, Serbia welcomed 205,788 passengers from river cruise ships, marking a significant 12.3% increase compared to 2023. Additionally, the Ports Management Agency reported 1,459 cruise ship dockings, a 3.5% rise from the previous season.
The international passenger terminal in Belgrade had the highest number of dockings, with 552 and 78,496 disembarked passengers. Novi Sad followed with 403 dockings and 55,377 passengers, while Donji Milanovac and Golubac recorded 257 and 178 dockings, respectively. Zemun had 42 dockings, and Kladovo registered 9.
The biggest growth was seen at the Novi Sad international terminal, which experienced an 8% increase in dockings and a notable 15.9% increase in passengers compared to 2023.
The 2024 results are approaching the record numbers from 2019, when Serbia was visited by 208,000 tourists via cruise ships.
This growth is attributed to investments made by the government and the agency into cruise infrastructure, totaling 12 million EUR. Furthermore, the success of the 2024 season is partly due to the “Sail Serbia” project, which has been running for two years. Significant progress has been made in the first two years of the project: three new international passenger terminals were opened (Zemun, Šabac, and Sremska Mitrovica), the construction of marinas in Veliko Gradište and Golubac began, the capacity of the Donji Milanovac international terminal was expanded, a contract was signed for the construction of an international passenger terminal in Banoštor, and the agency successfully completed an investment in cleaning the waters of the future marina in Smederevo. Alongside infrastructure development, Serbia’s nautical potential is being actively promoted at international tourism fairs and themed conferences, as stated by the Ports Management Agency.
The agency anticipates continued positive results in the upcoming nautical season, with an estimated 5% increase in cruise ship dockings and passengers.
The opening of new international passenger terminals and the growth in passenger numbers are also expected to have a positive impact on Serbia’s revenues from cruising. It is projected that the direct and indirect income from cruising will reach 11 million EUR in this year’s nautical season, according to the agency’s statement.
