Foreign tourists love Belgrade and every year they are getting here more and more. This July they are almost for third more than last year in a visit to Belgrade. Although our capital is a year-round tourist destination, guests are mostly here for New Year and during summer. A survey of foreign tourists who stayed in capital hotels was conducted this summer. Thousands of foreign tourists from 75 countries participated.
The foreigners mostly criticize us when it comes to hygiene, when it comes to tourist signaling, when it comes to public toilets, then parks. Tourists are satisfied with beautiful parks, but they resent our citizens that they do not carry bags for their pets..
The bad impression of the city is left by illegal taxi drivers, who charge for the service at enormously high prices, which is a multiannual problem of Belgrade. Strangers are baffled and scorched walls, so they wonder if they are graffiti, art, political messages, love statements, the work of street gangs or ordinary grief.
Strangers confuse Cyrillic information, street signs, signaling in traffic, in trams. For example, with these more modern trams where there are announcements for the next station, it goes only in Serbian, so it’s pretty complicated to them..
This year 35 boards were placed in five languages. By the end of the year, there will be another hundred, and there are plans to set up 30 interactive boards. By the next summer, several public toilets will be built, as this is one of the most serious complaints.
The poll showed that foreigners are much more thankful than us. They love the atmosphere of our city, praise tasty food, interesting tradition and good time. Our hospitality was definitely the highest rating.
And that’s why we should take into account the remarks of foreign tourists and correct what they resent us, because that’s what good hosts do.