Serbia is likely to earn USD 850 million from tourism this year, which is the result of a rise in the number of foreign guests and increasing number of successful manifestations, State Secretary with the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development Goran Petkovic has told Tanjug.

“In first seven months of 2011, the turnover exceeded USD 450 million, and based on this revenue and the number of visits, this year we will get closer to the magic figure of one billion dollars,” Petkovic said ahead of the World Tourism Day marked on September 27.

However, 2012 is realistic for reaching this figure.

“Serbia's top tourist centers in 2011 were Belgrade and Novi Sad, which are large administration centers, as well as mountain centers which had a considerable increase in the number of domestic and foreign guests,” Petkovic said.

According to him, Serbia's spas managed to maintain the same number of visits, while the increasing number of successful manifestations and events made considerable turnover and thus contributet to the rise of tourism.