18. Services: Finance, Trade and Tourism

In Serbia, the services cover around 57% share in the total country’s GDP (2018) and more than 55% of the total workforce. By observing these data, Serbia can be categorized among the countries that survived the transition period by transforming its economy towards tertiary industries. However, the industrialization process in Serbia was not the consequence of the economic development, but the result of a destructive process at the end of the last century. The country’s recovery after the year 2000 and the implemented economic policy resulted with a strengthening of the service sector (trade, banking sector and tourism). At the same time, this sector, primarily under the influence of foreign investments, was rapidly changing primarily in the financial sector, and starting from 2011 these changes were observable in trade industries, too. Although Serbia doesn’t have mass tourism generators considering its landlocked position and relief, tourism based on the MICE, City Break, spa and mountains is on the constant rise for the last 15 years. However, diverse cultural heritage still isn’t enough interpreted in a right way in the Serbian tourism offer.