The importance of congress tourism for the development of the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

Congress tourism or meetings industry is one of the fastest growing segments on the tourism market. Congress tourism has a positive effect on the development of the country’s economy, providing additional economic effects, extending the season, and strengthening the image of destination. The aim of the paper is to analyze the impact of congress tourism on hotel performances, tourism performances, as well as the impact on macroeconomic indicators in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2015-2022. Regression and correlation analysis were used to check the hypotheses. The results showed a partial connection between congress and hotel performances, as well between congress and tourism performances, while no relation between congress and macroeconomic indicators were found. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that congress tourism in the Republic of Serbia has a significant impact on hotel and tourism performances, while there is no significant impact on macroeconomic indicators.