In parallel with the appearance at the 40th Philoxenia-Hotelia International Tourism Expo 2025, the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Thessaloniki and the Representative Office of the Republic of Srpska in Greece organized a cocktail reception dedicated to strengthening economic, tourism and cultural ties between Serbia, the Republic of Srpska and Greece.

The reception was attended by many officials, businessmen, tourism organizations and representatives of the Serbian and Greek communities. Among those present were Marko Kovačević, Mayor of the Municipality of Nikšić, Gordana Jovanović, Mayor of Jagodina, Nenad Ivanišević, Provincial Secretary for Economy and Tourism, Branislav Mamić from the Chamber of Commerce of Vojvodina, and Dalibor Marković, member of Jagodina City Council. On the Greek side, the reception was attended by the mayors of Aridaia, Polykastro and Aristotelis, which further emphasized the importance of joint appearance and development of local partnerships.

The event was an additional bridge of cooperation within this year’s Philoxenia, where Serbia and the Republic of Srpska are presenting jointly their tourist destinations, cultural potentials and investment opportunities. The evening’s focus was on connecting Greek and Serbian companies, as well as on promoting new models of economic and tourist exchange.

During the ceremony, prominent individuals, institutions and organizations were also presented with special certificates of appreciation for their exceptional contribution to the development of economic, tourist and cultural relations between Serbia, the Republic of Srpska and Greece. This act symbolically highlighted the long-standing trust, partnership and joint work to strengthen the ties between the three friendly peoples.

As noted during the event, the goal of the joint activities is to position Thessaloniki and northern Greece even more strongly as a natural market and partner for Serbia and the Republic of Srpska. Direct contacts, product presentations, tourism offers and plans for 2025 have strengthened the existing cooperation and opened the space for new initiatives.

‘The Republic of Srpska has been building stable and long-term partnerships in Thessaloniki for years, both in the field of economy and tourism. This year’s Philoxenia is particularly important for us because our most prominent tourist centers, Banja Luka, Trebinje, Istočno Sarajevo, Jahorina Olympic Center, and Foča are presented in one place. Each of these cities brings its own specific potential and clear development plans. Last evening’s event was an opportunity to directly connect institutions, companies and tourism organizations of the Republic of Srpska with the Greek market, which is naturally close and extremely promising for us. Our goal is to create new opportunities for cooperation through such meetings and for the Republic of Srpska to be even more visible and present in Greece,’ said the Head of the Representative Office in Greece, Jelena Jovanović.

Source and photo: Republic of Srpska Representative Office in the Hellenic Republic