Skopje, 26 September 2022 (MIA) – All other countries have reached the 2019 figures in tourism, while we are still far below the pre-crisis levels. We have recorded a 30 percent reduction in foreign tourists, while at the same time not making use of the full potential of the regional and domestic market, with the exception of the rise in Serbian tourists, there has been no increase in the number of other tourists from the neighborhood, said the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia on Monday. On the occasion of tomorrow’s World Tourism Day, the Chamber said that there has been a reduction of 60 percent in tourists from only the Netherlands – a market which has for years been the source of the largest number of overnight stays. “The importance of foreign tourists is worth nothing, because 94 percent of them spent the night in hotels, which means that the strongest impact is felt by the hoteliers who generate jobs. The number of overnight stays has dropped by 30 percent, because it is precisely the foreign tourists who generate overnight stays in the hotels. Lake hotels, for example, in the Ohrid and Struga areas, have recorded a decrease of 140.000 overnight stays,” said Daniela Mihajlovska Vasilevska from the Chamber. According to her, the total number of tourists compared to the January-July period in 2019 is lower by 127.000 or by 261.000 overnight stays. “This is a drop of around 30 percent. The number of domestic tourists and overnight stays by domestic tourist for the same period has reached 2019 levels, while the number of foreign tourists is lower by 135.000 tourists or by 261.000 overnight stays which is a 31 percent decrease. This shows that we are far from pre-crisis levels,” underscored Mihajlovska Vasilevska. The head of the Catering Industry and Tourism Association within the Chamber, Ana Tanevska Georgievska reminded that the only sector capable of compensating economic losses in the short term is tourism. She informed that the Association has drafted a plan for intensive economic growth and the promotion of exports through tourism. “Research shows that travel within a radius of 600 kilometers from the place of residence, in a clean ecological environment, will be the tourists’ first choice in the years to come. So far, North Macedonia as a destination is yet to use the potential of the regional markets or the domestic markets. Apart from the increase in the number of tourists from Serbia, there has been no increase in the number of tourists from the other countries in the region. We can count on a market of 50 million potential tourists without Turkey, in addition to 3.5 million travelers a year who transit through North Macedonia and lack services which would keep them here longer,” said Tanevska Georgievska. She pointed out that an investment in four beds for tourist accommodation is equivalent to one job. “Adequately planned measures and policies can secure additional accommodation of 60.000 beds dispersed throughout the entire territory of North Macedonia. The creation of attractive conditions will secure domestic and foreign investments which may lead to an additional one billion euro in the Macedonian economy, to over 30.000 jobs and to the revitalization of rural areas, all of this almost without investment expenses from the state treasury,” said the head of the Association. According to Tanevska Georgievska, expensive electricity and lack of staff remain among the biggest issues in the field of tourism. During the news conference, the Economic Chamber announced the establishment of a national association of tour operators and travel agencies. The body will aim at helping create the necessary conditions for the development of a modern and competitive professional tourist industry. ad/ba/