The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) has faced criticism from the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), which accused the institution of acting as a “propaganda service of the SNS.” This backlash came after the NBS attributed the decline in the number of overnight stays by domestic tourists to blockades.
Peđa Mitrović of SSP argued that the true cause for the decrease in domestic tourist visits is the lack of state-issued vouchers this year, unlike in previous years. He highlighted that the increase in overnight stays by foreign tourists—who did not receive vouchers—supports this argument.
Mitrović also condemned the governor of the NBS, Jorgovanka Tabaković, for linking the tourism downturn with a decline in trade, noting that the negative trend in trade has been ongoing since mid-last year. The SSP believes that such statements further damage the independence of the central bank.
