Tourism, one of the fastest-growing economic sectors, demands constant innovation to meet evolving traveler needs, including digitalization, personalization, inclusivity and sustainability. Andrea Mladin, founder of the Pet Travel Advisor startup and organizer of the Travel Startup event in Novi Sad, emphasizes the importance of digital tools that facilitate bookings and open access to niche markets like adventure, rural, wine, and accessible tourism.
Mladin highlights that innovation should not be exclusive to large players but accessible to small businesses with proper support, helping them professionalize and improve service quality. Startups play a crucial role in identifying market problems and quickly delivering agile, tech-driven solutions. However, their visibility and systemic support remain limited.
Building bridges between institutions, the tourism sector, and innovative teams is essential for progress. Beyond funding, startups need recognition, mentorship, and market access to thrive.
The Travel Startup event, the first of its kind in Serbia and supported by the Novi Sad Secretariat for Economy and Tourism and the Science and Technology Park, brought together local governments, hotels, agencies, and startups, fostering dialogue and collaboration. The goal is to establish a tourism innovation ecosystem and organize similar future events to strengthen the community.
One featured startup, TechMe, targets small and medium travel agencies with an AI-powered assistant that transforms customer inquiries into personalized bookings by analyzing preferences to create tailored travel plans. TechMe’s founder, Marko Ljupković, stresses that the agent’s role remains vital but is enhanced by data-driven insights, enabling smarter, customer-focused services.
Ljupković notes the regional lack of systemic support for travel tech startups but is optimistic about growing opportunities. He advocates building a dedicated community to help regional startups develop competitive global solutions, underscoring Serbia’s potential in the rapidly expanding travel industry.
