Serbia Warned Citizens Against Travel to Croatia, Yet Many Flock to Its Coast

Serbia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially placed Croatia in its "orange" category, signifying a high-risk travel destination, alongside countries like Iran and Ukraine. The official recommendation to Serbian citizens was to avoid travel to Croatia unless absolutely necessary. However, this advisory did not deter a substantial number of Serbians from visiting Croatia.

Data from the Croatian Tourist Board reveals that from January to June, 123,328 tourists from Serbia visited Croatia, generating 578,000 overnight stays. Concurrently, by June, 15,863 Serbian citizens held temporary work and residence permits in Croatia. In total, nearly 140,000 Serbian citizens traveled to Croatia for vacation or temporary employment by the end of June.

Later, Serbia revised its travel advisory, moving Croatia to the "yellow" group, recommending travel with extra precautions. Notably, Croatia remains the only EU member state not considered entirely safe by Serbia in this category. The number of Serbian citizens working in Croatia has seen a dramatic increase over the past decade. In 2016, only 379 Serbians held work permits; by 2021, this number surged to 13,579, a 35-fold increase. By 2024, the number of Serbians working in Croatia reached 17,876, making them the third-largest group of foreign workers, behind Bosnians and Filipinos.