Veles records 36% rise in overnight stays in 2025, but tourists stay briefly

Veles recorded a sharp rise in overnight stays in 2025, but most visitors remain short‑term and appear not to be sightseeing the town's cultural sites. The State Statistical Office registered a 36 percent increase in persons who stayed and spent the night in Veles, from 21.016 in 2024 to 28.556 last year.

More foreign guests, shorter visits

The increase was driven largely by a 70 percent jump in foreign tourists, rising from 13.607 in 2024 to 23.250 in 2025, while domestic visitors declined by 40 percent, from 7.409 to 5.308. Local hoteliers and municipal sources say the majority of these are transit arrivals included on package itineraries.

Tour operators began adding Veles to routes that previously only passed through the town, which helps explain the larger occupancy numbers despite very brief stays. The average length of stay in the city is 1,2 days, underlining that many nights are part of short stopovers rather than extended visits.

The composition of foreign visitors shifted compared with earlier years. Until 2024, transit guests headed to or from Greece — mainly nationals of Serbia, Romania, Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic — predominated. In 2025 the largest groups came from Germany (7.757), France (3.155) and the United Kingdom (1.456); their average stay in Veles is 1,1 days.

Although citizens of Serbia and Romania remain among the top nationalities, their numbers are now recorded as 3.759 and 1.259 visitors respectively. The short duration of most stays helps explain why hotels report high occupancy while cultural landmarks receive comparatively few visitors.

Municipal officials and tourism operators say converting these transit nights into longer cultural visits will require coordinated promotion of local attractions and modified tour‑operator programmes that allow more time in Veles.

Photo: SDK.MK)