Expo 2027 Could Generate €9.07 Billion in New Value for Serbia’s Economy

Consulting firm Louis Berger Adria has completed the Study on the Economic, Social and Environmental Effects of Specialised Expo 2027 Belgrade, according to which the project could generate €9.07 billion in new value for Serbia’s economy by 2037, measured in gross value added, as well as €3.83 billion in tax revenues. Total investments related to the project are estimated at €3.84 billion, of which around €2 billion are public investments and approximately €1.84 billion are private investments, while every dinar of public investment is expected to generate 1.91 dinars in tax revenues. The total employment effect is estimated at nearly 360,000, or around 359,000 jobs expressed through the internationally recognised full-time equivalent methodology – FTE. The Study covers three key phases – preparation, the three-month duration of the exhibition and the ten-year legacy period, with the largest share of the effects expected after the exhibition: €5.43 billion, or around 60 percent of the total estimated new value.

During the three months of the Specialised Expo, around 1.65 million international visitors are expected, of whom more than 1.13 million are projected to be multi-day guests. The Study identifies the possibility of further increasing the effects through higher tourism spending, longer stays by visitors and greater involvement of domestic contractors, suppliers and service providers. A conservative scenario was also analysed, with 30 percent fewer international visitors and 10 percent lower tourism spending, under which €7.87 billion in new value and more than €3.16 billion in tax revenues would still be generated. The project’s social impact is monitored through 93 indicators distributed across nine categories and three different levels, while knowledge, experience of working in a complex international environment and new professional competencies are regarded as part of the project’s intangible legacy.

Educational, cultural and programme content will enable visitors to discover the cultures, ideas and experiences of more than 130 countries, while more than 140 high-level bilateral meetings are also expected during the preparation and staging of the Expo, with the potential to generate new investments, business projects and cooperation in the fields of economy, culture, science and other areas. The results of the Study will be monitored and updated throughout the implementation of the project, while the complete Study on the Economic, Social and Environmental Effects of Expo 2027 Belgrade will be published on the Louis Berger Adria website and made available to the public in full.