Indian travelers wanting to fly to countries such as the U.S. have been turning in increasing numbers to Serbia as the perfect place for a 14-day stopover to meet COVID-19 rules.

So-called "quarantine tourism" helped Serbia record a 48.4 percent annual increase in tourist arrivals in June, according to the Serbian Statistics Office.

Because of the high rates of COVID-19 in India, the U.S. and many other countries do not allow most people to travel direct from the country – but they can make the journey if they spend two weeks elsewhere on their way.

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Serbia offers Indian nationals visa-free entry if they have been vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19. They are also required to spend at least the first seven days of their stay in Serbia in isolation, depending on conditions set by their destination countries.

Tarek Mody, an Indian national, said he was in Belgrade on his way to Canada, while mechanical inspector Surish said the trip to Belgrade was organized by his employer.

Jagdish, from the Indian city Visakhapatnam, told Reuters he had to spend 14 days outside India before entering the U.S..

Ilija Smiljanic, hotels manager for Mark Group, said people were searching for extra beds and that all Belgrade hotels were housing some Indian guests.

Video editor: Natalia Liz