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ISO: Southwest Serbia Seeks Tourists
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Novi Pazar, Serbia, February 2009—Wanted: natural Serbian beauty seeks tourists who love the outdoors. That’s the plan for the Mount Golija region in southwest Serbia. Three new projects, funded with the help of the European Union, have been launched to help draw tourists to the area. Designated a biosphere, a by UNESCO in 2001, the legally protected conservation area has untapped tourism potential due to its natural beauty and rich cultural heritage. The region is home to both wildlife and cultural sites. Mount Golija includes a rare European mountain reserve for birds and rare wolves, brown bears and other animals. The reserve is also home to the Studenica Monastery, founded in the 12th century. The monastery is the world's largest Serbian Orthodox monastery and has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The new projects are designed to make these places more accessible. The projects include techinical reports and development plans to prepare for infrastructure repair, particularly roads, and for reinforcing embankments along the Raška River to better protect nearby communities and roads from flooding. Once in place, the area’s attractions are expected to draw tourists, helping boost the local economy, particularly in the towns of Ivanijca, Nova Varos, Novi Pazar, Priboj, Prijepolje, Raška, Sjenica and Tutin. At the moment, the primary economic activities include raising livestock and agricultural activities, such as collecting mushrooms and medicinal herbs “Development of Golija is one of the national development priorities,” Project Manager, Graeme Tyndall, said. “Successful implementation of these projects will improve investment conditions and create basic conditions for a better quality of life locally, while enabling the protection of Golija Nature Park.” In addition to the Serbian government and the EU, also involved in the project are the United Nations Development Programmeand the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. |
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