05 February 2019 - Balkan countries should create a joint tourism offer for tourists from distant countries, said Pavle Radulović, Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism of Montenegro, and Ambassador of Macedonia, Mihajlo Trpkovski, at the meeting of the two officials.
By developing joint tourism promotional offers, Montenegro and Macedonia can exploit untapped opportunities to boost bilateral and inbound tourism to both countries, officials from both sides agreed.
The Ambassador of Macedonia suggested a twinning project between some of the Montenegrin and Macedonian cities. According to the report by the Ministry, Trpkovski said that the Ohrid Lake in Macedonia is extremely valorised by the tourists and that Montenegro should consider connecting this tourist destination with Skadar Lake and thus creating a joint tourism offer.
Radulovic announced that if there is no unity around the Balkan region's tourist offer, an attractive offer cannot be created in the first place. "This is especially true for guests from far countries who expect to visit as many locations during their stay in the Mediterranean," said Radulović. According to him, the inhabitants of large countries are by nature nomads, and until this concept is understood, the countries will not be able to make a high-quality tourism offer.
The officials concluded that strong and strategic relations binding the Balkan countries could be the foundations for cooperation in various fields, including tourism. The countries can, therefore, promote their tourist destinations through innovative joint programmes.
Radulović and Trpkovski highlighted the need for the two governments to help further stakeholders to design effective and practical programmes that allow Montenegrin and Macedonian citizens to visit each other’s countries.
The interlocutors also talked about extending the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation as well as on pollution control models, especially in large cities.
