Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić said today at Vlasina Lake that eco-tourism represents an opportunity for Serbia, adding that tourism should be our major industry for which we have an unexploited potential.

Opening the seasonal market which offers local agricultural products and handicrafts, Deputy Prime Minister Ljajić said that this is an excellent example of public-private partnerships and a way for promoting local economic development.

He added that this could be a good example of cross-border regional co-operation, because tourism not only has an economic, but also a social role and can be an example of how to combine and present the resources in the region regardless of borders.

Ljajić said that eco-tourism is getting stronger in many European countries, and that some countries in the world, such as Costa Rica and Australia, base their development on the development of this type of tourism.

Equipping the market cost five million RSD and was opened within the three-year project “Vlasina Lake Ecotourism Promotion and Environment Protection“ which is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in cooperation with the Government of Serbia and the Municipality of Surdulica, with the support of Coca Cola.

The Director of UNDP in Serbia Irena Vojackova Solorano said that the organization has invested 231,000 USD and has announced investments in other protected areas in Serbia.

The Director of the Tourist Organization of Serbia Gordana Plamenac said that next year the main theme for the promotion of Serbia will be active holidays and that Vlasina will be included in this project, but that it is necessary to provide additional accommodation capacities and infrastructure.