Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić and Minister of Sport Vanja Udovičić have laid today the foundation stone for the construction of sports hall at Silver Lake, which will be opened next year.

The total value of the hall is 126 million dinars, and the Ministry of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications in the previous two years has allocated 85 million dinars for the realisation of this project.

“We want this to become a serious touristic centre in Serbia, to make this place a place where athletes not only from Serbia, but from entire Europe will come and prepare. This will also be a centre for students and youth sports and tourism”, says Minister Ljajić.

He made it precise that the Ministry in the previous three years has invested 126 million dinars in the infrastructural projects in Veliko Gradište, for the construction of the basketball camp “Teo”, port Ram including a sports hall which foundation stone has been laid today.

“When we came here for the first time, many had doubts that we will realise all what has been done in a relatively short period of time, We won’t stop here since we think the potential exists, not only for the development of the sports tourism, but for entire Serbian tourism in general”, says the Minister.

He has added that Serbian Government has a clear programme of activities and projects to be realised every year, since this destination has a huge potential which has to be used.

“You have to gather your touristic capacities with the touristic capacitates of the surrounding municipalities since only once you join those capacities and use them we can speak of the realisation of our goal, which is to make this region a driver of development of tourism in Serbia. When I say this I refer to Požarevac, Veliko Gradište, Golubac and Kladovo”, Minister has underlined.

He has added that these four local self-government should think of the creation of the regional touristic organisation which will offer a single touristic product and thus attract not only domestic but also foreign tourists in large numbers.

Minister of Sport Vanja Udovičić has stressed today that Silver Lake can be proud of the best basketball courts equipped for our professional, and recreational sportsmen.

“Our strategy is to make our sportsmen stay in our country and prepare in our country, so that we could be competitive in the world, both with the sports results, and with sports infrastructure”, says Mr Udovičić, inviting foreign sportsmen to come and prepare at Silver Lake.

He has said that in the upcoming period we should work on the development of the youth tourism in this destination.