Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Minister of Trade, Tourism, and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajić has opened the amusement park “Adventure Park” on Kopaonik, and underlined that the park will bring benefits to the touristic offer of our mountain, make it more diverse and achieve the basic goal – make Kopaonik an all-year-round attractive destination.
That investment, says Minister, is a step towards that objective, since, as he has assessed, Serbia has had an excellent ski season, with the income which is by 24 per cent higher than the one of the previous year, which was considered a record year.
“I’m quite sure that this “Adventure Park” will additionally enrich the touristic offer of Kopaonik, and achieve that basic goal – to make Kopaonik an all-year-round touristic destination. The second objective is to attract the biggest possible number of foreign tourists and guests to come to Kopaonik”, says Minister.
According to his words, in the first six months there has been 20 per cent more foreign tourists, even 21 per cent of increase of foreign tourists compared to the previous period, or, as he has said, around 15.000 foreign tourists, visiting that mountain.
“This touristic year will, without any doubts, be the best one, with the growth of foreign currency inflow of 13 per cent, compared to the previous year, for which we all thought it was amazing and record year. We are approaching the defined goal of 1.2 billion euros of net foreign currency inflow from foreign tourists”, says Mr Ljajić.
Also he expects the beginning of the works on the construction of several storey garage with a heliport and stated that the value of that project is 385 million dinars, and the Ministry has allocated 100 million dinars for that project, and the remaining funds are provided by the Ski Resorts of Serbia.
“I believe that we will tackle the existing administrative issues, regarding the garage location, having in mind that it’s owned by the Serbian Military, and there are talks about how to enter a kind of the partner relations. The issue of parking on Kopaonik is a chronic issue, especially in winter touristic season and the construction of the garage will partially solve this problem”, says Minister.
Mr Ljajić expects that by the end of the summer season the additional amenities will be also completed – artificial climbing rock and the outdoor gym, and that before the beginning of the winter season, the ski track will be illuminated at Greben.
“Kopaonik will open the new season more ready than before, and with this infrastructural project, I hope it will attract more private investment”, says Mr Ljajić, adding that “the mountain today is a big construction site thanks to the business environment created and thanks to the investment made by the government, since when the government is an investor then the private sector follows that investment “. Mr Ljajić has said that Kopaonik is an opportunity not only for Raška but for the entire region and that all municipalities at the foot of the mountain should gather in a regional touristic organisation with a single touristic offer. “Then Vrnjačka Banja will have more benefits from skiers and Kopaonik will have benefits from Vrnjačka Banja in the peak of the touristic season”, says he, adding that we should go towards the new trends and requirements of the tourists, so that they could visit several locations within a single touristic trip.
