Snežana Kusovac from the Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications said, at the opening of the construction of a collector for wastewater treatment in Kopaonik, that this is a plant of great importance to the sustainable development of tourism in Kopaonik, which is a tourist destination as well as a national park.

She said that it is important to increase tourist flow in Kopaonik, and that, in 2013, the number of domestic tourists was by 12%, and foreign tourists by 29% more than in the previous year, adding that by reviewing selected tourist places it can be concluded that, in the first five months of this year, most domestic tourists stayed in that place.

At the same time, it is important to increase the level of environmental protection in order not to endanger the natural resources which comprise the tourist offer of Kopaonik, concluded Kusovac.

The value of the investment, which is funded by the Belgian company “Vizion”, in cooperation with the Municipality of Brus, amounts to 800,000 euros and the contractor is “Hidromontaža” company from Belgrade.

The completion of the first phase of works on that investment is planned by the end of the current year, and this phase includes the construction of pipelines from Srebrnac to Rendara, which is a distance of four kilometers, installation of the collector for the collection of wastewater, as well as the excavation of several arterial wells which in the future will supply drinking water for the holiday village “Srebrnac”.

According to the manager of the Belgian company “Vizion Europe”, the second phase of work, i.e. the building of a modern plant for wastewater treatment, the first of its kind in Kopaonik, should start in the spring of the upcoming year, and will cost an additional 2.2 million euros.

He expressed hope that, in a few years, “Srebrnac” will become the most popular tourist destination in Europe and stated that he will collaborate with partners from the Municipality of Brus in order to achieve that.

Marking the official start of the construction of the sewage collector, the Mayor of Brus Slobodan Vidojević said that the municipal administration accelerated the procedure for obtaining the necessary permits in order to attract more investors.

I believe that the revenue from tourism in the budget of the Municipality of Brus will increase by tenfold in a few years said Vidojević and announced that in addition to investing in the east side of Kopaonik, in the coming period, investments will be made in the Brus Spa.