AN ANALYSIS OF THE INCLUSION OF TOURISM IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

UN JOINT PROGRAMME “SUSTAINABLE TOURISM FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT”

AN ANALYSIS OF THE INCLUSION OF TOURISM IN LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

UN JOINT PROGRAMME “SUSTAINABLE TOURISM FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT”

Report prepared by:

Bojan Zečevid, PhD University of Belgrade Faculty of Economics

The views expressed in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations Development Programme.

Belgrade, January 2011 CONTENT

CONTEXT ...... 1

Background ...... 1 The purpose of report ...... Error! Bookmark not defined.

DESCRIPTION OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES ...... 3

Lower Danube ...... 3 Eastern Serbia ...... 13 Central Serbia ...... 21 Southern Banat on the Danube ...... 28

ANALYSIS - EVALUATION OF STRATEGIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...... 33

Evaluation of local development strategies ...... 33 Recommendations ...... 35

ANNEX ...... 37

List of analysed strategies ...... 37 CONTEXT

Background

Partnerships for development and combating poverty are cornerstones of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The commitment entrenched in the MDG8 calls for partnerships between governments, civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders, to develop and implement strategies to improve quality of life for children, women and men in rural areas.

In order to support rural development, UN agencies (UNDP, UNEP, FAO, UNWTO and UNICEF) and Serbian national partners (Ministry of Economy & Regional Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry & Water Management and the Tourism Organisation of Serbia), as principal partners, will implement the Joint Programme Sustainable Tourism for Rural Development. The programme’s two key outcomes will be achieved through cooperation between the partners.

 Outcome 1 (National Level): a developed legal and policy framework to support diversification of the rural economy through tourism contributes to attaining the Millennium Development Goals. This outcome is implemented at the national level through support for the Government to: a.) develop a National Rural Tourism Master Plan; b.) develop a National Rural Development Programme; and c.) provide guidance for public investments.

 Outcome 2 (Local and Regional Level): Local rural tourism and support industries are better connected and organised, while the capacity of local stakeholders to deliver services and products in line with national strategies is improved. This outcome is implemented in four target regions at the local and regional level and aims to provide support to local rural planning and destination development and management. A Joint UN Fund for Sustainable Rural Tourism will provide investments in three thematic

1 windows: a.) Tourist Destination Development; b.) Diversification of Rural Economy through Tourism; and c.) Active Learning Tourism Investments.

Programme interventions will target the regions of Central Serbia, Eastern Serbia, South Banat on the Danube and the Lower Danube. The following target municipalities1 are included:  Central Serbia - Valjevo - Ljig - Kosjerid - Gornji Milanovac - Mionica  Eastern Serbia - Negotin - Zaječar - Knjaževac - Pirot - Dimitrovgrad  South Banat on the Danube - Alibunar - Bela Crkva - Kovin - Vršac  Lower Danube - Požarevac - Veliko Gradište - Golubac - Majdanpek - Kladovo.

Having in mind the purpose of UN joint Programme – support to tourism development in targeted regions – the purpose of this report is to analyse the content of local development strategies in terms of the inclusion of the tourism aspect, as well as recommendations for tourism aspect implementation in local strategies.

The first part of the report presents components for tourism development which are part of local development strategies in all 19 targeted municipalities. Based on this description, the second part of the report presents the analysis of identified omissions , and reccomendation on how to improve inclusiveness of tourism aspect in local development strategies.

1 Some key non-tourism statistics can be found in annexed tables.

2 DESCRIPTION OF LOCAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

Lower Danube

Požarevac

The Sustainable Development Strategy of Požarevac City from 2009 to 2013 was adopted by the Požarevac City Council on 10.04.2009. The Strategy notes tourism as an explicit development potential, primarily because of the existence of attractive sites, which, it is emphasised, are yet to be exploited.

Listed tourist attractions include: Archaeological sites: Viminacium - the remains of military fortifications and the capital of the Roman province of Upper Moesia, Margum - prehistoric site and later Roman fort, Rukumija - Bronze Age site and Malinac - site dating back to prehistoric times (Bronze Age) The “Ljubičevo” Complex - located near Požarevac, it is considered one of the oldest horse stables in Serbia (established 1853.) Sacral objects: Rukumija Monastery - dating back to medieval times and attributed by folk tradition to endowments of Prince Lazar; Sestroljin Monastery - belongs to the monastery circle (Sestroljin, Rukumija and Bradača), which is associated with the folk legend of the tragic fate of a girl named Jelica; Local resorts and parks: Ethno Park Tulba - a unique museum in nature boasting several items of folk architecture from the late 19th century and a monument dedicated to the Požarevac Peace (1718.); Čačalica Memorial Park - located on a hill of the same name above the town; the “Bambi” amusement park - sports, entertainment and

3 recreation centre for children, “Moravian Lagoon” - Velika Morava riverside area, extending upstream from Ljubičevo; Events: Ljubičevo equestrian games - traditionally organised, since 1964, during September and representing a holiday for all lovers of horses and equestrian sports; the November Days of Culture in Požarevac, Biennial Milena Pavlovid Barili, Days of Milivoje Živanovid (actors’ ceremony); Milica Revisited.

The Strategy defines seven priority areas: infrastructure development; creation of a healthier environment; economic development; tourism and culture development; development of agricultural production and better organisation of farmers; better social and health care and higher quality of education. Tourism is the subject of the fourth priority area, but is also present in the third (Economic Development), where - under measure 3.1 (Preparation of Areas for Investments) - indicators are provided that are de facto indicators of congress tourism development (built Congress and Exhibition Centre and a number of staged seminars, conferences, exhibitions). The fourth priority area (Development of Tourism and Culture) places emphasis on both tourism infrastructure, in terms of accessibility and signage (primarily related to the Hippodrome, Ljubičevo Stable and Viminacium), resources in the field of culture and capabilities of their “conversion” into tourism resources. Accordingly, two measures are provided: Construction and Reconstruction of Tourism Infrastructure and Promotion of Cultural Heritage for Tourism Purposes.

Finally, a project suggestion is also given that includes elements related to tourism development, with responsibilities, implementation of time frame, assessment of priorities and funding sources.

Veliko Gradište

The Local Strategy of Sustainable Development of Veliko Gradište, adopted by the Assembly on 27th May 2010, states that the municipality’s advantages lie in its very favourable, attractive tourism location and geographical position, available workforce, as well as free commercial premises and accommodation facilities that require minor investments. The strategy singles out the following as the most important investment locations:  Location of Silver Lake - a tourism-sports-recreation centre, with hotel, holiday apartments and sports facilities.  Location of Ram - a weekend village covering 2 - 3 hectares.  Location of Zatonje – weekend village covering 3 - 4 hectares (requires complete infrastructure - electricity, water, sewage with bio-filters - and completion of infrastructure and road network at Silver Lake).  Location of Beli Bagrem campsite at Silver Lake – already established as an auto camp covering 50,250m2 of woodland with acacia, poplar and birch – requires continuation of the pedestrian trail. Has its own beach, well for water supply and sanitary works.  Location of Marina - owned by “Silver Lake”.

Conclusions of the analysis of the municipality’s situation state that “a good geographical location, the River Danube, Silver Lake and River Pek, established public-private

4 partnership, existing cultural-historical content, archaeological sites, rich hunting grounds and numerous cultural, tourism and gastronomic events are the backbone of tourism development. The further progress of this priority industry requires the building of tourism infrastructure/superstructure, professional and financial support of the organisational structure (primarily for the local Tourism Organisation of Veliko Gradište) and fostering of the development of public awareness in the field of rural tourism. Moreover, the municipality’s border position provides an opportunity, through cross-border co-operation, to expand the tourism offer further and lead to the creation of the Euro region. Furthermore, it has been concluded that, despite tourism development possibilities, the municipality is rural and unattractive to young people and, as such, it is necessary to stimulate the development of entrepreneurship in rural tourism, eco-agriculture and small crafts in order to solve the unemployment problem and encourage the active involvement of women.”

The list of proposed activities and measures to be introduced with the aim of further developing tourism does not include rural activities, though conclusion three - Halting Migration and Providing an Opportunity for Young People, but Also Providing Social Support to the Elderly - states that the municipality of Veliko Gradište, regardless of the possibilities of tourism development, is a rural municipality that is currently unattractive to the young and, therefore, should focus attention on the development of entrepreneurship in rural tourism, eco-agriculture and small crafts. However, Conclusions on the Competitive Advantages of the Trends and Possible Interventions state that, among other things, it is necessary to stimulate the development of public awareness in the field of rural tourism.

Veliko Gradište sees itself as a future ecological community with a developed economy based on tourism and agriculture, providing conditions for work and a good life.

A list of priority areas and measures with indicators is given. In terms of the tourism sector, the priority area that stands out is number one: Expansion of the tourism offer, with measures: - 1.1. Improvement of Silver Lake as a tourist destination (Description: Increasing the potential and capacity of this already recognised tourism product will contribute to the further development of tourism and related sectors). - 1.2. Preparing the Pek as a tourist destination (Description: The potential provided by the River Pek and its coastal area can be exploited through the creation of conditions to deal with various aspects of tourism in the area). - 1.3. Introducing Ram Fortress to the tourism offer (Description: Heritage tourism has great development potential across the entire Braničevo region. As such, activities aimed at attracting tourists to Ram Fortress are fully justified). - 1.4. Restoring the old bazaar to its original state in order to include it in the local tourism offer (Description: Further expansion of the tourism offer of Veliko Gradište Municipality is impossible without renovation of the old bazaar, which should become a hub of restaurants and the local crafts offer). - 1.5. Placing culture in the function of economic development (Description: In addition to event, sport and heritage tourism, rich cultural content should also have a place in the tourism industry). - 1.6. Development of rural tourism (Description: In addition to event, sport and heritage tourism, rural tourism should also have its place in the tourism industry. Indicators:

5 Number of trained farmers: 30; number of registered rural tourism households: 10).

Moreover, priority area 3 (Modernisation and Standardisation of Agriculture) includes measure 3.2. Stimulation of Association and Certification, where one of the indicators - number of farmers trained in rural tourism - 30, re-emerges. However, it is assumed that this was a mistake or an unnecessary duplication.

Golubac

The Local Economic Development Strategy of Golubac Municipality for the period from 2010 to 2014 emphasises the issue of tourism development, stemming from the Strategy’s overall content. The section covering tourism provides an overview of the tourism potential of Golubac, both natural and related to particular types of tourism (cultural- heritage, religious and ethno tourism, as well as those related to events). It also states that, in addition to road infrastructure investments, the development of a marina and other supporting facilities are necessary in order to enhance attractiveness of the nautical tourism offer. It is believed that the municipality’s cultural offer should largely be focused on tourism.

One of the obstacles to tourism development is noted as a shortage of qualified staff to work in tourism, while existing employees generally lack formal education in this field. Short breaks are considered as the main tourism product of Golubac and the main source of demand from Belgrade residents, while potential for investments are noted in tourism (Danube, Iron Gate National Park, Golubac Fortress), agriculture (horticulture, livestock farming, medicinal herbs) and mineral resources (marl, stone, gravel).

Key issues and development trends relate to four areas:  Key issue 1 - Tourism development  Key issue 2 - Development of municipal infrastructure  Key issue 3 - Development of small and medium-sized enterprises  Key issue 4 - Agricultural development

The strategy provides a list of specific goals, alongside programmes and projects for their realisation. Here is just an overview of the general and respectively specific objectives and programmes related to tourism:

A. General Objective 1: Development of Tourism a. Specific objective: Achieve preconditions for the Strategic Development of Tourism  Creation of an institutional framework for tourism development at the local level  Initiation of a legal regulatory framework, obtaining all necessary permits and approvals for the establishment of a legal-formal system in which Golubac Municipality manages its section of the Danube  Adoption of necessary planning documents and resolving of legal and property relations at the municipal level b. Specific Objective: Further development and improvement of priority tourism products of Golubac municipality

6  Revitalisation of Golubac Fortress as a cultural and historical tourism area and the Golubac brand in tourism development  Development of nautical and sports tourism  Development of short break tourism products  Development of circular tours  Development of hunting and fishing tourism  Development of rural, eco and ethno tourism  Improvement of event tourism c. Specific objective: Development of human resources in order to promote tourism  Training of all tourism personnel  Collaboration with educational institutions in order to promote new tourism staff  Education of the general population  Capacity building of staff at the LED office d. Specific objective: Reconstruction and building of tourism infrastructure  Building necessary infrastructure for the needs of nautical tourism  Developing necessary infrastructure for the short break tourism offer  Developing necessary infrastructure for the cruise tours tourism offer  Development of tourism infrastructure for rural, eco and ethno tourism needs  Construction and reconstruction of accommodation and other tourism facilities  Reconstruction of the old city centre  Improvement of tourism signs e. Specific objective: Marketing, Public Relations and Communications  Marketing Campaign  Improvement of electronic communication systems in order to develop tourism  Improvement of communication channels between the clergy and other relevant tourism stakeholders B. General Objective 3: Development of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises a. Specific objective: Achieve a favourable environment for entrepreneurship development  Establish public-private partnerships (project 3.2.5.3 defining the package of incentives for the establishment of PPP in order to support tourism development) b. Specific objective: Development of SMEs in tourism services  Attract investments to develop nautical and sports tourism  Investments in accommodation C. General Objective 4: Development of Agriculture a. Specific objective: Harmonisation of the agricultural offer with the needs of tourism and the SME sector.  Strengthen co-operation with the tourism organisation  Develop the agricultural offer in accordance with the needs of SMEs engaged in the production and processing of food products (with two projects related to tourism: connecting farmers with private

7 entrepreneurs in order to provide quality products for tourism needs, with mediation of the Office for Local Economic Development and; formation of business relations with catering businesses).

The Strategy provides a detailed project implementation plan for the first year of strategy realisation, with the necessary elements (estimated project cost, funding sources, project manager/responsible person, project partners/relevant entities, beneficiaries/target groups, time of implementation, duration).

Golubac Municipality also adopted a Strategic Plan for Tourism Development from 2007 to 2011. This document presents comparative advantages for tourism development and also notes, among other things:

“Development of required types of tourism: cultural-heritage, transit, hunting, sports-recreational and excursion, sailing, event, religious-pilgrimage, ethno, eco and rural. Greater involvement and engagement of local people in tourism development processes, as well as the education of local citizens with the aim of developing tourism and the economic wellbeing of citizens.”

The document notes that various stakeholders have a role in implementation of the strategy:  Local government  Government of the Republic of Serbia  Local tourism organisation  Small businesses  Civil sector  Investors  Citizens

The strategy provides an implementation plan that starts from the long-term objective of tourism development related to the revival of the area of the Golubac Fortress complex. As an important project, the functional lighting of “Golubac Fortress” is mentioned. The project was presented with a description, objectives, name of implementation institution, implementation timetable for the first three years, estimated cost of the project, expected benefits, phases in preparation or implementation of the project and the name of the contact person.

The next project provided is the Design and landscaping of the beach complex in Golubac, with a two-year realisation period and an estimated value of 4.55 million RSD. This project is explained in detail.

Apart from these, other listed projects offer more superficial information: Golubac prefabricated Danube quay - estimated value 1,570,000 RSD (up to one year). Improvement and standardisation of the Golubac Marina - estimated value 3.610.000 RSD (up to three years).

8 Adaptation of the shoreline and “VINCI” holiday home settlement - estimated value 4,500,000 RSD. Promotional Campaign “Danube through Serbia” - promotion of an integrated tourism destination offer located in the Danube basin - value 2,480,000 RSD (up to one year). Arranging the site of Tuman Monastery - estimated value 970,000 RSD (up to one year). Registration, adaptation of objects and promotion of existing ethno chalets on the territory of Golubac Municipality, with an estimated value of 880,000 RSD (two years) Improvement of the tourism offer of Golubac through traditional tourism events, (two years) Ethno Festival - estimated value 700,000 RSD. Golubac Cauldron - estimated value 1,650,000 RSD Golubac Sailing Cup, sailing regatta - estimated value 650,000 RSD “Wolf Hunting” - estimated value 300,000 RSD

Majdanpek

The Local Economic Development Strategy of Majdanpek Municipality from 2010 to 2014 emphasises the development potential of tourism. The strategy lists four key development issues (or overall objectives). These are:  Development of agriculture  Development of tourism  Development of municipal infrastructure  Development of entrepreneurship and SMEs.

In this regard, a list of specific goals is provided, as well as projects to achieve them. As this list is extensive, here follows a brief overview of the general and specific objectives and related programmes that clearly relate to tourism:

D. General Objective 1: Development of Agriculture a. Specific objective: Better organisation and improvement of agricultural production (which includes the project Placing farm products in order to promote tourism)

E. General Objective 2: Development of Tourism b. Specific objective: Creating conditions for tourism development  Preparation of planning, zoning regulations and projects of landscaping tourist attraction sites and picnic areas with potential for tourism development  Establishment of regional and cross-border co-operation in order to develop tourism  Improvement of local institutions and services to support tourism development  Categorisation of tourism sites on municipal territory c. Specific objective: Promotion of tourist attractions and tourism products  Planning the development of nautical tourism on the Danube  Development of fishing tourism

9 d. Specific objective: development of other types of tourism and tourist attractions  Development of excursion tourism (short break)  Development of rural tourism  Development of cycling tourism  Development of hunting tourism  Development of tourist products intended for hikers, cavers and nature lovers  Development of tourist products intended for athletes  Development of cultural and heritage tourism  Development of congress tourism  Development of tourist products intended for the elderly  Development of event tourism e. Specific objective: Promotion of human resources for tourism needs  Education of tourism sector staff  Re-training programme in co-operation with the National Employment Service  Raising awareness and educating citizens on sustainable tourism development  Education of tourism service providers in rural tourism f. Specific objective: Implementation of promotional activities by tourism organisations  Marketing Campaign  Publishing and performing presentations  Public Relations  Developing co-operation with tour operators  Association of interest with relevant institutions, organisations and businesses in order to promote and develop tourism  Participation in tourism fairs g. Specific objective: Development of accommodation facilities and tourism infrastructure  Improvement of private accommodation facilities  Improvement of existing hotel facilities and construction of new ones  Improvement of tourism infrastructure

F. General Objective 3: Development of communal infrastructure Specific objective: Improvement of the central shopping area and other social, tourism and physical infrastructure in urban and suburban areas Development of technical and project documentation and planning, reconstruction and construction of shopping areas and other tourism infrastructure within the municipality . This strategy provides a detailed plan for the implementation of projects during the first year of implementation, including all necessary elements (estimated project cost, funding sources, project manager/responsible person, project partners/relevant stakeholders, beneficiaries/target groups, time of implementation, duration). Finally, a summary of the five priority projects is provided through project sheets, among which is also a project

10 related to tourism: Development of the technical documentation for the second phase of arranging Rajko's Cave in Majdanpek.

This is the most complete strategy regarding the involvement of tourism as a sector. In general, the number of planned projects is too extensive and it is highly unlikely that they could all be realised in the planned period. Some programmes relate directly to private sector initiative and appear to me more of a desire from the authors of the strategy. Logically, there is no guarantee that the private sector will follow this strategic determination.

Kladovo

The Sustainable Development Strategy of Kladovo Municipality also sees tourism as a development priority. This strategy lists the municipality’s tourist attractions:

 Archaeological Sites: Tabula Traiana (Golo Brdo) - period 103-105 AD;  Transdierna - Tekija, Pontes-Trajan's Bridge (Kostol) - period 103-105 AD; Haiduk mill (Strbac) - prehistoric and medieval necropolis, Roman and early Byzantine fortress  Fortresses: Fort Elizabeth (Đevrin) (18th century), Diana-Zanes - Roman and early Byzantine fortress - period 102-103 AD; Fetislam - Kladovo (medieval-Ottoman fortress) 16th century; road Rtkovo - Late antique fortress; Vajuga - late antique/early Byzantine fort; Eget - Quick Palanka (Roman/early Byzantine fortress with village, road and pier);  Religious objects: Holy Trinity Monastery in the village of Manastirica - medieval church under reconstruction, St. George's Church in Kladovo from the 18th century, church in Korbovo – Endowment of the Karađorđevid Dynasty;  Balloon-stations - Industrial Heritage;  Ethno-complex Brza Palanka  Archaeological Museum of Đerdap in Kladovo;  Cultural and sports events

In this strategy four development areas are separated (Infrastructure and Environment, Economy, Social Development and Management). Tables offer a detailed explanation of priorities, goals and actions from the perspectives of all partners, including implementation timing, funding sources, budget (not provided separately, but rather intertwined with eight time frames of sources of funding data) and indicators (not quantified). Here follows a simplified view of priorities and activities directly related to tourism development:

Infrastructure and Environment Priority 2: Exploitation of the Danube’s potential and its improvement through policy development segments Objective: Developed infrastructure requirements for the integration of various types of transport Activities: Development of an intermodal transport and logistic centre - Introduction of the white fleet Objective: Developed infrastructure facilities in the function of nautical tourism Activities:

11 Continuation of construction of the Kladovo Marina, infrastructure and support facilities Creation of the development programme and development of nautical tourism in other areas of the municipality

Economy A. Priority 1: Planning the development and promotion of all forms of tourism and tourist services on the Danube, the Miroč and surrounding tourist signposting a. Objective: 50% increase of domestic and foreign tourists and retention time Activities:  Arranging and positioning archaeological, cultural and heritage sites in the function of tourism development  Marking and promoting archaeological and cultural-historical sites through signposting.  Raising the quality of existing tourism and expanding its range  Planning, design and construction of info points, spectator areas and visitor centres  Positioning and promotion of Kladovo municipality as an ideal destination for conference tourism needs.  Organisation of tourism and cultural events with the aim of enriching tourism offers b. Objective: Establish a strong local tourism organisation with a regional tourist-information centre Activities:  Strengthening the capacity of the local tourism organisation  Establishment of a body to preserve natural and cultural heritage

c. Objective: Modern management of natural and cultural-historical resources Activities:  Establishment of cadastral and zoning for important natural, cultural and historical resources

B. Priority 4: Promotion of all forms of transport 1. Objective: Soften the negative consequences of the peripheral geographical position of Kladovo Activities:  Introduction of the “White Fleet” (passenger transport) Programme as well as occasional tourist transportation and regular traffic

12 Eastern Serbia

Negotin

In late 2005 the Assembly of Negotin Municipality adopted its Programme of Development of Negotin Municipality for the period from 2005 to 2010. As priorities, the “development of agriculture and the processing industry, private businesses, tourism - rural tourism, infrastructure and traffic” stand out.

The programme’s tourism section states that the number of typical Eastern Serbian style houses is falling and that it is essential to protect all remaining valuable examples of such houses in local villages, through a special project, and to restore them for use as small local folk museums in villages. The importance of tourism can be seen in the fact that it can positively effect the employment of people with primary and secondary school education, as well as effecting migration by fully activating rural tourism potential.

It is believed that it is possible to develop different types of tourism on the territory of the municipality, such as:  Cultural - Event tourism  Rural and wine tourism  Hunting and fishing tourism  Tourism on the Danube  Mountain tourism  Cross-border co-operation in tourism

Moreover, excursions and recreation tourism are also mentioned in the strategy’s coverage of natural protected areas as a potential tourist resource.

According to this strategy, a number of activities with the status of development priorities are necessary in order to create better conditions for guest reception and entertainment:

Improvement of infrastructure (construction of facilities in the area of road network, water-nautical facilities, water supply, electricity and telecommunication facilities and communal housing infrastructure) Complementary development of the agro-processing and tourism industries Realisation of the Rural Tourism Development Programme Renovation of existing/construction of new capacities for mountain, hunting and fishing tourism (in accordance with national programmes) Realisation of the existing Study on the protection of the Old city centre of Negotin and preparation of the Programme of protection of all cultural monuments and cultural and historic areas Equipping all tourism sites with appropriate tourist infrastructure facilities (souvenir shops, information desks, toilets, tourist signposts etc.) Development of cultural events and conference-related activities Development of sports/recreational facilities

13 Development of cross-border co-operation in tourism Development of tourist signposting throughout the municipality Creation of tourism promotion of Negotin municipality Implementation of measures provided by the local environmental action plan (LEAP), with the goal of ensuring environmental protection of nature in the Negotin municipality and also conserving nature

This strategy lists 33 projects deemed important for tourism development.

The strategy provides objectives, activities to attain objectives, expected results, responsibilities, deadlines and, in some cases, estimates of costs and sources of funding. The objective to ‘Establish an Integrated System of Protection, Conservation and Sustainable Use of Natural Resources and biological diversity’ includes activities related to tourism, such as the ‘Production of a Tourism Development Strategy with Environmental Protection Measures’ (expected result: adoption of a tourism development strategy), setting up tourist information boards (expected result: better information and better site access), Arranging the viewpoint beside the Danube (expected result: attractive tourist location), Protect the Rajac Hill preserved nature area (expected result: development of tourism), Protect the area of the “Vrelo Šarkamen” archaeological site (expected result: development of tourism), Provide Measures for the Ecological Protection of Preserved Nature of Excursion Site Vratna Area (expected result: development of tourism) and Provide Measures for the Ecological Protection of geomorphologic monuments “Zamna Canyon” area (expected result: development of tourism, preservation of monuments of nature).

We can conclude that, despite the awareness of the importance of tourism (especially rural) in Negotin municipality, the strategy does not propose many activities to support this sector - except in the area related to the protection of certain natural and cultural attractions. Within the time frame covered by this strategy, development priorities even lack tourism projects that have been previously identified as important and listed in the strategy.

Knjaževac

The Sustainable Development Strategy of Knjaževac Municipality was compiled in late 2009.

It covers four priority areas:  Infrastructure and environment  Economy  Social development  Management

Tourism is covered in two areas of the strategy: Economy and Social development. The Economy section includes a general goal of ‘Creating a favourable business environment for mobilising their own forces and attracting financial, intellectual and other capacities for economic development, agriculture, business and tourism based on knowledge’. Priority is given to ‘Improving existing, and creating new, conditions for the development of new

14 forms of tourism offers’ and increasing tourist frequency and tourists’ spending as a defined goal. Activities envisaged include: 1. Improvement of the existing programme of summer and winter tourism for Stara Planina mountain, as well as spa and rural tourism 2. Creation of an integrated tourism product that’s distinctive on the market 3. Protection, regulation and promotion of cultural and natural resources 4. Enrichment of the tourist experience through entertainment programmes.

The strategy notes that characteristics of this area allow for year-round operations, primarily based on potential for winter tourism, spa and rural tourism, but also the possibility of developing recreational, convention, event, cultural, ethno, eco and agro tourism. According to the strategy, it is necessary to establish the development of tourism on the basis of sustainable development.

The framework of Social development includes priority three, which has a goal of permanent protection of cultural-historical and natural heritage sites, promotion of cultural-historical and natural heritage and sustainable development of cultural, industrial, rural and all other forms of tourism. Planned activities include the development of programmes to improve the protection and promotion of cultural-historical heritage.

This strategy, apart from timing, provides prioritisation according to low, medium and high levels. Budgeting is rarely noted, while indicators are listed – though without quantification.

The Rural Development Strategy of Knjaževac Municipality 2010 to 2020 highlights four strategic objectives: Development of rural areas Agricultural development Tourism development Diversification of activities in rural areas with sustainable use of natural resources

It is claimed that the most common group of priorities in the development of local governments related to rural development are reconstruction or construction of infrastructure in villages, education and training of people from villages and rural tourism development. The aforementioned problems are particularly evident in Eastern Serbia. The past couple of years have seen the emergence of projects and activities with the regional co-operation of local governments. However, these are primarily in the sphere of local economic development and are initiated and led by regional economic development agencies.

It is noted that existing tourist facility capacities are very modest and rural tourism is undeveloped; that there is a shortage of project and planning documents and that there is a lack of environmental care.

The strategy lists a number of strategic objectives and tourism development is emphasised as the third strategic goal. It is noted that the municipal area has a special value and advantages for the development of mountain, sports-recreation, hunting, rural, cultural event, spa, river, excursion, eco and ethno tourism.

15

Strategic Objective 4 - Diversification of activities in rural areas with sustainable use of natural resources – also partly addresses rural tourism, directly through hunting and possibly through measures to support diversification of the rural economy (although it is unclear whether this applies to entrepreneurs in rural tourism or whether these are covered under strategic objective three).

Strategic goals offer a relatively clear view of the general objectives and development programmes, with graphical representation of the assessed priority. Moreover, there is a relatively well elaborated action plan for programmes, projects, partners, implementation time frame (often too wide), sources of funding and indicators. The list of general objectives and programmes is as follows:

A. Strategic Objective 3 - Development of tourism  Development of tourism and tourist attractions - Capacity building in the field of tourism  Development of tourism facilities in rural areas  Preparation and execution of Phase I of a special programme for rural, agro, eco and ethno tourism in the municipality  Increasing the level of knowledge in the field of tourism - learning good practices  Education of the population regarding rural tourism  Categorisation of accommodation facilities  Activation of sports and recreation centres, Babin Zub and Banjica  Design and construction of facilities in accordance with urban project SRC “Banjica” (Sports and Recreational Centre)  Design and implementation of marketing campaigns  Conservation, restoration and recovery of cultural monuments and architectural heritage sties in order to include them in the tourist offer - Increase in tourist trade and consumption  Development of the existing tourism offer with special emphasis on Stara Planina mountain and spa tourism  Creation of an integrated tourism product  Development of spatial planning documents, which is the function of tourism development.  Establishment of new specialised catering, tourism and handicraft- service facilities  Expansion of cultural and entertainment activities and events offers - Participation in the regional tourism product  Involvement in regional tourism offers  Regional meetings  Promotion of regional tourism products  Regional co-operation in tourism development with special emphasis on co-operation with developed tourist centres.  Development of Stara Planina Nature Park - Construction of capital tourism facilities and infrastructure - Development of tourism programmes

16 - Development and first initiation phase of the tourism programme for children (school in nature) on Stara Planina - Design, construct and decorate cycling, walking and jogging trails on Stara Planina  Development of the tourism potential of Banjica (listed as a development programme, but not covered by the action plan) - Defining the potential of Banjica’s geothermal water - Acquisition of exploitation rights - Arranging legal property relations

B. Strategic Objective 4 - Diversification of activities in rural areas with sustainable use of natural resources  Encouraging the development of commercial and service industries in villages, based on comparative advantages - Institutional support for the implementation of economic and service activities in rural areas - Establishment of a municipal agency for development - Supporting entrepreneurship in rural areas by strengthening the fund for entrepreneurship development - Development of hunting

Projects, partners, implementation timeframes, sources and indicators are listed for each programme.

Zaječar

The Local Economic Development Strategy of Zaječar City for the period from 2010 to 2014 states that city has “very interesting” tourist destinations and facilities, as well as the potential for tourism development: the ancient site Felix Romuliana in Gamzigrad, considered (and de facto) a key attractor, Gamzigrad Spa, churches and monasteries, many rural tourism possibilities etc. Added to this, the strategy notes that the location of the city is favourable in terms of its distance from other attractions, such as Đerdap Gorge, Lepenski Vir, mountains and so on. It is claimed that the scope of existing accommodation capacities is a limiting factor for the development of tourism.

The strategy defines four key issues (or main objectives) - Developed infrastructure, renewable energy sources and high technologies usage, Developed tourism, rural development, and Developed SMEs and creating conditions for attracting investment - with specific goals and measures for their implementation that include, among other objectives, tourism as a partial theme of the third goal. Due to the high number of projects, here follows just special objectives and programmes:

G. General Objective 2: Developed Tourism a. Specific objective: Established Tourism Product Development of event tourism Development of health tourism Development of “wellness” tourism

17 Development of rural tourism Development of cultural and event tourism g. Specific objective: Promotion and establishment of tourist sites  Improving the Felix Romuliana site  Improvement of the Popova plaža (beach) site  Improvement of Kraljevica Forest Park  Development of Gamzigrad Spa location  Development of the Rgotsko Lake location h. Specific objective: Improved Human and Institutional Resources for Tourism Development  Support the development of receptive tourism agencies  Increase capacity of offices for local economic development to support tourism  Support the tourism organisation  Increase the capacity of human resources in tourism i. Specific objective: Development of tourism infrastructure  Increase hotel capacities  Develop tourist signs  Renovate and construct other tourism facilities j. Specific objective: Marketing, Public Relations and Communications  Marketing Campaign  Improving soft infrastructure to promote the tourism offer  Building a network of info centres at key locations

General objective 3 - Rural Development, under special objective Developed marketing, information and communications, includes a programme of Promotion of rural living, with the project Connecting with other villages in Serbia and neighbouring countries; programme Study tours of developed villages in Serbia (ethno tourism, handicrafts, organic production); as well the programme Capacity building for rural tourism development, with projects to adapt accommodation facilities in the villages of Zvezdan, Selačka, Mali Izvor, Vratarnica and Leskovac (through private-public partnership in this last village).

The strategy contains a table of goals and projects, with the names of responsible persons and institutions that should implement programmes, then project beneficiaries, year of project implementation and, in some table cells, planned costs i.e. entered budgets.

Dimitrovgrad

The Sustainable Development Strategy of Dimitrovgrad Municipality relies largely, in terms of tourism, on the Tourism Development Strategy of the Municipality of Dimitrovgrad. Even the vision of Dimitrovgrad is a sublimate of two documents - the aforementioned strategy and its local environmental action plan. It is stated that the vision of Dimitrovgrad is as follows: a tourist destination in eastern Serbia with preserved nature that offers excellent conditions for active rest and recreation. It is a centre of organic food production and processing, for which this area is widely known. The town itself offers a

18 harmonious encounter of traditional and modern culture, through various events organised by Dimitrovgrad’s welcoming residents.

The sustainable development strategy notes relatively clearly aims of development, planned activities/actions, institutions and partners, timelines and funding sources. Objective 1.3. - Developed Tourist Attraction - provides 15 programmes, with most activities listed:

 Programme development of transit tourism and business tourism - development and improvement of accommodation facilities and other additional facilities - setting up of adequate tourism signs (promotional, destination, information and interpretive)  Developing public services and public infrastructure - improvement of infrastructure in the service of tourism - incentive offers to investors  Programme of rural tourism development - agritourism (households, farms), eco tourism, ethno tourism - education - support to civil associations dealing with rural tourism - categorisation of accommodation - promotional activities - financial assistance for those interested in dealing with rural tourism - loans for those interested in dealing with rural tourism  Tourism development programme for mountains and lakes - construction and arranging of mountain slopes and sightseeing  Project to construct a tourist complex on Smilovsko lakes  Project to arrange Petrlaška Cave  Project to arrange the Jerma special nature reserve for visitors - construction and arranging of mountain slopes and sightseeing paths  Development programme for sports-recreational tourism and special interest tourism, as well as - completion of the “Park” sports and recreational centre – site reclamation of sports hall for the reception of athletes and sports events - Construction and arranging of jogging trails, health trails, cycle paths and walking trails - Construction of a climbing platform in the River Jerma Canyon - Construction of a paragliding platform  Project to build swimming pools and an aqua park  Project to build the “Grbina Kosara” sports and recreational centre  Project to arrange the “Pametnik” viewing point  Project to enable paintballing in abandoned field villages  Project to convert military barracks into tourist accommodation  Project to construct a modern hunting area - Project documentation preparation - Re-appropriation of land and the resolution of property rights - Promotion and identification of investors  Programme for event tourism development

19 - Continuous maintenance and enrichment of existing events’ content - Organisation of new events - Improved organisation of events - Better promotion and attraction of new visitors

Determining the costs of these activities and indicators would be desirable. The only indicator related to tourism, which is provided in the context of overall indicators for monitoring implementation of the strategy’s action plan, is the density of tourism (ratio of tourists to the population by percentage).

The Tourism Development Strategy of Dimitrovgrad Municipality provides a much more detailed picture of tourism development on the territory of the municipality, including the concept of using space, portfolio, plan of competition and marketing activities. The tourism development vision is the result of a participatory process through workshops with key stakeholders. It is a comprehensive document that also offers details of investment projects. These investments have no estimates, as a result of the nature of the document: it is about strategies and omits any obligation to make such assessments. However, it would be useful, even for projects in the first years of their implementation strategies, if there were some estimates of investments. Finally, indicators are missing.

Pirot

The Local Economic Development Strategy of Pirot was compiled in 2009. It defines key strategic planning areas: . Key area A - Attracting direct investments . Key area B - Economic development (SMEs, agriculture and tourism) . Key area C - Infrastructure development . Key area D - Development of social activities . Key area E - Environment protection

Key area B is focused on economic development in the field of SMEs, agriculture and tourism. The following targets for tourism development are identified: Preservation and upgrading of tourism and other Pirot resources Creating tourist value through integrated tourism product of Pirot Development of complementary forms of tourism in Pirot Raising the quality of tourism and hospitality services Development of presentation, i.e. image, of Pirot as a tourist destination Preparation of entrepreneurs and other of tourist offer stakeholders

The potential of the following types of tourism is identified: . Youth and excursion tourism . Eco tourism . Rural tourism . Transit tourism . Business tourism . Excursion tourism

20 The strategy indicates more targeted projects that include the importance of tourism development in the broader context as: . The development of agriculture, revitalisation of villages and eco-food production (construction of pheasant farm and arranging the “Siroka Luka” hunting and tourist centre near Pirot) . Pirot and Stara Planina - tourist destination (the establishment of a new “Mramor” tourist centre, promotion of tourist values of Pirot, the development of tourism culture in the community, realisation of the project Eco-village, renovation of existing accommodation and sports-recreational tourism facilities, construction of new tourism facilities and infrastructure, building indoor city pool; realisation of the project to arrange excursion sites in the region of Pirot, realisation of the project to arrange the Zavojsko Lake, project activities to develop mountain tourism on Stara Planina, favouring the development of selective forms of tourism and the formation of a “Mramor” winter ski resort, analysis of tourism offer target groups).

Finally, prioritisation by year is provided for all of the aforementioned projects.

The Programme for Promoting the Development of Tourism in Pirot Municipality is a general document without concrete proposals, i.e., it is not a programme, it lacks an action plan, is more of a situational analysis and is not too useful. Instead of providing solutions, it remains undefined. It lacks essential elements (critical success factors, clarity of measures, prioritisation, responsibilities and indicators) and is overloaded with theoretical issues and definitions from the field of marketing.

Central Serbia

Valjevo

The Draft Strategy of Sustainable Development for the City of Valjevo for the period from 2010 to 2020, was finalised in April 2010 and highlights rural tourism as especially standing out as the potential of this region. A large, rich natural heritage, coupled with the fact that 60% the city territory is covered by rural areas, indicate the necessity to utilise these spaces and carry out rural development.

The following possible forms of tourism are mentioned: Mountain tourism (Divčibare, Maljen, Povlen, Medvednik, Jablanik etc.), Excursion (daytrip) tourism (schoolchildren, students, pensioners...), religious (Lelid, Delije, Pustinja, Jovanja, Gračanica, City Temples etc.), educational tourism (education workshops), sports (hiking, cycling, rock climbing etc.), city breaks, events (Jazz Fest, Tesnjar Evenings, Raspberry Days, Days of Mushrooms, Miss White Narcissus, Healing Paths of Valjevo mountains etc.), Hunting and Rural tourism.

Within the framework of the action plan (which includes a list of specific objectives, planned activities, foundations, time frames, values and sources of funding, as well as indicators), and the priority of Economic Development – The Development of local industry,

21 agriculture and tourism, two strategic objectives engage in activities directly related to rural tourism through a number of planned programmes. Here we reiterate that a number of activities can be considered as supporting the development of this type of tourism, in the context of a broader understanding of the concept of rural tourism.

The strategic objective ‘Improving rural development based on the protection and use of agricultural land, forests, forest land and hunting grounds‘ includes the specific objective ‘Reduce the outward migration of young people by improving quality of life and developing alternative forms of rural economy’. This provides two activities: Categorisation of rural houses in order to develop rural tourism and Adaptation and reconstruction of rural cultural centres (the second noted activity is not directly aimed at rural tourism, but can significantly improve the attractiveness of a village, especially if adaptation and reconstruction is approached in an innovative way).

Furthermore, special objectives related to hunting are given and represent part of this development domain in the broader context of rural tourism, in the form of hunting tourism. The strategic objective ‘Improvement of conditions for the development and upgrading of tourism’ includes a list of specific goals and notes an extensive list of activities. Here we have opted to present specific objectives without mentioning envisaged activities, with the suggestion that we will do so in conclusion:  Institutional support to tourism development  Creation of unified and diverse tourism offers at city and region levels  Education of tourism sector staff  Improved promotion of tourism potential and resources  Construction, expansion and upgrading of accommodation facilities  Construction, arranging and development of tourism infrastructure

In addition to these special goals, there is also included an ambitious list of activities and projects that should have been done in defined periods, according to the strategy. All listed activities include sources of funding and, in some cases, the amount of funding necessary. Finally, indicators are also provided. The main shortcoming is that most indicators are descriptive in nature and, generally, the opportunity for their clear quantification, where possible, has been missed.

Mionica

The Development Strategy of Mionica Municipality was compiled in 2008 and highlights the main directions of further development as relating to spa tourism (due to the potential of the Vrujci Spa and the spa in the village of Sankovid) and rural tourism. In addition, the strategy mentions the existence of all benefits for special interest tourism development (hunting, fishing, sightseeing and recreational tourism, the Živojin Misid Memorial House etc.), as well as event and transit tourism. The strategy addresses segments of rural tourism, such as rural, eco, ethno, cultural and tourism related to nature activities. This basically corresponds to our view of rural tourism

22 as a set of different tourism activities/products that are practiced/consumed in rural areas. The strategy itself focuses on so-called village or agro tourism, which is bound to sites that provide tourists, through their offer, the chance to participate in everyday village life with the possibility of observing or participating in traditional agricultural activities. This, according to the strategy, equates to arranging, adapting and adjusting numerous rural settings for tourism needs.

It is also noted that it is necessary to educate and avoid uncontrolled growth by devising a rural tourism development programme. The strategy also recognises that the sale of agricultural products and their products to tourists is part of rural tourism. It is mentioned that the arrangement of ethno houses or the creation of ethno villages is currently very popular across almost the entire territory of the Republic of Serbia and that Mionica has a preserved natural environment, relief, rich history and tradition, specific regional architecture and offers great opportunities for planning in this area.

It is considered that traditional crafts and tools, as well as the cottage industry, are attractive elements of the tourism offer and additional facilities.

In the field of tourism, the most important (“possible”) overall strategic goals and directions of tourism development are stated as: organisational improvements at the level of wide destinations (referring primarily to the role of the local tourism organisation), to intensify overall development through fuller use of existing, and building of, new tourism facilities, improving all conditions for the development of domestic tourism; faster planned output of destination to international markets and the establishing of a business environment that will allow continued investment and improvement in the tourism domain.

Under the section ‘Investment, Development Priorities and Recommendations’ in the field of Agriculture, the strategy notes the necessity to develop rural tourism, while in the field of Trade, Catering and Tourism, apart from the necessity of building new accommodation facilities in general and restaurants with traditional content (we assume this considers traditional cuisine), the construction of rural tourism facilities is mentioned as is, apart from rural tourism, the need to develop and maintain an additional offer, such as traditional crafts and tools, cottage industry and others; cottage decorating and ethno settlement creation should be developed as well.

Part of the strategy’s implementation states only that one can rely on incentives, grants and soft loans, while it can be concluded in this context that funding from the national budget is considered.

The strategy, thus, is not dedicated to required specific activities to enable and support the development of tourism.

23 Ljig

The Strategy of Rural Development of Ljig Municipality (2010-2013) is still in draft form at the time of compiling this document. The strategy notes the necessity of diversifying the rural economy through tourism, trade and other activities, which provide and retain young people in rural areas, especially retaining the female population. The strategy emphasises the importance of tourism to the rural economy and lists some of characteristics of municipality that are suitable for tourism development:

1. Convenient transport-geographical-tourism position; 2. Convenient climatic characteristics 3. Ljig Spa with thermo-mineral water springs 4. Rajac Mountain 5. Natural values - endemic plant species 6. “Mowing on Rajac”, as one of Serbia’s most popular and successful tourism events 7. Rich archaeological, ethnographic, historical and spiritual heritage 8. Monumental cultural values represented by Orthodox churches and monasteries, memorials, roadside monuments and monuments from the first and second world wars 9. Other tourism events

In accordance with presented potentials, this strategy considers possibilities for the development of various aspects of tourism: transit, rural, sports and recreation, eco tourism, excursion/weekend tourism, events, culture and hunting tourism.

Ljig Municipality’s strategic rural development objectives and goals are defined (listed herein). For the particularly domain of rural tourism we emphasise respective activities:

1. Increasing the competitiveness of the main economic sectors (primary, secondary and tertiary activities) and poverty reduction;  Diversification of economic activities in rural areas with the restoration and improvement of crafts, production of handicrafts and souvenirs to create new employment opportunities for rural communities  Capacity building for tourism development, with an emphasis on rural tourism 2. Sustainable use and improvement of natural resources, with responsibility towards the environment 3. Protection and preservation of cultural-historical and spiritual heritage  Encouragement of the restoration of buildings, architectural units, landscape diversity and areas of significant historical, cultural and traditional values  Protection and restoration of immaterial cultural-historical and spiritual heritage  Preservation and revitalisation of rural customs and events  Conservation and development of traditional activities and promotion of the quality of indigenous and traditional agricultural and craft products 4. Development of partnerships and the culture of collaboration with the goal of rural development

24 5. Improvement of quality of life and the creation of conditions to halt outward migration and increase the population of Ljig municipality.

The framework of the rural development of Ljig municipality, in the section related to measures requiring external assistance (“we, with the help of others”) with respect to the priority axis 3 - Development of rural economy, the Expansion of Economic Activities in Rural Areas Through Investments in Tourism Development and Preservation of Folk Arts is mentioned as a measure related to tourism.

Tables are provided in accordance with goals and sub-goals, i.e. Review of Potential Rural Development Projects of Ljig Municipality for the period from 2010 to 2013., with a list of projects, potential stakeholders, funding sources, amount and time frames. The following projects related to tourism appear in the section ‘We, With the Help of Others’:  Encourage the expansion of economic activities in rural areas (rural tourism, handicrafts, cottage industry), with a planned budget of 22 million RSD from different sources, which would be realised during the entire period of validity of the strategy, as well as  Construction of a hunting lodge for the accommodation of hunters and tourists, with a predicted budget of eight million RSD and an implementation period from 2011 to 2012.

This strategy recognises the importance of tourism to the municipality, particularly in the area of rural development. This is understandable, given that it is also the theme of the strategy. Despite this, the strategy fails to define a set of measures that would upgrade the development of rural tourism (in a broad sense), giving more principled decisions. Only two of the aforementioned projects represent some kind of tangible link to necessary activities, while - within the encouragement of rural tourism, crafts and folk art - it is not clear what kind of tangible activities this actually relates to.

Kosjerić

The Economic Development Strategy of Kosjerid Municipality for the period from 2010 to 2014 places special emphasis on issues of rural tourism. SWOT analysis of rural tourism is provided in the section on the state of the economy, under the sub-section ‘Rural tourism’. This is practically the only form of tourism reviewed in the strategy. Evaluations of the effects of rural tourism are unrealistic and quite unfounded - e.g. it states that rural tourism is a highly profitable activity, that the effect of multiplication (“input-output relationship”) is very high “at least 2.2” and that “this percentage” is higher than the global tourism average etc.

The section on strategic directions for future economic development, within the framework of general goals, includes an objective Preserved and Spatially Regulated Environment, which sets a specific goal as Development of Rural Tourism. District Skakavci-Mionica- Rosici, which is adjacent to the Divčibare region, dominates according to the development of rural tourism and, as such, it is considered necessary to merge the tourism offer and adjunct rural tourism content. Planned infrastructure investments that are mentioned include the construction of Skakavačka Spa, urban planning of the area’s of Divčibare that belong to Kosjerid Municipality, arranging the town square and the Grad in Seca Reka Local

25 Community, where the Shepherd Days event is staged (construction of road, water supply facilities and an ethno settlement; regulation of church land near church chalets) and, as support to this event, launching implementation of the project Development of Regionally Sustainable Rural Tourism, which Kosjerid Municipality applied for together with Ilijas Municipality, from the Canton of Sarajevo, under the call for IPA funds. Various activities are also mentioned and considered as being able to complement the tourism offer (revitalisation of schools in Razani for the organisational needs of school tourism (recreational classes, etc.)), as well as organisation of the Traditional Serbian Wedding event in Kotlina in the village of Skakavci, with raising several objects of natural materials and so on. In addition, a desire is expressed to attempt to make Kosjerid the educational-promotional centre of rural tourism in Serbia. It is clear that rural tourism is seen in Kosjerid as an important sector of the economy, while its socio-cultural functions are also addressed. The strategy defines some projects and provides promising assessments of investments. Indicators that would enable monitoring of the realisation of listed activities are missing.

Gornji Milanovac

The Development Programme of Gornji Milanovac Municipality for the period from 2009 to 2013 states that the municipality’s priorities have already been defined and tourism has the greatest potential in rural areas, where it is already relatively well developed. In this regard, it is considered that the municipality must continue to invest in infrastructure and roads, strengthen its cultural and artistic offer with new content and so on.

The strategy lists areas in which intervention is planned. Thus, the assembly of urban and spatial planning and construction land management mentions the necessity to predict the participation of public interest in relation to land, facilities and infrastructure in the section covering property relations i.e. on the resolution of property issues in accordance with the implementation of Plans for detailed regulation - Exclusion of land for streets and other public surfaces to implement the Plans, in connection with the Management of Construction Land in Villages Outside the City of G. Milanovac, within general arrangement plans provided for sports-tourism contents of Mount Rudnik, tourism resort Savinac, Rajac, Takovo, Pranjane and Ravna Gora.

The section Agriculture, mentions four development potential areas, one of which is rural tourism.

The general goal of the Agriculture section also notes economically strong and evenly developed rural areas, where residents contribute to community development through their work and actively participate in protecting the environment. The economic development of villages in the municipality of Gornji Milanovac programme states this as specific objective, with co-financing of micro-projects from the area of agritourism development planned, among others.

The strategy’s tourism section places emphasis on the activities of local tourism organisations and notes a long list of priorities for the period from 2009 to 2013:  Co-operation with businesses and other stakeholders directly or indirectly influencing

26 the upgrading and promotion of tourism  Collection and publication of the complete tourism offer in the municipal area and, in particular, planned events, which are forwarded to the Tourism Organisation of Serbia in order to consolidate and compile a calendar of tourism events of Serbia  Active involvement in preparing and organising events in the municipality’s territory  Organising exhibition sales of handicrafts items, old and artistic crafts and more  Participation in conducting all active forms of tourism (sports, recreation, hiking, hunting, excursions)  Upgrading rural tourism development, involvement in improving the tourism offer in this area, but also preserving and developing the environment  Improvement of the tourism offer for school and excursion tourism (design and customise the tourism offer for each population, both school children and members of trade unions, pensioners and other organised groups)  Build adequate reception facilities for these tourist visits at the Takovo memorial complex at Savinac, Ravna Gora, on the Hill of Peace in Milanovac, on Mount Rudnik and at Vračevšnica; equip the space with roofed tables and benches (to allow picnics etc.)  On Rudnik, which is particularly interesting for youth because it already boasts accommodation facilities, sports fields, a swimming pool and other ancillary facilities, as well as favourable climatic conditions for organising nature schools, athlete training, hiking trips, hunters, ramblers and similar, it is necessary - as quickly as possible - to resolve the lack of an outdoor pool which should be put into service, to build running tracks and health trails. Moreover, it is necessary to continue actions for the protection of imperilled cultural-historical heritage “Misa”, which testifies to the diversity of this region in terms of contrasting faiths and cultures  Create conditions for the development of youth tourism in Savinac, Kamenica and Koštunici, which also require the construction of adequate reception facilities for excursions, the marking of trails, development of tourist facilities, maintenance workshops and similar  Develop the possibility to activate thermo-mineral resources in the Municipality of Gornji Milanovac (Mlakovac, Svrackovci, Savinac, Brđani)  Arranging Ždreban as an excursion site  Use of sports fields and halls for the development of recreational and event tourism  Engage young professionals in business tourism, as companions to travel groups at the local level, entertainers, promoters at fairs and similar  Create new informative advertising material in accordance with the requirements of the modern tourism market  Update the tourism organisation website

According to the strategy, tourism is also a priority (in the planned period of 2009-2013) in the implementation of the following projects:  Development of tourist signs to mark tourism destinations, sites, picnic areas, walking trails, cultural monuments and natural phenomena, as well as other informative markers  Provide space for campers, equipped with necessary infrastructure and utility elements.

27 The strategy also notes a need for the establishing of a municipal tourist information centre, which could be used to sell souvenirs, handicraft items and other items, as well as a need to provide tourist escort and licensed guide services.

This document also emphasises the need to integrate the tourism offer at the regional level in the next planning period.

In the section on trade, catering and services, it states that programmes in this field are inextricably linked to the promotion of Gornji Milanovac’s tourist destinations, especially in the field of rural tourism, as well as the promotion of Mount Rudnik as a winter resort. To this end, it is noted that the municipality will exert future efforts to exploit the potential of tourism for the development of these activities.

As part of the development of settlements in the Municipality of Gornji Milanovac, the general Programme of economic incentives and development of co-operatives in the micro- community states that special attention should be paid to the development of tourism on Rudnik.

This strategy was published in the Official Gazette of the municipality and does not take the usual form of local development strategies. Moreover, it lacks essential elements: designation of responsibility, implementation plan, budget and indicators.

Southern Banat on Danube

Vršac

The Local Development Strategy of Vršac from 2009 to 2019 uses SWOT analysis of tourism development to recognise - within strengths - possibilities for the development of rural tourism and the fact that this is a significant winemaking region.

The strategic goals predicted by the strategy include two with planned activities directly related to tourism. These are strategic objectives 4 and 6. Strategic objective 4 ‘Vršac villages - villages of the 21st century’ includes an objective listed under No. 4.5, Strengthening events in the urban areas, that offers support for the following events:

 Days of Transfiguration of Uljma  “Pudarski Dani” in Izbište  Days of grapes in Šušara  Village fair in Veliko Središte  Gold autumn in Gudurica.

Furthermore, objective 4.3 ‘Implementation and Execution of Projects’ predicts the implementation of a project to establish the Deliblato Sands Information Centre.

28 Strategic objective 6 ‘Vršac: Best Weekend Destination’ expresses the essential determination of Vršac regarding the character of its tourism product and the geographic segments pursued by the city. Namely, this objective states that Vršac should be positioned as a destination for short break and business tourism for visitors from the areas of Belgrade, Novi Sad and southwest Romania, using “marketing which celebrates the combination of urban and rural culture with wines and quality recreational facilities, as well as by placing contemporary culture and cultural heritage at the centre of the tourism offer”.

This strategic goal includes the following objectives:  Modernised management of local tourism organisation and events  Infrastructure equipped and strengthened and tourism facilities (related to Vršac Tower, a running track on Vršac Hill, permanent museum exhibition in the Concordia building, setting up tourist signs etc.)  Popularisation of Vršac’s tourism offer (websites, video monograph of the city, replicas of archaeological treasures, establishment of councils for municipal tourism, promotional programmes and the strengthening of wine tourism in Gudurica)  Strengthened tourist events (grape picking, festivals of theatre, folk and jazz and the introduction of excursion and themed visits around the city, as well as the development of congress tourism and organising the international hunting and fishing fair)  Unified tourism offer (through promotional activities and the development of tourist attractions that again involve, among other things, the development of wine tourism in Gudurica and making operational tourism and culture of community centres in villages, training in the field of tourism (predicted staging, within management training in museum and cultural events, of courses for upgrading rural tourism and souvenirs)  Developed infrastructure for tourism (tourist facilities, the renewal of religious and cultural events including, as listed: Šušara Info Centre, Museum of Technical Culture; renewal of forestry houses Flamunda and Rošijana, as well as the development of Gudurica as an ethno village)

Strategic objective 7 ‘City Museum’ is also linked to tourism, as a factor of plans to develop cultural tourism, as is strategic objective 11 ‘Vršac: town of sport and youth’, particularly bearing in mind the purpose of 11.2 ‘Completion of the tourist offer of sporting activities’. Special emphasis of this goal should be given to planned activities of the organisation of the III Mountain Bike Race “Vršac Challenge and development of a map of mountain bike trails on Vršac Mountain.

In addition to projects/activities envisaged by the objectives, this strategy’s tables also predict level of project readiness for implementation and success indicators. However, willingness was not identified and indicators are not well set: there is no evidence of either the present situation or quantified indicators provided (e.g., as an indicator, “a number of courses and number of participants” is given, rather than a specific figure).

29 Kovin

The Sustainable Development Strategy of Kovin Municipality from 2008 has a special, relatively large section on tourism which states that South Banat – i.e. any of the area’s municipalities – does not have strong tourist attractions and facilities that would lure and interest visitors for longer than a day. The Deliblato Sands area is considered as a key natural resource.

The municipality’s strategic tourism destination development objectives are set as follows:

1. Extend and raise the level of the municipality’s tourism offer by building and landscaping attractive, unused Kovin sites  Plan the scope and structure of the tourism offer of Kovin municipality, based on recent trends in tourism demand and in accordance with the recognised tourism potentials of the municipality  Intensify the development of certain forms of tourism that have comparative advantages in the municipality of Kovin  Develop a database covering the total tourist offer of the municipality of Kovin  Task the local tourism organisation into developing tourism in Kovin municipality 2. Create a new image of the municipality as a tourist destination  Planned urban regulation of spaces attractive to tourists  Regulation of the ownership of attractive tourist sites in the municipality  Attract potential local and foreign investors to invest in the development and arranging of attractive tourist sites 3. Tourism development in line with modern trends in tourism demand  Develop and promote a sectoral programme for the development of certain types of tourism - sports, nautical, event, excursion and rural (eco tourism) - in the municipality  Create and regularly maintain the tourist offer of Kovin municipality  Involve local people in tourism develop in the municipality through:  establishment of a municipal fund for the encouragement of tourism development  education  information dissemination  increase motivation to deal with tourism.

We can conclude that the proposed measures are general in nature, while there is a lack of an action plan that would define elements for implementation. Despite the fact that tourism has been recognised as a potentially important sector, there are no elaborated activities that would directly enhance, or at least provide clear support for, its development.

Alibunar

The Development Strategy of Alibunar Municipality for the period from 2010 to 2014 contains a brief analysis of the state of tourism and provides some suggestions. The SWOT analysis states that Deliblato Sands, and particularly the Devojački Bunar site, represents

30 Alibunar’s main strength, while simultaneously the insufficient use of resources is also a weakness. Strategic development directions are defined as follows: 1. Strengthen and develop infrastructure - in accordance with all regulations and with respect for environmental principles 2. Business development with special emphasis on agricultural development, entrepreneurship and SMEs, while highlighting of tourism potentials 3. Improving quality of life for all citizens through common institutional and non- institutional support for all vulnerable groups, children and youth, through the promotion of health and social services, sports, education and cultural life.

The strategy lists cultural events considered as providing a good basis for tourism development and the promotion of municipal resources. It is noted that the Deliblato Sands area (particularly Devojački Bunar) has extremely favourable natural conditions for the development of recreational, health, sports and rural (hunting and ethno) tourism.

Areas of development are defined as strategic and specific objectives, tasks and activities. Tourism is represented in the field of Transport Infrastructure, within the strategic objective ‘Strengthening and development of road, rail and water infrastructure on the existing traffic capacity through reconstruction and maintenance’, within the specific objective ‘Improving regional connectivity with Zrenjanin and local connectivity of tourism offer with the state (main) road network, as well as increasing the general level of road traffic safety on state road network through the reconstruction of the subject road capacity’. Tourism is given special mention in the fields of Economy and SMEs, within the strategic objective ‘Improvement of the situation through the introduction and implementation of institutionalisation in order to support private entrepreneurship and tourism’ and under specific goal 2 ‘The development of tourism through the establishment of institutional support and new capacity building’. Two tasks are predicted: Improving the capacity to design tourist offer, which will make existing tourism organisations and tourism organisations merge with the LED Office, in spatial terms, and Improving and expanding the capacity of existing infrastructure through the reconstruction and upgrading of tourist facilities in the Devojački Bunar area and also houses of famous people.

The strategy covers the area of tourism development and recognises its importance to overall economic development. However, the strategy lacks a number of elements in the domain of implementation and monitoring (indicators, budgets, deadlines, responsibilities).

Bela Crkva

The Development Strategy of Bela Crkva Municipality was compiled in 2007. It includes a special section on tourism that provides analysis of the current situation in the sector. Tourism is mentioned as one of three developmental priorities (alongside construction of infrastructure, agriculture development and industry development).

Tourism development objectives are vaguely defined: it is stated in incentive function of priority areas development and profit gaining. Special targets set for tourism development in the municipality are stated as:

31

 Finalisation and completion of the existing tourism offer, as well as intensification of its use  Improved the quality of catering and tourist services  Development of SMEs in this area as a base to complete the tourist offer and speed up employment  Increased volume of tourist numbers and overnight stays  Better use of accommodation facilities  Improved position on the tourist market  Stimulate, despite economic shortcomings, the social functions of tourism, especially in the field of health and physical recreation, sport and education of children and young people  Improved conditions for daily and weekly holidays and recreation of the population by regulation of resorts, tourism and utility facilities, landscaping hunting grounds and cultural-historical monuments.

According to the strategy, the municipality has the opportunity to develop the following types of tourism:

Same-day tourism (excursions) Hunting tourism Cultural events tourism Sports and recreation tourism

The section on tourism development states that Bela Crkva should become a “tourist destination par excellence”. The municipality, still within this objective, should ensure the development of basic infrastructure and a networking sector through regulations to facilitate and stimulate investment in this sector. The general urban plan is considered as the main document i.e. the basis for planned tourism developments. Targets are lower paying categories of consumers, while the municipality associates itself with preserved nature as a destination.

The following projects are proposed:  Construction of cycling-hiking trails around the Gradkso (Town) Lake  Redevelopment of the quay beside the Gradkso (Town) Lake  Production of a detailed regulatory plan for the complex Marina on the Danube near Banat Palanka - The “Marina” Project  Landscaping of the Gradkso (Town) Lake’s bank area

Moreover, the Development of social sector envisages the Arrangement of access areas to the Gradkso (Town) Lake for the needs of disabled people, as well as their accommodation facilities in Bela Crkva municipality - Project – “Accesses-Lake”, which is also related to tourism.

Budgets are provided for all projects, though there is no designation of individual responsibility for conducting projects, or a defined base for monitoring.

32 ANALYSIS - EVALUATION OF STRATEGIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Evaluation of local development strategies

Strategies are evaluated against the existence and complexity of the following criteria: identification of critical success factors; clarity regarding the proposed programme; objectives, measures and activities; the reality (for feasibility during the planning period); implicit or explicit presence of an implementation plan (prioritisation, responsibilities and budget) and the development of a monitoring system (the existence of indicators and responsible persons or institutions carrying out monitoring). Our ratings are given in a range of 1-5, with 1 indicating an absence of any of the aforementioned elements and their inadequacies and 5 indicating that these elements exist and are very well defined. Here we wish to emphasise that this strategy assessment and the numerical rating labels are by no means a review of these strategies, but are rather indicators of the presence and sophistication of the aforementioned elements that were rated. Additionally, we would further emphasise that we are aware of several facts:

 First, except in one case2, these strategies address several different development areas or only rural development and, therefore, one should not expect them to be purely tourism development strategies;  Second, the system of developing these strategies, which included the participation of multiple stakeholders, does not provide that one area of development, such as tourism, is in particular emphasise - particularly given the general level of this sector’s development in Serbia;

² Strategic Plan for Tourism Development of Golubac Municipality from 2007 to 2011

33  Third, for the most part tourism within local development strategies corresponds to the scope and depth of processing to the level of tourism development in the respective municipality.

The ratings/indicators we have provided in the lookup table define the presence and level of elaboration of some of essential strategy elements:

1 – Not present in the strategy and should be introduced into the document 2 – Present, but not well defined and requiring repair or redefining 3 – Present and relatively well placed, but could be further improved 4 – Well processed 5 – Highly processed

Evaluation Criteria

Knjazevac Zajecar Negotin Pirot Dimitovgrad Majdanpek Gradište V. Kladovo Golubac Pozarevac Milanovac G. Ljig Kosjerić Valjevo Mionica Kovin Vršac Crkva Bela Alibunar Content and consistency 3 5 2 3 5 5 4 4 5 3 4 4 4 5 4 3 5 3 3 Identifying critical success factors 2 3 1 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 1 3 2 2 2 1 2 2 2 Clarity of the proposed measures 3 4 3 3 4 4 4 4 5 3 4 3 3 4 3 2 4 5 3 Reality (feasibility) 3 3 2 2 3 4 2 3 3 2 4 5 3 2 4 3 2 3 3 Prioritization of activities 4 4 2 4 3 4 1 3 4 4 1 2 2 1 2 2 2 1 2 Responsibility for implementation 4 5 1 1 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 5 1 5 1 1 1 1 1 Definition of the budget 1 3 2 1 1 3 1 3 4 5 1 5 4 2 1 1 1 5 1 Indicators 2 1 1 1 1 1 5 2 1 4 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 Responsibility for monitoring 1 1 1 1 1 1 5 1 1 4 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Based on the given parameters, we can draw the following conclusions3:

1. Although participants of the working groups include representatives from the private sector, their actual participation is unclear. 2. In many cases a list of projects that resemble ‘wish lists’ appear. As such, it appears unrealistic to expect that these projects will be implemented. When we speak of unreality, we are primarily referring to the possibility of this scope even be started in a planned deadline, let alone implemented (primarily for financial reasons). Above all, this is the result of a wish to mention, in one place, everything that is considered as necessary to the development of tourism, not taking into account the time dimension of the document and the actual availability of funds. 3. There are cases where certain elements stated as a priority or activity are the sole decision of the private sector, without defining offered measures for stimulating the private sector to carry out these activities (this applies to Golubac, Majdanpek, Kladovo, Negotin, Zaječar, Pirot, Valjevo and Mionica). There is no dispute that the

³For each listed conclusion, please look at a given table to identify the municipalities / cities the conclusion relates to.

34 decision on improvement or construction of new facilities for accommodation and restaurants is in the domain of private sector decisions, nor is it disputed that this stands in the strategic documents, especially given the fact that private sector representatives were involved in compiling these documents. The problem is that it defines local support measures for those opting to take this step. Highlighting the role of national authorities in designing measures aimed at stimulating private initiative is also not disputed, but it ignores or misses a clear definition of roles and actions available to local authorities. 4. Prioritisation is primarily based on the principle of determining the year in which to start and/or implement a project. There is no prioritisation on the basis of importance for tourism development. 5. It is often not specified who is responsible for carrying out certain activities – with only the partners stated. In the table we started from the assumption that it is automatically an indicator of responsibility, although this may not be the case. 6. Responsibility for monitoring is rarely mentioned. 7. Critical factors of success are identified. Potential threats to success represented by the implementation of individual projects are occasionally mentioned. Critical factors of success provide the basis for deciding which activities and projects are realistically feasible. 8. Many of the proposed activities were presented in general terms and it remains unclear what they specifically relate to. 9. The text of the strategies generally fails to clearly define the criteria upon which projects were chosen. It does not show what specifically contributes to the field of tourism. This may be a particular problem in instances where the proposed projects have closed the door to some better options. 10. The basis for the estimation of project/activity budgets is unclear. This is not an automatic disadvantage, but simply could not be concluded from the text. 11. Most strategies fail to clearly determine goals, in terms of creating a regional product. Exceptions are Negotin, Knjaževac and Zaječar. Not a single municipality of the target regions will be able to develop tourism if it relies solely on its own resource base. 12. There seems to be a misunderstanding of the meaning of the term indicator, as well as its actual role.

Recommendations

Considering the aforementioned deficiencies of the analysed strategies, we offer the following short, clear recommendations regarding the improvement of strategies’ sections related to tourism:

1. It is essential that proposed actions of a seemingly general nature are specifically and clearly defined. General, in some places even declarative, decisions cannot be put into action. Local authorities must be precise when defining measures aimed at improving the economic environment.

35 2. Some strategies are compiled with parts covering support for SMEs, but for tourism that requires additional input. This relates to two areas: the first area relates to enabling the private sector to influence the creation of promotional activities. 3. Several strategies address the need to create a regional product. As local tourism products are themselves weak and insufficiently attractive, the only way to increase their visibility and attractiveness is to develop a regional destination product. All strategies need to include this component, but not declaratively - rather through the proposal of specific actions. It is necessary for agreement on this to be reached regionally. 4. Critical factors of success must be defined as a set of factors that the success of the strategy depends on. One of the causes of the mentioned shortcomings is simply a lack of a decision making chain objective - the critical factors of success - measures (activities, projects). 5. Responsibility for implementing proposed activities and measures must be institutionally personalised. We must know who is responsible. 6. Proposed budgets for individual projects should be re-checked and, if possible, estimated where they are not. Of course, there are proposed projects that it is not possible to provide estimates for. 7. It is extremely important to introduce indicators and not only introduce them, but also choose the right ones. Their quantification is also necessary because it is only in that way that they provide a basis for measuring a project’s implementation and effects. 8. Responsibility for monitoring has to be personalised (at least institutionally). This does not mean that those who carry out activities should also carry out their control. Here we are talking about the necessity, if goods permit, to also engage a third party in monitoring. 9. Only a few strategies address training. It is essential that these become part of all strategies, as the problem of untrained or insufficiently trained human resources is one of the main obstacles to development. 10. It is necessary to re-determine the priority of activities and projects. Prioritisation must be conducted through a prioritisation matrix, according to various criteria which would enable a response to the question of which projects can be carried out in a given planning period. 11. Links with existing master plans are not always present in municipalities covered by such plans. The opportunity to use existing text was overlooked at some point. On the other hand, local authorities and other stakeholders should be clear that the state will intervene in tourism and, accordingly, should only provide assistance when activities are associated with master plans. 12. Prioritisation is also required within the designation of types of tourism. It is not possible to support all aspects of tourism. 13. Projects and activities related to rural tourism should be linked to the Serbian master plan for rural tourism, which is being finalised.

36 ANNEX

List of analysed strategies

Municipalit Region Strategy Period y / City Lower Golubac The Strategy of The Local economic development of the Municipality of Golubac 2010 - 2014 2010-2014 Danube Kladovo The Local Strategy of Sustainable Development of the Municipality of Kladovo 2010 – 2014 Draft 2010-2020

Majdanpek The Strategy of Local Economic Development of the Municipality of Majdanpek 2010 - 2014. 2010-2014 Požarevac The LocalStrategy Strategy of Sustainable of Sustainable Development Development of City of of the Pozarevac Municipality 2009 of –Veliko 2013 Gradiste 2010 – 2009-2013 V. Gradište 2014 2010-2014 Eastern Knjaževac The Strategy of Sustainable Development of the Municipality of Knjazevac 2010-2020 Serbia The Strategy of Rural Development of Knjazevac 2010 – 2020 2010-2020 Zaječar The Strategy of Local Economic Development of the City of Zajecar 2010-2014 Pirot The Program of Promotion and Tourism Development of the Municipality of Pirot 2008-? The Strategy of Local Economic Development of the Municipality of Pirot 2009-2014 Dimitrovgrad The Strategy of Sustainable Development of Municipality of Dimitrovgrad ? The Strategy of Tourism Development of the Municipality of Dimitrovgrad 2009-2018 Negotin Program of Development of Municipality of Negotin 2005-2010 2005-2010 Central Ljig The Strategy of Rural Development of tke Municipality of Ljig 2010-2013 Proposal 2010-2013 Serbia Valjevo The Strategy of Sustainable Development of Valjevo 2010-2020-Draft 2010-2020 Kosjerić The Strategy of Economic Development of the Municipality of Kosjeric 2010-2014 2010-2014 G. Milanovac Program of Development of the Municipality of Gornji Milanovac 2009-2013 2009-2013 Mionica The Strategyof Development of the Municipality of Mionica 2008-2013 2008-2013 South Banat Alibunar The Strategyof Development of the Municipality 2010-2014 on Danube Bela Crkva The Strategyof Development of the Municipality 2010-2015 2010-2015 Kovin The Strategyof Sustainable Development of the Municipality of Kovin ? Vršac The Local Strategy of Development of Vrsac 2009-2019 2009-2019

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