Belgrade Showcases Kosovo Serb Tourism Potential

Stand of the Office for Kovoso I Photo: Facebook/Office for Kosovo and Metohija

The Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo is promoting the tourism potential of Kosovo at this year’s International Tourism Fair from February 23 to 26 in Belgrade – but only the potential of Serb-run areas in the former province that declared independence in 2008.

“The tourist offer … will present the municipalities of Kosovska Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok, Leposavic, Gracanica, Prizren and Strpce,” the office website announced. All the municipalities in question, except for Prizren, are Serb-dominated and run.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, which Belgrade has refused to recognise, but Serbia still has de-facto control over the four municipalities in the far north of Kosovo, next to the border with Serbia, of Mitrovica, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic, where Belgrade continues to finance local security, judicial, health and educational institutions.

While Serbs living in the rest of the country are a small minority, and in some cases cooperate with the Pristina authorities, the far north remains under Belgrade’s day-to-day control despite an April 2013 deal reached in Brussels, which is yet to be implemented.

Serbia’s Kosovo office website said it would be presenting the cultural treasure of Kosovo, including spa and mountain resorts and natural resources, as well as wines.

The fair will showcase several wines from the Orahovac vineyard, among them Decanska vinica, which, it explained, is produced by the monks of the famous Serbian Orthodox monastery at Visoki Decani.

The largest number of wineries that will exhibit their products are from the small Serbian enclave of Velika Hoca, where locals have made wine for centuries, which the website called “among the most famous brands of Serbia”.

The office also stated it will be presenting the potential of Kosovo health tourism, spa facilities with thermal mineral springs, as well as the ski center of Brezovica, which it called  “an undiscovered pearl for the younger generation fanciers of winter sports”.

Brezovica is located in southern Kosovo, near the Macedonian border, and Belgrade has no control over the resort, but is running a legal and political battle with Kosovo over the assets.