Eastern Serbia is an undiscovered gem: EU investing million euros in region's tourism

Krupajsko Vrelo / Photo: Wikimedia/Гојко Гаврило

The European Union has allocated one million euros in support of a total of 120 projects aimed at eliminating the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic in Serbia's tourism sector.

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The money will be given through the "EU for You" project, and the recipients of this assistance are small and micro enterprises, family businesses, agricultural farms and companies from 12 cities and municipalities in eastern and southeastern Serbia, the EU Delegation to Serbia announced today.

"The European Union continues to provide assistance and cooperation to Serbia in dealing with and eliminating the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic. With 93 million euros of total assistance, the EU is the leading partner and donor in Serbia, when it comes to eliminating the consequences of this crisis," said the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Sem Fabrizi.

He added that the EU provided direct assistance last spring in the form of medical and protective equipment, such as ventialtors, masks, oxygen and triage containers, as well as food and hygiene packages for vulnerable groups, worth a total of 15 million euros.

"We are now moving to short-term and medium-term assistance for economic recovery, for which we have allocated 78 million euros in grants. Thanks to this EU project, the funds will reach the most endangered entrepreneurs in the tourism sector in order to improve their tourist offer. This will have a special significance in the time ahead," said Fabrizi.

Golubac Fortress / Photo: Telegraf.rs

Among the beneficiaries of these grants worth 10,000 euros per project, a majority (52) provide private accommodation for tourists, while camping sites, restaurants and hospitality establishments, boarding houses, hotels and hostels, travel agencies, wineries and beekeepers are also supported.

"The key goal is to help those most under threat in the field of tourism to try to overcome the consequences of the pandemic and improve their offer, in order to become more attractive to visitors," says the leader of the "EU for You" project for cultural heritage and tourism, Aleksandar Bec.

He mentioned eastern Serbia as an example - "an undiscovered gem of Serbia," whose offer must be raised to a higher level in order to attract more visitors. He announced that in the coming years, the project will continue to help and improve the tourist potential of eastern Serbia and the Lower Danube region through several segments.

This EU project is aimed at the development of tourism as a significant economic potential for stimulating economic development of Eastern Serbia and the Lower Danube region. The EU finances it with 15 million euros, while it is co-financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development with 1.6 million euros, and implemented by the "Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit" (GIZ).

The project received 464 applications from entities working in the field of tourism from Boljevac, Bor, Golubac, Kladovo, Knjazevac, Majdanpek, Negotino, Pozarevac, Smederevo, Sokobanja, Veliki Gradiste and Zajecar.

(Telegraf Biznis/Tanjug)