Selling apples is not a hot issue in Prespa these days; instead, everyone is talking about their new fellow citizen, who -- believe it or not -- is no one but former US President Jimmy Carter. Naturalized in Prespa? No, but the Resen mayor has confirmed that Carter will be the owner of one of the apartments that are soon to be built in the tourist resort of Otesevo.

Mayor Dimitar Buzlevski’s office has confirmed the planned construction of a big tourist centre in Macedonia’s oldest tourist resort of Otesevo. Representatives of the interested multinational company Somag from Sintra, Portugal, have come to see the area and get first-hand information about Prespa’s beauties.

Otesevo – A Health Centre

Some 27 million euros are to be invested in the future tourist centre. There is a plan to build a new six-star hotel with all modern conveniences, extra facilities, and numerous apartments, which will be bought in advance and leased under time-sharing contracts. One of the interested buyers is Jimmy Carter.

Apart from being one of the country's several natural beauty spots, Otesevo also has radon, which is what attracted the Portuguese. Radon makes Otesevo a natural spa, which is why this future tourist centre is imagined to grow into a European centre for health tourism. Otesevo already has a Centre for Unspecific Respiratory Diseases, where thousands of patients suffering from chronic bronchitis and asthma come for rehabilitation each year.

Industrial plants in the Prespa region were closed down over the past decade, thus eradicating pollution. The food that is produced here and that is offered to tourists is labeled as ecological.

Brajcino and Konjsko Most Popular

Ms. Nada from the Prespa village of Brajcino was the first to try and promote ecological tourism in Macedonia. After retiring, she returned to Brajcino from Skopje, renovated her old house, and started renting rooms. She cooks food for the visitors after her grandmother’s recipes. Other fellow villagers follow her example and are already organized into a real tourist settlement.



With the help of a number of grants from foreign foundations, the village has turned into a real fairy tale. Today, Brajcino villagers renovate their houses, preserving their authentic architecture, and rent rooms throughout year, mostly to foreigners. Tourist bureaus offer them to climb Mt. Pelister and visit one of Macedonia's oldest churches -- the monastery church of St. George in Kurbinovo village.

Prespa has become attractive also for its island tourism. Golem Grad Island, which is the only island in Macedonia, is a rare natural phenomenon and a real natural treasure. Those who are well acquainted with Prespa’s potential, however, say that its eco tourism does not stop here. The village of Konjsko is going to become a new eco-tourist destination. And if Jimmy Carter buys an apartment in Otesevo, his neighbours are going to be some of the Macedonian Assembly deputies and politicians who are buying land in Konjsko, which is only a few kilometers from the neigbouring Stenje, a fishing settlement with remains of typical rural architecture.

Living on Tourism Is Possible

A few surveys conducted so far on the prospects of developing tourism in Macedonia have reported favourable conditions, indicating that the country could live well on tourism, particularly eco-tourism. One should not forget Mavrovo, Vevcani, the Smolare Waterfalls, Kriva Palanka, Dojran, and, of course, Ohrid and Struga. In Macedonia, virtually every travel agency that is also a tour operator offers tours to Vevcani and the Smolare Waterfalls to foreign tourists.

An MCMS (Macedonian Center for International Cooperation) donation has enabled Vevcani, which is a memorial to nature and lately also a heaven for carnival tourism, to make it steadily to the list of most visited destinations. Vevcani's siphon-hot springs, which are among the few in the country, are located on the eastern slopes of Mt. Jablanica, at 900m above sea level. The village has every condition to develop tourism, offering accommodation, healthy food, and tours. The inhabitants of Vevcani could practically live on tourism.

The villagers of Smolare are going through a similar experience. Reconstruction of the area and promotion of the Smolare Waterfalls have brought in a lot of local and foreign visitors. Weather permitting the place is teeming with tourists at weekends. The Kolesin Waterfall is yet another target for numerous tourists.

As a result of the monasteries’ renaissance, spiritual tourism is picking up, as well. The Macedonian monasteries are packed at weekends, again mostly by foreigners.

Arranged tours bring visitors from neighbouring Greece, Albania, and Bulgaria, and they are increasingly staying away from hotels, seeking instead private accommodation and home-made meals so as to get to know the country more closely. All that Macedonia should do is develop its tourism into a recognizable brand. The offer is abundant and original; it just needs a smart package and marketing, both in Europe and worldwide.

Source: Nedelno Vreme