Serbian Municipalities from Kosovo at the International Tourism Fair - history, culture, tradition, and good food

The Serbian municipalities from Kosovo will present a rich offer and program at the 45th International Tourism Fair, which will be held in Belgrade from February 22nd to 25th.

At the Tourism Fair, many institutions, organizations, associations, and individuals will present everything characteristic of this region and what it is widely known for.

Rich cultural heritage, medieval monasteries full of history, dances, songs, and traditional costumes will be just a part of the program that Serbian exhibitors from Kosovo will offer to fair visitors.

The famous cuisine of Kosovo will also be exhibited at the stand, accompanied, of course, by rakija (Serbian brandy). For tourists who opt for untouched nature, hiking and mountain biking will be available.

At the stand of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, the tourist offer will be presented by the Provisional Authority of the city of Pristina, headquartered in Gracanica.

Marko Markovic, Director of the Archive of Kosovo and Metohija, stated that the tourist potential of Gracanica was significant but not fully utilized. As he mentioned, all the tourist potentials deserving of tourists' attention will be presented at the Tourism Fair.

"The fair visitors will be introduced to the rich cultural heritage and extensive tourist potential, reflected in the visits to the ancient Milutin's sanctuary, Gracanica Monastery; nearby is the Ulpiana archaeological site, and there are many other churches and monasteries from the medieval period worth visiting. The good thing is that all this can be visited in one day. We also have Gazimestan, the site of the Kosovo Battle, which offers a beautiful narrative from the past. Besides the religious potential, which is most prominent, the city of Pristina and its surroundings offer other tourist potentials. We have certain specialties that are exclusively related to this region. Tourists are interested in trying something they won't have the opportunity to try anywhere else," Markovic said.

As he added, this region was also known for good rakija and honey, which would also be available at the fair.

"Hardworking hosts make good and tasty rakija, which is the pride of every host, to welcome you with their rakija upon arrival and to show hospitality in the best way possible," Markovic added.

Furthermore, this year, the Archive of Kosovo and Metohija will participate in the fair together with the Provisional Authority of the city of Pristina, showcasing their rich publishing activity.

"We will present many books, photo monographs, and catalogs featuring the Kosovo and Metohija region or more specifically, the Gracanica Monastery and its surroundings. First, we will present a photo monograph of the Gracanica Monastery. It is the most content-rich photo monograph, containing photographs from 1878 to 2022. The second is a catalog of photographs from the French Museum of Albert Kahn, where we can find photographs from 1913 depicting the former Pristina, Prizren, Gracanica, and Lipljan. These are the first color photographs in Kosovo and Metohija. The third is a catalog about Gracanica that accompanied our exhibition, which was very well attended," Markovic said.

He invited all those planning to visit the fair also to visit the stand where exhibitors from Kosovo will be present and afterward, they will decide to visit all the landmarks.

"In a time when everyone wants to visit Europe and the world, I think the most beautiful message would be that the point is not to see Paris without seeing Prizren, or to admire the cathedrals in Rome without first seeing the beauty of our Gracanica, the Pec Patriarchate, and Visoki Decani," Markovic emphasized.

Despite the challenging security situation on the ground, the Sports Tourism Organization from Leposavic will once again showcase its offerings at the 45th International Tourism Fair in Belgrade this year. This small town in northern Kosovo is focused on natural beauty, hiking, mountaineering, and mountain biking. They will present their offerings on Sunday at the Office for Kosovo and Metohija booth.

Tourism expert Nikola Radosavljevic says that one of the most beautiful places in Leposavic is the St. Basil of Ostrog Temple. However, he emphasizes that this year the focus will be on outdoor potential.

"For years, the Sports Tourism Organization has been promoting all the tourism potentials our municipality has. Until last year, it was comprehensive, but since last year, the Sports Tourism Organization has focused on the outdoor potential of our municipality. Therefore, at the upcoming tourism fair in Belgrade, we will focus, as I said, on outdoor potential. Specifically, I mean all those outdoor activities in nature, hiking, mountaineering, mountain biking, building recreational centers, and all other forms, such as camping villages; that is our focus for the future," Radosavljevic said.

Radosavljevic also adds that one of the most visited destinations is the cross on Kamilja Hill, erected in 2020, which is 20 meters high and 12 meters wide, located at an altitude of 906 meters.

"Leposavic is recognizable for the St. Basil of Ostrog Temple, located near the main road. For some years now, one of the attractions has been the Cross on Kamilja Hill, offering a beautiful panoramic view of our entire municipality of Leposavic. We have two major monasteries in Vracevo, St. Cosmas and Damian and St. John in Socanica. We also have the archaeological site Municipium in Socanica, and the Heavenly Chairs on Mount Kopaonik," Radosavljevic said.

He adds that despite the problems they face, this organization has invested over a decade of effort to elevate tourism to a higher level.

"It's very difficult; for the past 12 years, we have been trying to somehow elevate this economic sector to a higher level, but due to the overall political-security situation here, it is really challenging, especially in the past year, we have faced many difficulties in implementing projects and ideas," Radosavljevic emphasized.

The Sports Tourism Organization, in collaboration with the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, will once again present on February 25th, Sunday at 12 o'clock at the booth where all visitors can get acquainted with the tourist potential of the municipality of Leposavic at the 45th International Tourism Fair in Belgrade.

Additionally, the Municipality of Strpce will showcase its tradition, natural and tourist potentials, and widely renowned products such as Sar cheese, honey, and homemade rakija at the International Tourism Fair.

Teodora Stojcetovic, a collaborator in presenting the municipality of Strpce at the Tourism Fair, emphasized that this was the jubilee tenth year in which the municipality of Strpce would present its products at the booth of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

"The Municipality of Strpce, on its tenth jubilee appearance at the International Tourism Fair, will present all the potentials with which it has been presenting itself in previous years since it became a guest at the Tourism Fair, with its natural potentials and traditions that have been preserved for centuries in the area guarded by the Sar Mountain. We will present the products that this area offers. One of the most important representatives of our cultural tradition is Sar cheese, made from unpasteurized cow and sheep milk fed only with the highest quality plant species on this mountain. We will also present the unique taste of Serbian rakija, made from the best fruits from this area, and one of the most important and sweetest flavors of this region, Sar honey, made by diligent bees from the finest herbs," she said.

She recalled that on Sar Mountain, there were 1,800 protected plant species, and she emphasized the significance of the Brezovica Ski Center for tourism development, which was one of the largest ski resorts in the Balkans.

"We will have the opportunity to present the uniqueness of the natural resources found on this mountain, which the mountain preserves, such as over 1,800 protected plant species found only on this mountain. We will also have the opportunity to present our culture and tradition and everything we have preserved for so many centuries. What is important for this area's tourism development and additional attractiveness to visitors is the Brezovica Ski Center, which has been operating since 1954 and represents one of the largest ski resorts in the Balkans with an alpine atmosphere and slopes," Stojcetovic said.

Tourism potentials have been presented in previous years at the Tourism Fair in Belgrade at the Office for Kosovo and Metohija booth, which is visited by a large number of visitors every year during the three-day fair.