According to news from the official Republic of Macedonia website, the government there has slated an additional €2.4 million for tourism development and promotion for this year.
The number is actually over double last year’s budget, a sum that represents a significant move toward gaining tourists this season, at least according to spokesperson Aleksandar Gjorgjiev. Just last week Gjorgjiev announced 25 percent more scholarships awards by the government for students in Macedonia with special needs.
Last December the Macedonian leadership faced a public uproar over the 2013 budget plans, demonstrations and a public uproar insuing. The opposition claims the administration of Nikola Gruevski has misspent funds along with other allegations Macedonia has 31 percent unemployment in large part due to effects of neighboring Greece’s financial woes. Aljazeera reported.
According to the tourism report, the added funds will go to allow for The Agency for Tourism Promotion of Macedonia to attend the largest global fairs, including Russia, Austria, Turkey, India, China, United States. No other initiatives were forthcoming in the announcement.
Photo credit: Skopje Watchtower – courtesy © Ljupco Smokovski – Fotolia.com
View Comments (3)
Visitors to Macedonia don't have to fear for their safety.The people of Macedonia are friendly.There are many things to see,the likes of museums,lakes,rivers,ancient discoveries,good food,fine wines etc.Visit the Republic of Macedonia,and have a ball!
Violence is common-place here in skopjia. We have demonstrations nearly every week against the nationalistic slavic government who oppress the indigenous Albanian people and some of the left leaning Slavs.
Tourists have been utterly disappointed here with this squander of millions on a Slavic disneyland where the skopjian government has attepted to brainwash their slavic people of some fictitious ancestry.
The skopjian government forgets that their ancestors arrived here around 900AD and found the indigenous Albanians here in FYROM who are descendents of the Illyrians and Paeonians and to the south the Greek tribes who are the descendents of Alexander the Great and lived to the south of the Yugoslav border.
Unemployment here is closer to 37% so I don't know where Aljezeera get their facts from, unless its from the skopjian government who would purposely and has always cooked the figures to suit their interests.
More money for fabricating a pseudo identity is sad at the least and totaly irresponsible for the local people, whether they are part of the indigenous Albanian minority or part of the somewhat larger Slavic majority.
@Sam,
Thanks very much for your view and obvious caring.
Always,
Phil
The Editor