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Serbia entered 2018 with 12% higher number of tourists, compared with the same period in the previous year (8% the local tourists, 17% the international ones), 11% more nights and the result showing the local guests mostly stayed in the spa and mountain resorts, while the international ones chose primarily Belgrade, then Novi Sad, Zlatibor, Kopaonik and other destinations. Most of the international tourists come from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Turkey, Croatia, Russia, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia and Greece. Since the data of the number of arrivals and foreign currency income show continuous growth, Ms. Marija Labović, CEO of the National Tourism Organization of Serbia, says “40% of our tourists from the region achieve 48% of foreign currency income.
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The income growth from the tourists from the Region is influenced by the proximity, lack of the language barrier and the recognizable tourism offer. Under cooperation with the Tourism Organizations from the Region we mutually attend the third markets, as well”. |
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The generally good tourism image oriented the NTOS to more intensive promotion at international markets. Serbia was first presented with its entire tourism offer and the focus on the active outdoor holiday at the trade show CMT in Stuttgart (January 13 – 21, 2018). Then followed the trade show EMITT in Istanbul (January 25 – 28, 2018) with special focus on the offer of Novi Pazar. The growth of the tourists number from Turkey at the annual level is 20%. Serbia promotion at New York Times Travel Show (January 26 – 28, 2018) was continued, since the growth of the number of tourists from USA is 26%. The month February began by the presentation at the trade show Destinations in London (February 1 – 4, 2018). The number of tourists from there grew for 15%. It was continued by the attendance of the trade show IMTM in Tel Aviv (February 6 – 7, 2018). The Israeli tourists number of visits to Serbia was increased for 171%. At the trade show Holiday & SpaExpo in Sofia (February 14-16, 2018) Serbia was the Partner Country. |
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At Belgrade Tourism Fair IFT 2018 (February 22 – 25, 2018, Belgrade Fair Hall 4), the National Tourism Organization of Serbia features the complete tourism offer of Serbia. The visitors may see the vignettes, where Serbian tourism is promoted at Travel Channel (Nature, Culture, City Break), video spot Serbia – The place to be, broadcasted at BBC World channel, the interactive application See Serbia … at a Click from Perfect Holiday, the photo to take out See Serbia … Find Your Perfect Holiday, the mobile application Audio Guide through Serbia, test themselves in the knowledge quiz See Serbia … Select Your Favorite Destination, as well as get to know the new brochure Trekking and Biking. |
 
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Special attraction is the KOLO ensemble show with the traditional national dance under the same name, entered into the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
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ANNIVERSARY TOURISM FAIR |
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The Anniversary 40th International Tourism Fair IFT 2018 is held on February 22 – 25, 2018 at Belgrade Fair, under the slogan Your Holiday is Waiting for You. This event, having about 75,000 visitors last year, gathers countries from all continents, cities, regions, Tourism Organizations, hotels, mountain and spa resorts, various destinations and attractions, airlines, travel agencies and tour operators. Traditionally dominating at the Fair is the FIRST MINUTE offer and the travel packages for the forthcoming tourism season, with the up to 60% discount are offered, as well. |
Turkey, Egypt, Macedonia, Montenegro, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, India, Germany, Spain, Russia, Tunisia, China, Cyprus and other countries feature their tourism potentials (Belgrade Fair Hall 1) and, for the first time, also MOROCCO, PALESTINE and SOUTH AFRICAN REPUBLIC. As declared by the Tourism Fair organizers “More than 1,100 exhibitors from about sixty countries will promote the most attractive travel destinations and the side event program will be bigger than ever before”. The Partner Country is GREECE.
Tourism Industry of Serbia (Belgrade Fair Hall 4) adapts successfully its potentials and price policy to the tourists’ needs , looking for and offering new destinations, products, features, as well as new technologies and standards in the tourism facility fitting.
In order to increase the promotion of the exhibitors’ business image and the business visit, this year’s Tourism Fair IFT 2018 will be in the morning more oriented to business visitors and in the afternoon to amusing features and promotions.
Along with the Tourism Fair IFT 2018, the events 14th International Hotel Management and Catering Equipment Fair HORECA, which expands its offer and the list of exhibitors this year (Belgrade Fair Hall 2), 14th Souvenir Fair Visit Serbia and 9th International Wine Fair BEO WINE (February 22 – 24, 2018), due to the great interest organized in the expanded exhibiting space (Belgrade Fair Halls 3 and 3A), are organized, as well. This event, showing to the international participants and visitors also the wine map picture of Serbia, is followed by many lectures, promotions, presentations and tasting, as well as BEOWINE CHALLENGE CUP, a competition in six categories, estimated by international jury. |
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| THE EVENT OPENING HOURS |
Thursday |
February 22 |
10a.m.-6.00p.m. |
Friday |
February 23 |
10a.m.-7p.m. |
Saturday |
February 24 |
10a.m.-7p.m. |
Sunday |
February 25 |
10a.m.-5p.m. |
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Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI)
 +381 11 4149490
www.pks.rs
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THE MUTUAL FLIGHT TO THE WORLD
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Last year, Serbia earned from tourism more than 1.2 billion Euros, which is for 14.5% better result than a year earlier. There is an increasing interest of tourists, first of all those from the overseas countries, in this part of the world, but although Serbia is the country that can offer a lot of history, through culture, nature, exotic experience, hospitality, up to the gastronomy, all these tourists want within their travels of 7 to 14 days to visit as many countries and destinations as possible.
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Encouraged by this fact, the Association of Tourism of Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) featured at the last year’s Belgrade Tourism Fair, along with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Montenegro the mutual tourism product Wild Soul of Europe. Within it, seven different tours through both countries were created. |
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Since the project proved to be a good one, Association of Tourism of SCCI features at this year’s Belgrade Tourism Fair the new mutual project, this time with the Economic Chamber of Macedonia. The whole package of three tours has just been finished. The travel organizers from Serbia will be the incoming travel agencies Magelan, Robinson and Panacomp. As declared by Ms.Tijana Maljković, Secretary of the Association of Tourism of SCCI, “These tours are based upon three topics: wine and gastronomy, religion and natural beauties of both countries.
They will be promoted with guaranteed departures for the year 2019, as well as the prices for the group tours. The brochure in English language, which will be translated also to the other ones, is first of all intended for far markets, such as United Arab Emirates, China, Japan, India, Iran, the United States of America and other overseas countries. Western Balkans mutual tourism products, with the promotion that may be financed by WBCIF (Western Balkans Chambers Investment Forum WB6), have to include at least three countries.
Thus, the plan is to expand these two products already organized by SCCI to additional countries in the region. Beside the sales and promotion of the mutual products uniting the regional offer, the included countries have to work, under cooperation with the Chambers and Ministries, on the coordination of visa systems, service and accommodation standards in accordance with the culture and habits of the tourists from new markets, on the staff education in the whole service sector, as well as on the mutually coordinated campaigns at far markets, under support of the national airlines”.
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DESIRABLE DESTINATION |
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After the trade show EMITT 2018 in Istanbul attendance, where it won the Best Business Stand Award, and the presentation at the tourism show Natour Alpe-Adria 2018 in Ljubljana (the guests from Slovenia belong by their great number to the TOP 10 tourists in Belgrade), Tourism Organization of Belgrade features the city advantages also at the Belgrade Tourism Fair IFT 2018. According to the official figures of the City Secretariat for Administration /Statistics Sector, Belgrade was visited in 2017 in total by 1,024,727 guests, who had 2,179,996 nights, which is the 19% growth at the annual level. Most of the guests came from Turkey, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Israel, China and Montenegro. The highest growth in the tourism turnover in the last year was accomplished by the tourists from Israel with 204%, China with 131% and the USA with 30%. The number of about 80,000 guests, who visited Belgrade by river ships, most of them the Germans, Americans and Scandinavians, should be added to the above mentioned figures.
The increasing tourist interest in Belgrade is followed by the infrastructure. Thus, there are 96 hotels operating so far in the city, and by the end of the year 10 international chains are expected to be in Belgrade. Beside the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Holiday Inn, Tulip Inn, Falkenstainer, Crowne Plaza, Radisson Blu, Marriott, there is also the Excelsior hotel, which was included in the Mercure Accor chain, end of the last year. The hotels Hilton and Mama Shelter should be opened soon, as well.
Such accommodation offer will undoubtedly contribute to the increasing number of the tourists throughout the year, but this understands also the rising need for the new features creation within the City Break package. If the interested parties in the tourism offer chain will be at the necessary level, will be visible very soon, since the spring tourism seasons is very close to the beginning. |
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GOLUBAC TOWN – A NEW STATION ON THE RIVER CRUISERS TOUR |
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The Regulation of Declaration of the Port Area of the International Passenger Harbor near the Golubac Town Fortress, adopted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia at its session (January 11, 2018) is a contribution to the development of the nautical tourism of Serbia. Since Golubac Town is a spatial cultural / historical and natural unit, one of the most attractive travel destinations on the Danube, the area that won special system of organization, arrangement, use and protection, due to its characteristics, value and priority tourism purpose, after getting the status of the Port Area, this outstanding attraction is expected to be visited also by the tourists from the river cruisers already in the first part of this year. They will disembark to the already installed harbor, which will thereby get the international status. As the reconstruction of Golubac Town is slowly finishing, after many years of dragging out, Dr. Iskra Maksimović, CEO of the Tourism Area Golubac Town Fortress, who manages this cultural/historical/natural unit, announces since April this year the possibility of the visitors’ entry into four of nine towers and end of September, this locality should get its full shine. The Golubac Town Fortress, one of the most important tourism attractions of Serbia, was visited last year by 63,000 tourists, a third of them the international ones, mostly from Romania, France, Poland, the Czech Republic, China and other countries. The number of visitors is supposed to rise for 30% after the four towers opening.
The Golubac Town Fortress will be presented at the Belgrade Tourism Fair IFT 2018 within the mutual attendance by the Tourist Organizations of Golubac and Kladovo, with Tourism Area Lepenski Vir and Đerdap National Park (Belgrade Fair Hall 4).
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MASSIVE DESCENT – MASSIVE DISCOUNT
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The winter tourism season is fully under progress on Serbian mountains, especially on Kopaonik, visited by so many local and international guests that even several thousand tourists ski in daytime. There is enough snow and the artificial snowing systems are fully operating, as well. In the winter season 2018, Ski Resorts of Serbia, which concluded contract with the Ministry of Defense of financing the construction of multilevel garage and a helidrome on this mountain, organize also many promotional activities. During the Top Ski Weekend, the skiers and boarders may use 20% discount to three-day and four-day individual ski passes and the Family Day on Snow has been introduced this year, as well, within the action Family Sunday, when the 15% discount is valid for a day ski passes. A current innovation in the price list is also the Duo Transferable Family Pass, which facilitates holiday to the parents unable to go to the run at the same time, because of their children, but do so “one by one”, as well as the Additional Skiing Day, intended for the skiers and boarders who decide to stay on the mountain a few days longer.
Kopaonik is also the place of many events. Kopaonik Rush (KRUSH) is organized on March 4, 2018, a massive race where the skiers and boarders start from the Pančić Peak at the same time, moving with various rollers, banks and jumps all the way down to the finish line in the Sport Valley. The event called MASSIVE DESCENT – MASSIVE DISCOUNT is held on March 3 – 5, 2018 and then the Ski Resorts of Serbia, which participate in the Belgrade Tourism Fair IFT 2018 at the stand of the National Tourism Organization of Serbia (Belgrade Fair Hall 4), provide 20% discount to the two and three day ski passes
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. In this time period, this action is joined also by ski schools, equipment rent suppliers, restaurants, cafes and others. A contribution to the total offer of Kopaonik is given also by MK Mountain Resort (Grand and Anđela Hotels, as well as Konaci Apartment Settlement) organizing mutually with its partners at the Grand Hotel for the third time the event Music Week (March 8 – 11, 2018), announced by them as “The event that gathers the biggest regional stars and which, in the top production, is a sweet thing after the famous March skiing, when the skiing is the most beautiful and there is more than enough sun and snow”.
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| 22. - 25. february |
| 15. – 18. march |
| 5. – 8. april |
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ISTN provides attached the price list of the Ski Resorts of Serbia for the winter season 2018. |
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PROTECTED TRAVEL |
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At the change from 2017 to 2018, the Republic Consumer Union and the National Association of Travel Agencies YUTA signed the Business Cooperation Contract, based upon mutual activities regarding the execution of the program of service standardizing and travel organizer business in accordance with the EU Law and Directions and the ISO standard introduction. At the press conference, Mr. Aleksandar Seničić, YUTA CEO, reminded of this “235 agencies, YUTA members, got the right to put the sign of the PROTECTED CONSUMER certificate. It is currently the sign of the Association and by the EU admission each agency will have to have its own. There is no major company in the EU that does not require such standards when business is contracted. We have first executed ISO 9001, as the basic standard, then the standard ISO 10002 for objections management and the standards 10014 and 10018 for environmental protection were received, as well. We want to provide full safety to all agencies included in the TRAVEL GUARANTEE system, as well as to restore the travelers’ trust in the agencies which currently cover 350 resorts in Europe with about 770 representatives. European Association of Travel Agents recognized our TRAVEL GUARANTEE system as one of the best and most convenient ones for solving the problems met by all travelers in Europe“.
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How important such traveler protection is, show the figures presented by Mr. Zoran Arsenović, President of YUTA Board of Directors, „Already early December last year, the destinations offering for this year's summer season began. First of all, this is Greece, where the most tourists from Serbia go and then follow Turkey, with the growth of 66%, Egypt and Tunisia with the 12% growth, Spain and Italy with the 10% growth. Total tourism Season shows the growth trend of about 6 to 7%. Tour operaters refreshed the offer so that even 27 destinations may be reached by charter flights. Thus, the focus is on the good and checked Agencies serving the individuals at the market“.
The measures taken by YUTA definitely look promising as regarding the protection of also local travelers going abroad and the international ones visiting Serbia through Serbian agencies. What will bring the practice, will be shown by the forthcoming season.
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ONLINE TOURISM OVERCOMING |
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Serbia keeps pace increasingly and faster with the global tourism trends, which is shown also by the fact there were 18% more international tourists in Serbia in the previous year than in the year before. Everyone in the tourism demand and supply chain has to keep pace with such growth, has to have knowledge within sustainable tourism, behavior toward the clients and the hospitality rules, has to be ready for frequent travels, staying at trade shows, to work on weekends and days off, in several shifts. And in order to be able to study, DOBA Faculty organizes online studies, enabling full flexibility in this engagement field. DOBA Faculty Management points out “Our accredited online study program within tourism in Serbian language - BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT IN TOURISM is conceived to process contemporary, practical, internationally oriented features. The students are taught during the studies by the expert from the practice, they are followed by excellent online mentors, preparing them for the work in tourism, in order to provide as good results as possible and be most respected”.
In order to facilitate the studies of their students, in 2018 they introduced at DOBA Faculty an innovation in the functioning system – online information days and individual consulting in the Sava Center in Belgrade (http://www.doba.rs/informativni-dani-i-savetovanja-za-izbor-studija) where the program objectives are presented, in order to let it be coordinated with the individual needs and the career goals. The innovation is also the enabled including into the studies in March this year.
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ISTN provides attached the Information of the Program BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT IN TOURISM |
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A CONNECTION OF HEALTHY, BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL |
Special Hospital KANJIŽA SPA, an outstanding medical/tourism institution equipped with the state of the art physical medicine and medical rehabilitation devices, intended both for those who come for prevention, using various anti-stress, spa and sport programs and those who need rehabilitation, accomplished last year the record visit. Significant funds were invested in the medical equipment and the swimming pool area was reconstructed, which satisfies now all needs of both standard guests and the disabled persons and mothers with children, so that the Spa is equally attractive for both families and individuals, businessmen, sport teams, organized groups, retired person Associations and Trade Unions. Since the first days of January this year, in Kanjiža Spa, which received from the Center for the Client Opinion Research the Certificate THE TRUSTED COMPANY for excellent reputation and persistence in operation, as well as the correct cooperation with its clients and business associates, the application for the vouchers of the Government of Serbia to the amount of RSD.5,000 began, as well. An innovation in this Spa, which in our experience enables its guests the real combination of healthy, beautiful and useful, is this year’s great action – 10–40% discount for retired persons.
KANJIŽA SPA presents its offer of medical rehabilitation, prevention and attractive Wellness programs, such as My Weekend, Wellness and Sport Team Building, Shopping and Spa Weekend and other special programs at the Belgrade Tourism Fair, at the stand of the Tourism Organization of Vojvodina (Belgrade Fair Hall 4).
ISTN provides attached current programs of Kanjiža Spa. |
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BOTH BEAUTIFUL AND HEALTHY |
The STATISTICS show 5% of all international travels is related to the medical tourism. In the structure of medical tourism total sales, about 40% belongs to dental services, 42% to the orthopedics, cardiology, cardio surgery and neurosurgery and 15% to esthetic operations. Just this is the branch practiced by DIVA LASER CENTAR in Belgrade, the dermatological institution with the longest tradition, dealing in DERMATOLOGICAL ANTIAGING PROCEDURES and LASERS. Their team attended in January this year, in Berlin, the 6th European School of Dermato-Oncology (ESDO) organized by the European Association of Dermato Oncology (EADO). The topics were the growing number of the skin carcinoma diseased, prevention, diagnostics and the latest therapies.
The diagnostics is related first of all to detailed dermatological examinations of all skin changes in due course, their follow-up or removal, according to the type and character of the changes. Ms. Nataša Zmbov, founder of DIVA LASER CENTER, highlights „At this meeting, the focus was on so-called „pink skin tumor“, which understands amelanotic, i.e. non-pigmented melanoma, as well as on ’fast growing’ melanoma, then acral melanoma, mucous membrane melanoma and eye melanoma. The experiences and results in the cytostatics implementation, as well as the air and the latest immunologic therapies. Our dermatologist team has got several decades of experience in the examination and diagnostics of any skin changes. We are proud of the fact that we follow all global achievements and innovations within dermatology and dermato-surgery“.
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| U DIVA LASER CENTRU, u kome su Konsultacije za dermatološke lasere besplatne., u toku je i akcija od 20% popusta na uklanjanje promena sa kože. |
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EVENT FUTURE CREATION |
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Under the slogan „Let’s Create the Event Future in Serbia Together”, the Serbian Tourism and Events Association (TEAM of Serbia), under cooperation with the High Tourism School from Belgrade and the Tourism Organization of Zlatibor, organizes the 11th MEETING OF EVENT ORGANIZERS 2017/2018. The topics of this year’s Meeting, gathering the representatives of the relevant Ministry and the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, in charge for tourism, Tourism Organizations of Serbian Cities and Municipalities, travel agencies, hotel and catering managers, event organizers, souvenir manufacturers and tourism experts, are: “Strategy of Tourism Development and the National Minorities’ Events”, “The Role of Cultural Events in the Tourism Development”, “Organization of the Events for Children”, “Importance of the Events for the Accommodation Facility Development” and “Forgotten Serbia – The Town Habits in Serbia”. Ms. Milanka Cvetković, President of the TEAM OF SERBIA Association, reminds “Just at the Meeting, the awards TOURISM PUZZLE 2017 will also be awarded by the Meeting attendees’ votes in the categories The Most Successful Traditional Event, The Most Successful New Event, Deserved Individual within the Event Tourism, The Most Successful Local Self-Government – The Support Pillar to the Event Organizers and The Best Event Promotional Film”.
11th MEETING OF EVENT ORGANIZERS is held on March 2 – 3, 2018, at the Convention Hall of the Student Rest House Ratko Mitrović , on Zlatibor.
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THE HEDONIST YEAR OF CHEESE
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The Association of Authentic Hedonists (AAH), established on February 7, 2005, in Belgrade, with the vision of people to smile, be positive and enjoy life, celebrated, under presentation of various types of cheese, Pâté and other delicacies prepared by the Winner of Innovation Award at the 5th Balkan Cheese Festival – Snežana Đuričin Kuštrumović, its 13th Birthday. At the appropriate Ceremony, Mr. Dragan Đorđević, Chief Hedonist Officer (CHO) of the Association, declared this year - THE YEAR OF CHEESE. It was also the opportunity for Mr. Srba Jovanović, Vice President of AAH for Food Section and the organizer of Balkan Cheese Festival to announce this economic/gastronomic/tourism event (Belgrade, February 17 – 18, 2018, Youth Hall), where about 300 cheese types from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, France and Italy as the Guest Country this time, were exhibited. Visiting the Festival, we got the impression it has definitely got its permanent audience, which expects the specialties, such as goat cheese smoked by the natural aroma of liquid smoke, the cheese types with the taste of Rosemary plant, lavender, salvia, anise, blueberry, Black Tartuffe, dill, Sremush, green popper and various other ingredients. Special attraction is the cheese ice cream, most of the visitors wanted to try. At this Festival with one of the main slogans “Cheese, wine and friends have to be old, in order to be good”, the cheese types are tasted with wine sorts, mangalitsa products and other meat products, but ‘the sweet product range’ is not missing, either. |
The whole event is followed also by the tourism aspect of the destinations, where the cheese types are manufactured.
The next, eighth edition of the Balkan Cheese Festival, where the visitors really enjoy by all senses, will be held on the second weekend in October 2018, at the Youth Hall in Belgrade.
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TO HONOR THE INNOVATIONS IN THE MEDICAL AND SPA INDUSTRIES |
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The European Spas Association – ESPA opened the competition for the awarding of ESPA Innovation Award 2018 in medical tourism, which as highlighted by the organizers, reflect the ESPA aim „to stimulate exchange of experience, best practice and know-how“. The Awards are intended for medical and spa destinations, resorts, hotels, programs, innovations, research and education, i.e. the development of a new, more creative or more effective approach to any aspect of spas and health resorts management, operations or marketing.
Since such approach is accomplished through more effective products, processes, services,technologies or ideas thet are readily available to the market, the emphasis in judging applicants for the ESPA Innovation Award 2018 is on how effectively the innovation addresses its stated objectives, which may be to improve efficiency, increase marketability, effect cost savings and achieve environmental goals. Last year, most of the Awards went to the representatives of medical and spa industries from Romania, France, Portugal, Montenegro and other countries.
The ESPA Innovation Award 2018 will be awarded within the 23rd ESPA Congress (May 23 – 25, 2018, Domburg, the Netherlands, with the topic WATER AND HEALTH – A WAY OF LIFE IN A CHANGING WORLD.
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