Macedonia’s Old Tourist Favourites Face New Rivals

When foreign visitors used to come on holiday to Macedonia, they tended to head for the country’s old heritage sites.

But recently, popular haunts such as the ancient town of Ohrid, the old Ottoman parts of Skopje and the country’s necklace of medieval monasteries, are feeling the stiff wind of competition.

Thanks to an ambitious government plan to redevelop the capital, known as “Skopje 2014”, and the erection of other new attractions in towns like Ohrid and Krusevo, old favourites have new rivals.

New additions to Skopje’s skyline include a 24-metre-high equestrian statue to the ancient warrior king, Alexander the Great, the Memorial House of Mother Theresa, who was born in Skopje, the Holocaust Museum, a triumphal arch and a mass of new statues and fountains.

Outside the capital, they include a reconstructed prehistoric settlement near Ohrid, called the Bay of Bones, and a memorial house to late ballad singer, Tose Proeski, in his hometown of Krusevo.

Proeski, whose renditions of much-loved classics made him a star throughout the former Yugoslavia, died tragically in car accident in 2007 aged only 26.

Macedonia’s authorities insists the latest embellishments to the capital, especially the towering statue of Alexander the Great, are going to be among the country’s biggest crowd-pullers.

Zoran Nikolovski, head of tourism in the Ministry of Economy, says foreign tourists are not that interested any longer in Skopje’s old bazaar, or in the ancient Stone Bridge.

“Lots of cities have old bazaars but now the equestrian statue is going to be the most photographed site in Skopje,” he claimed. “Where else can people see such grand statue?” he asked.

Anita Jovanoska, from the Ministry of Culture, says that Mother Theresa’s memorial house, which opened in January 2009, is already one of the top draws in the capital.

“More than 300,000 tourists have visited the memorial house since it was built and it’s already become an integral part of Macedonia’s touristic map,” she said.

Anita Jovanoska, from the Ministry of Culture, says that Mother Theresa’s memorial house, which opened in January 2009, is already one of the top draws in the capital.

“More than 300,000 tourists have visited the memorial house since it was built and it’s already become an integral part of Macedonia’s touristic map,” she said.

Emma O’Boyle of TripAdvisor was quoted as saying that interest was growing rapidly growing in Balkan destinations such as Bosnia and Macedonia.

Zoran Nikolovski, from the economy ministry, told Balkan insight that most foreign visitors to Macedonia come from neighbouring countries, as well as Turkey, Slovakia, Poland, Holland and Russia. 

He added that after the government started airing commercials in 2008, promoting the country’s tourist assets, several foreign TVstations, including Travel Channel, Euro Sport 1, the BBC and others, had contacted him about visiting Macedonia.

“If we’d started commercially promoting our country 15 years ago, Macedonia would be a well-known tourist brand already,” Nikolovski added.

Miodrag Atanasievski, head of the Macedonia’s Chamber of Tourism, said the latest additions to the landscape of the capital have fleshed out Macedonia’s “offer”.

“Tourists are especially interested in Macedonia Square, even if it isn’t finished,” he noted, referring to the central square that now houses the giant state of Alexander.

“We expect a significant increase in tourists because of the square’s content,” he added.

Atanasievski went on to say that that a combination of old and attractions should guarantee a prosperous future for tourism in Macedonia, which, like neighbouring Serbia, has hitherto failed to make a breakthrough in tourism in Western markets compared to the other former Yugoslav republics of Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro.

Last year, for example, only 261,696 foreigners visited Macedonia compared to more than 9 million who visited Croatia.

Zoran Strezoski, director of the government agency for promotion of tourism, said figures in the millions may be a long way off - but Macedonia was banking on a significant increase in visitors in 2011.

Last year, for example, only 261,696 foreigners visited Macedonia compared to more than 9 million who visited Croatia.

Zoran Strezoski, director of the government agency for promotion of tourism, said figures in the millions may be a long way off - but Macedonia was banking on a significant increase in visitors in 2011.

“We need serious evaluation of what people are saying - and not every new attraction is making a positive impression,” he said.

“Our more authentic monuments are still worth highlighting, like the Stone Bridge and the old Hamam,” Alagjozovski added.

And not all foreign visitors are that impressed with Skopje’s array of new statues.

This article is funded under the BICCED project, supported by the Swiss Cultural Programme.