Investment in tourist infrastructure – 500 million CSD for 7 regions

The budget of Serbia would set aside 500m CSD, during the next year, for investments into capital tourist infrastructure in 7 regions, the Minister of Trade, Tourism and Services, Bojan Dimitrijević, stated.

After the meeting with the mayors of 31 municipalities in the premises of the Government of Serbia, he said that the investments would be made into the infrastructures of Subotica, Sokobanja, Stara Planina, Divčibare, Golija and Vlasina, as well as in some projects on Zlatibor, Tari and the Kučevo mountains.

Next year will represent the beginning of significant investments into tourism, with which the Government of Serbia and authorized ministries will create conditions for further investments by foreign and domestic investors - Dimitrijević stated.

By the end of January, concrete proposals are expected from municipalities, regarding infrastructure investments and certain projects.

Dimitrijević estimated that the foreign income from tourism in 2005 would equal $300m USD, 40% more than in 2004.

Minister of Finance, Mlađan Dinkić, said that the tourism would get three times more money in 2006 than it had obtained in 2005.

The important thinng is the commencement of new project – investment in tourism infrastructure, because the development of tourism is not possible without help from the State in construction of road network, sewerage, plumbing and everything else required for equipping of the location.

According to the words of Dinkić, that will the base for the investments of private investors.