Modern suites and fishermen's village next to authentic Serbian houses - Development of spa and rural tourism in Roga near Pozega in the pipeline

It is already well known that many locations in Serbia featuring thermal springs attract visitors who, in the absence of appropriate conditions, come to "bathe" at a meadow or in an old pool. In order to use thermal springs in the Roska Banja spa in the best possible way, the Pozega municipality has taken the first step, that is, prepared a tourism development program for the future spa resort.

According to some traditions, Roska Banja, situated some 15 kilometers away from Pozega, dates back to the Turkish Empire and is believed to be good for the treatment of joints, nerves, eyes and chronic rheumatism.

Svetlana Dragic, director of Belgrade-based C.T.D. 3, which was responsible for designing a development program, speaks about opportunities for tourism development in this area in a talk with eKapija.

- Wishing to initiate the development of spa tourism, the municipality of Pozega hired us to design a tourism development program for Roska Banja. This spa resort is famous from a long time ago for its thermal springs with water temperature at 27 degrees Centigrade. This water is proved to be good for use in balneotherapy, so people have been and are still coming here for a treatment, despite the absence of appropriate conditions – says our interlocutor.

Dragic points out that this part of Serbia should also focus on the development of rural tourism in addition to spa tourism.

- This beautiful area features some authentic Serbian households with houses and auxiliary facilities, built in the style of old Serbian architecture. When designing our development program, we used some elements from an earlier study on rural tourism that was designed by a Spanish consulting company, which points to the potential for the development of rural tourism in the Pozega area. Forty four householders who attended the presentation of our development program expressed a wish to engage in rural tourism. They should join their forces and apply for grants from the Tourism Sector of the Ministry of Finance and from the Ministry of Construction.

Our interlocutor stresses that that area could also attract fans of ecological tourism with its natural beauties - a number of springs, the Rzav River and about ten peaks at altitudes ranging from 800 to 1,200 meters.

Aside from completely analyzing the territory, C.T.D. 3 also proposed 16 locations for spa development.

- We've checked all deeds and talked with landowners who are ready to allot their parcels or co-invest in projects. According to our plan, this area should obtain a two-star hotel, ethnic-style suite complex, sports hotel, spa center featuring medical and commercial facilities, family villas, mountain and cycling lodges, fishermen's village, youth village with a car camping area...

According to the development program, the plan is to build a visitor center at the very entrance to the settlement the locals call Roska Visoravan (the Roga Plateau).

- The municipality is now in the process of designing a General Regulation Plan as a follow-up to this tourism development study. We have suggested 6 primary programs that should be backed by the municipality with its own funds and grants from ministries. These projects should initiate further development of Roska Banja.

Svetlana Dragic says that a public bath should be built first to make it possible for current visitors to use thermal water in the treatment of various diseases.

- One of the ideas that should be implemented among the first is the construction of an outdoor swimming pool with a small restaurant in the center of this spa resort. Then there is a spa center with a hotel and treatment facilities, for which an investor should be sought. The next on the list of priorities is about EUR 1.5 million worth of sports complex that would attract many guests on weekends, followed by a youth village that does not cost much to build, so it can be developed using municipal resources.

The list of priority projects also includes a fishermen's village that would offer better conditions to numerous fishermen on the Rzav River.

According to C.T.D. 3, these six projects require an investment of EUR 22 million.

S.O.