19 March 2015
19.03.2015 - Nature tourism (hiking, mountaineering, climbing, horseback riding, cycling, camping, etc.) is a creative economic activity for employment and sustainable development. Kosovo has rare natural beauties and very good opportunities for the development of nature tourism. Nevertheless, these values have not yet been sufficiently presented on the international stage. The Nature Destinations Fair, held in Paris, France from 19-22 March 2015, is one of the most important fairs in the field of mountain tourism and outdoor activities in Europe, therefore participation in this event has special importance for Kosovo. Kosovo participated in this fair for the first time in 2012 and from the experience of this participation, many opportunities for promoting Kosovo's tourist values have been identified.
This year, Kosovo's participation has been made possible thanks to the cooperation between the Kosovo Environmental Protection Agency, the Agency for the Promotion and Support of Enterprises, USAID, and the French Embassy in Kosovo.
The presentation of Kosovo's natural beauties, cultural diversity, and other values that the country carries, besides its tourist importance, is a good opportunity for promoting and improving the country's image in Europe and beyond.
Kosovo's participation in this fair has the main goal of increasing the number of tourists whose destination is mountain tourism in Kosovo. Through participation in this event, it is aimed to attract and benefit clients from Western Europe, primarily from France, to encourage French travel agencies to include Kosovo in their programs by proposing trips to Kosovo's natural destinations during visits across the Balkans, to motivate the media and journalists to speak about the natural values of our country, as well as to promote investment opportunities in the natural tourism sector.
Within the framework of the activities planned at this fair, in addition to presenting Kosovo's natural tourism offer through a stand with the logo of the state of Kosovo and distributing promotional materials, several local companies from the natural tourism sector will also be presented, meetings will be held with companies and organized tourist groups from France and beyond, press conferences for media and journalists will be held, and the signing of any potential cooperation agreements is also expected.