Brezovica, tourist attraction, but no investment

Winter tourism in Kosovo takes place in mountainous areas and as countries with the most important potential are considered the Skiing Centre “Brezovica” in the Mountains of Sharri, Rugova and Dragashi.

Even so, lack of investment has remained evident for years, citizens who visit these areas say.

One of the largest winter resorts, Brezovica, according to citizens, does not even meet basic tourist needs.

Burim Mehmeti, who frequents the Brezovica Skiing Centre during the winter season, says this centre leaves much to be desired. According to him, this country does not meet even the basic conditions for visitors.

The “conditions in Brezovica are far from acceptable. It means it's not even basics, for example, that there's no teleferic maintenance, there's no parking lot, there's no auto ambulance, the police are in existence. I'll take an example, when I was present yesterday at the center of skiing, a little girl from the skilift was caught by a snow engine and fortunately went through minor injuries. Brezovica has turned into a lightless town, an unprecedented urban chaos so far, and I can say this country leaves a lot to wish for”, Mehmeti says.

Otherwise, in 2014, the French consortium “MDP Consulting Compagnie des Alps” was declared the winner of the privatisation of the Brezovica tourist centre, at a price of 409m euros, of which 165 million were expected to be invested over the first three years, and was promised to open 4,000 new jobs.

In investments, expansion or the creation of world-class skiing trails, equipped with about 20 teleferics and other modern equipment, with the highest safety and quality standards in the region.

In June 2017, the Government of Kosovo had completed the concession process of the tourist centre “Brezovica” as the French consortium “MDP Consulting Compagnie des Alps” had failed to meet financial closure and secure the necessary means for implementing the first phase for the development of the Brezovica project.

The “Brezovica” tourist complex is located in the northwest part of the Sharr Mountains, in the Strepca municipality, inhabited by Serb majority.

The failure to privatise the tourist complex “Brezovica” is seen as negative to citizens themselves.

Besim Jakupi, a frequent visitor to the ski centre there, says that for now this centre does not meet basic needs for visitors.

I think the biggest disaster for Brezovica has been the failure of its privatisation, because that is the only solution to making it a ski centre as well. Otherwise, it does not meet the minimum conditions, either for safety or for skiing or for visitors... for no one.”

I've never seen it before, frequented it often because of the beautiful nature that clean kayars, no ambulances, no paths aren't properly marked, the lifts are not properly maintained”, he says.

Otherwise, Brezovica is a popular tourist centre located at a height of 900 to 2,522m, with a space of 2,500 hectares and is away from just 60km from Pristina International Airport.

Tourism Association in Kosovo leader Zeqe Ceku tells Radio Free Europe that the tourist complex “Brezovica” has exceptional potential and that the best solution to this asset has been its privatisation.

Kosovo's “Maletes are not invested in them, but are back in the development of winter tourism, unfortunately in terms of degradation, especially the Brezovica ski centre and the extreme lack of state institutions to organise the privatisation of Brezovica, first, and then, and the withdrawal of investments from the diaspora”.

“Negje also has in Sharr, in the Decani Bjeshks, Yunik, where it also has great potential, it can be said the largest in the Southeast European region, as it has also been assessed”, Ceku says.

Meanwhile Arben Islami, leader of the nongovernmental organisation Kosovo Hiking Trips '%s' and "Snow" Man, these that volunteerly promote the mountains and nature of Kosovo, says that since the years HINA80 it has not been invested in the ski centre “Brezovica”.

But despite lack of investments, according to him, the geographical position of the skiing centre moves hundreds of skiers from Albania, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina to come to Brezovica.

The “Investations, especially in Brezovica, are flawed, almost not done by state institutions. What has changed is the largest number of visitors. There are many tourists from Albania, Slovenia, Bosnia, but also tourists from all over Kosovo. Recently hundreds of skiers from the region have come, asked if there is snow, and could we come to skiing? We have mountains up to 2,500 meters, which still have snow for rare disciplines, which can be used snowboards because we have high mountains”, Islam says.

According to recent data from the Kosovo Statistics Agency, the number of tourists in Kosovo for January, February, March 2019 has been 27.312 local visitors with 41.647 stay, with statistics showing there has been increased visitors for 15% if compared to 2018.

The most popular destinations were Peja with 17,000, Pristina 11,000, and Prizren with 6,500 visitors.

As for international tourists, also according to the Statistics Agency, there have been growths of 20% in contrast to the first quarter of 2018, exactly from 36968 visitors with 51,132 sleeps, with that of 2019, where 37953 visitors with 63,260 sleeps were registered.

Tourists from Albania have dominated about 15,000, followed by Germany 5,000, Turkey 5,000 and Switzerland 4,000 tourists.