three S - sun, sand and sea. The reasons people
engage in adventure travel are different, but one
of the biggest reason is relaxation, exploring new
places, and learning about different cultures.
Progress
Adventure tourism has increased in our country
over the past years with tourists visiting the
beautiful Bistra Mountain and Mavrovo from
all over the world. This allows us to market
our destination as truly unique, appealing to
travelers looking for extraordinary, incomparable
experiences. The private sector initiatives within
adventure tourism are guaranteed to produce
economic benefits for the whole country. The
advantages of this type of tourism are that it is
resilient, attracts high value customers (tourists
that are willing to pay a premium for exciting
and authentic experiences), supports the local
economy and encourages sustainable practices.
we strive to become a plastic-free destination.
Conservation of Natural Resources
Well-managed environmental resources are
crucial for tourists, the businesses, and locals.
This type of tourism generally takes place in or
near naturally preserved environments, social
environments with distinct cultural flair, or sites
hosting historical artefacts. As such, destinations
touched by adventure tourism are fragile and
in a great need of protection. According to
the first proclamation in 1949-1952, Mavrovo
and the forest area around the Mavrovo Field
was proclaimed a national park which gives it
a protected status. While significant numbers
of visitors can offer a financial incentive to
conserve attractions, they also increase threats
Challenges and Concerns for Macedonian
Adventure Tourism
Our country is small, but young and eager, and
adventure tourism is still not fully identified as one
of our unique selling points by the government.
As a resort which strives to attract a global
community of travelers, we cannot accomplish
this without the help and support of the local
government. The distance from the airport and
the substandard transport infrastructure are
things which concern us as a business offering
relaxing leisure, especially the inconvenient and
unorganized transportation services from the
capital city to Mavrovo, making the downhill skiing
an uphill battle. With investments in adventure
parks, Mavrovo is on its way to becoming a year-
round destination, operating 365 days of the year
in all seasons, and attracting more and more
tourists each year. More tourists equals more
waste, and more waste inevitably translates into a
larger environmental footprint. Waste, especially
plastic waste, represents a huge problem also in
terms of the decreased value of the destination,
especially during spring when the snow melts,
and all the plastic trash resurfaces. Our resort is
setting up an efficient waste management system
in our destination to deal with plastic waste and
EMERGING MACEDONIA
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