52 KONGRES JOURNEYS // MEETOLOGUE
A. NATURAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS: 4.80
Zlatibor’s tourist offer is based on exceptional natural attributes and climate, which enable tourism throughout the year. The plateau in the south-east of Serbia is famous for extensive forests and rich pastures completed by golden pine trees, which even gave the name for the plateau. The natural beauty and the rich cultural-historical legacy are a combination that has been attracting tourists for centuries. Zlatibor is also ideal for spa tourism because the sea air mixes with the mountain air here and creates an ideal spot for rehabilitation and healthcare at an altitude of a thousand metres.
B. GENERAL AND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.40
Everybody in Zlatibor is nervously expecting the construction of the Belgrade-Čačak highway, which will shorten the trip to Zlatibor to an hour and a half. Until then, you must embark on a long journey on a rather bumpy road which can take up to four hours. At the moment this is the destination’s biggest setback. After the long journey, you are rewarded with enough parking spots and above all, very friendly staff. The public bus system is slightly disorganised, but still connects Zlatibor with larger cities and Belgrade.
C. TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.70
Zlatibor is renowned as one of the most-developed tourist centres in Serbia. Over 22,000 hotel beds are filled by spa tourism, sport, and recreation lovers, as well as meeting tourism visitors. These guests are attracted by a complete tourist offer including over 200 kilometres of trails, the Tornik ski centre and attractions such as the Stopiče cliffs, Sirogojno Museum, Drvengrad, the “Šarganska osmica” or the valley of the Uvac river. Lastly, the offer is rounded off by over 150 restaurants and bars. When you combine all these elements, Zlatibor deserves to be placed among the most attractive tourist destinations in Serbia.
D. MEETING INFRASTRUCTURE: 4.39 Hotel Mona and Hotel Palisad offer the largest meeting capacities and are the two pace-setters for the destination, constantly improving their offer. Meetings, which are mostly local, take place throughout the year. The problem we noticed is the lack of connection between those offering meetings, which should be provided by the meetings bureau. E. SUBJECTIVE GRADE: 4.64 Serbian hospitality is one of the advantages of the Serbian tourist offer and especially Zlatibor. A rich culinary scene is part of this story but is yet to be adjusted to the challenging needs of international organisers. It seems as if the destination has not yet realised the potential of meeting tourism. The priority of the destination is family tourism, and that is why Zlatibor still has a long way to go. F. MARKETING “BUZZ”: 3.99 Zlatibor is regionally marketed mainly as a mountain tourist vacation destination. The marketing of the meeting destination is mostly local. Regionally and internationally, Zlatibor still has a way to go; this includes marketing interlacing of the offer to extensive B2B marketing with all available tools. The core of the marketing should be the meetings bureau, which is missing.
COMPARISON TO THE REGION In comparison to similar destinations, Zlatibor has the advantage of having a well-developed tourism infrastructure. Meeting guests are rarely bored during their stay and this holds true for all seasons. The city centre is a city in itself and, together with the diverse choice of restaurants and tourist offer, enables various experiences. To make it onto the international scene the key would be better road accessibility, which is soon to be realised. Until the completion of the road connection, Zlatibor’s meeting events will remain mostly local. Such events should be followed by better local organisation and systematic work when it comes to qualified personnel. Zlatibor is undoubtedly a destination with huge potential for development. COOL MEETINGS Zlatibor cheese – One of the first associations when it comes to Zlatibor’s cuisine. It is an exceptional cheese and can be compared to the best cheeses in the world. The reason behind the quality is in the unspoiled pastures on which the cows freely graze.
