{"id":91345,"date":"2015-04-14T13:40:05","date_gmt":"2015-04-14T13:40:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/intervju-vjerujem-u-bum-seoskog-turizma-jelena-krivcevic-direktorka-rra\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T01:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T01:23:11","slug":"interview-i-believe-in-a-boom-of-rural-tourism-jelena-krivcevic-director-of-the-rra","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/interview-i-believe-in-a-boom-of-rural-tourism-jelena-krivcevic-director-of-the-rra\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW: I Believe in a Boom of Rural Tourism \u2013 Jelena Kriv\u010devi\u0107, Director of the RDA"},"content":{"rendered":"

Raising awareness and educating the population is crucial. Once people recognize the value of traditional architecture, natural attractions, and the food they produce, there will be greater interest among rural households in engaging in tourism. Experts claim that our potential is far greater than Austria\u2019s.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi, and Prokletije, through numerous projects supporting food producers (\u201cThe Best from Our Mountains\u201d), hiking and cycling trails, fly-fishing zones, climbing sites, cultural routes, visitor centers, and more, has done a lot in recent years to turn the idea of rural tourism in this region into reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first steps were difficult,\u201d recalls Jelena Kriv\u010devi\u0107, the energetic director of the agency. \u201cPeople in villages couldn\u2019t really see what they had to offer to tourists. They thought what they had was too simple, not attractive enough. They believed they needed hotel-level conditions to be competitive. Only a few recognized the value of traditional architecture or home interiors. That\u2019s why it was important for us to first find families who believed in what they had and had the energy to pave the way for others. One of them was the Puleti\u0107 family from Lipovo near Kola\u0161in.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUTRO: Did the agency also provide training?<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first households we worked with, like the Puleti\u0107i or the Kljaji\u0107i from Lubnice near Berane, contributed greatly to spreading the idea of rural tourism. In Lipovo today, around ten families are interested, and several already offer services. Through our projects, we organized initial training sessions, which received very positive feedback. Training is important not only for gaining knowledge but also for networking and exchanging experiences. Many families have stayed in contact, visiting each other, consulting, and even coordinating prices to avoid major differences between villages.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUTRO: What are the biggest obstacles?<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many. Municipalities often only declaratively support tourism but rarely take concrete steps. Waste management is a big issue\u2014beautiful mountain villages are often spoiled by garbage. We\u2019ve worked with local authorities to address this, including introducing waste services and cleanup actions. Other issues include poorly maintained yards and a lack of understanding of preserving tradition and authenticity. Although the Ministry of Agriculture provides financial support, interest is still low. Awareness and education are key.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUTRO: Tourists love local food.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur traditional dishes and genuine hospitality\u2014something not learned but inherited\u2014leave the strongest impression. I recently read a blog by an American cyclist who traveled the world and visited our region. The highlight of his story was staying in a simple shepherd\u2019s hut (katun), eating local food, and spending time with a host family who didn\u2019t even charge them. That experience took up half his story about Montenegro. We\u2019ve even had visitors ask for recipes, like one Italian woman who wanted the ka\u010damak recipe after dining with the Puleti\u0107 family.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUTRO: How do travel agencies respond?<\/p>\n

\u201cMost agencies still don\u2019t include rural tourism in their offers, with a few exceptions like RAMS from Bijelo Polje. However, they often bring groups to rural households for meals. So far, food services are most common, but since last year we\u2019ve also had overnight guests. We expect agencies to soon recognize this trend and include rural tourism more seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUTRO: Do you believe in rapid development?<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely. If proper attention is given and the right measures are implemented. Austria earns significant income from rural tourism, and their experts say our potential is even greater. If that\u2019s hard to believe, just look at Serbia, which is far ahead of us. I truly believe we can create a boom\u2014it\u2019s a shame we haven\u2019t already.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUTRO: What should be done?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need a serious national approach. Define priority zones, work directly with interested households, and involve all stakeholders\u2014from local governments to ministries. We currently lack a clear strategy; everything so far has been ad hoc. Rural and outdoor tourism must be developed together.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUTRO: You\u2019ve gotten to know rural families well.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur work with rural households is deeply fulfilling. These are hardworking, grounded families who chose to stay in the countryside and live from their work. They bring us energy and inspiration, and they leave a strong impression on visitors as well.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m especially proud that women have strengthened their roles\u2014almost all activities in rural tourism are led by them. Life for rural women is demanding, but those involved in tourism say their quality of life has improved\u2014they earn income, their daily lives are more dynamic, and their role within the family has grown.\u201d<\/p>\n

JUTRO: What requires the biggest investments?<\/p>\n

\u201cMostly home improvements\u2014not major construction, but cosmetic upgrades. Bathrooms, kitchens, furniture, and yard arrangements are the most common needs.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also important that rural households are near other tourist attractions. We\u2019ve focused on villages close to popular trails and sites. Connecting households into thematic routes, like cheese or wine routes, is also essential.\u201d<\/p>\n

MAGAZIN JUTRO<\/p>\n

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Raising awareness and educating the population is crucial. Once people recognize the value of traditional architecture, natural attractions, and the food they produce, there will be greater interest among rural households in engaging in tourism. Experts claim that our potential is far greater than Austria\u2019s. The Regional Development Agency for Bjelasica, Komovi, and Prokletije, through…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19045,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[202,156],"tags":[217],"class_list":["post-91345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archive","category-media","tag-jelena-krivcevic-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91345"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":92467,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91345\/revisions\/92467"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bjelasica-komovi.me\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}