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June 22, 2004

Bradt Travel Guides, the famous British publisher, published a travel guide of Macedonia. Author of the guide is Thammy Evans, who's been living in Macedonia for two years and works at NATO Headquarters. Part of the guide is dedicated to the possibilities offered by the natural beauties of Macedonia, which incited Eko.Net to talk with the author.

By Anita Vojnovska,
EkoNet

EKONET : You are living in Macedonia for two years. I believe that the inspiration to write the guide for our country came out of the intensive journeys throughout the country and the direct contact with the authentic nature. Do you think that Macedonia has possibilities for alternative tourism?

EVANS : In my opinion, Macedonia's greatest tourism potential is in alternative tourism, particularly in Ecotourism, Outdoors Sports Tourism, and the Quiet Escape. These areas are exclusive and can command a good income without having to attract millions of visitors. Because tourism to the Republic of Macedonia is in its infancy, with a little foresight and entrepreneurship Macedonia could position itself in this niche market and develop its tourism in a sustainable and attractive way.

EKONET : What is your impression of the attitude towards the natural treasures? What are the biggest problems according to you? I get the impression that most Macedonians know that their country is naturally beautiful and could be even more so, but I sense there is a malaise among the people who think it is up to somebody else to make it and keep it beautiful. Although Government is elected to take care of many of the country's issues, that doesn't mean that Macedonians should continue to throw their rubbish everywhere. Garbage is definitely the biggest problem in Macedonia, closely followed by poor infrastructure, cultural theft, and a penchant for modernity. Some things are improving and I was very pleased to hear last month that Minister Jakimovski has pinpointed the need to clean Macedonia of its trash, and I am also conscious of the increasing signage, street signs and direction signs which make it easier to get around the country. Macedonia's desire to be modern, however, does not always seem to be so well balanced with the need to preserve its cultural heritage, architecture and uniqueness if it is to differentiate itself from any other modern country in the world. Preservation of cultural heritage takes time, money and resources, not all of which Macedonia has a lot of right now, but if Macedonia doesn't do more to stop theft of its ancient sites (there was a news article on this last month) then it won't have much left to preserve anyway.

EKONET: Do you have the impression that we have developed a consciousness for what is called right attitude towards the environment? If your answer is negative, what are your suggestions?

EVANS: There is a growing appreciation of the environment here, and I know of a number of environmental organizations and local eco-groups who are doing very good work, some of whom I highlighted in my book. But there is still some work to be done, from the grassroots level through to ministerial level before I would confidently say that Macedonians are truly conscientious about the beautiful environment of this country in the way that the Swiss and the Austrians are. There is room for more work on public education of the issues, as well as plenty of room for corporate involvement. Marketing is not well established in this country, but that is no reason why some of the big companies like Pivara [Skopska Pivarnica] or MT.Net couldn't adopt a highway or area, for instance like companies do in the USA , which the company endeavors to keep clean. Cooperation between Government, business and citizens is also important to highlight the issues, and build incentives and disincentives into the system in order to encourage positive action.

EKONET: Which are the three natural rarities in Macedonia which you would like to point out to your friends as obligatory destinations and why?

EVANS: Macedonia 's tectonic lakes, which are some of the deepest and oldest in the world, of course, take number one place, which is why Lake Ohrid is already a UNESCO site. I am very interested in going diving there this summer when the weather is warm enough so that I can see the lake closer up. Prespa and Dojran are also beautiful and are my preferred weekend retreats when it gets too busy in Ohrid.

Caving is not everybody's favorite pastime, but the journeys to get to some of the best sites around Matka and Slatinski Izvor are also well worth it. The caves themselves are fantastic and teams of speleologists from the world's most avid caving countries such as France and the UK come to Macedonia often to keep discovering more underground networks.

Finally, Macedonia's hot springs should be obligatory, although they are yet to be developed as recreational sites. When they are, Macedonian tourism will improve several folds. During the meantime, I still like to take friends to Bansko to see the only working Turkish bath that I know of and to see the Roman Baths there which are still undergoing reconstruction. I hope they will open soon in the winter, when it is the best time to go for a hot dip.