2. Macedonia's large abundance of natural and
cultural attractions make it suitable for
tourism.
About 700,000 tourists annually.
Macedonia experiences a constant increase
of visitors. In the first four months of 2012,
the number of tourists in Macedonia was
130,083, an increase of 4.6% from the
previous year.
3. Macedonia treasures a large number of
cultural and historical monuments:
churches, monasteries, icons,
archaeological sites, mosques, old books,
and other artefacts.
National folklore and traditional arts and
crafts are cherished. The finely
embroidered national costumes, the
numerous old crafts shops have played an
important part in preserving the tradition.
Many internationally recognized events
are held in Macedonia: Ohrid Summer
Festival, Struga Poetry Evenings, Ohrid
Balkan Festival, Galicnik Wedding.
4.
5. The project MEDMACEDONIA is designed to
establish the reliable source of information
for foreign citizens that are considering a
travel to Republic of Macedonia for medical
or wellness treatments.
The project is part of the National strategy
for medical tourism, and is supported by the
National Agency for Promotion and Support
of Tourism.
6. The territory of Macedonia is home to
approximately 1,600 villages and rural
areas that are home to one third of the
country's population.
The villages are big and small, in the
mountains and in the valleys, rich and poor,
modern and traditional, near and far, but
their inhabitants are always hospitable and
ready for generous sharing.
Most of the villagers secure their livelihood
by working in the fields, keeping animals and
maintaining traditional crafts. They continue
to produce organic vegetables and fruits,
meat and dairy products.
7. Macedonian Government has formed
the Agency for Tourism Support and
Promotion on national level in 2008, in order
to promote tourism resources and capacities
on international level.
In order to attract tourists in Macedonia as a
unique tourist destination, the multiple stage
campaign Macedonia – Timeless, sponsored
by the Macedonian Government, was
initiated in 2008, its videos are being
broadcasted on worldly renowned media such
as CNN.
8. Two main web portals are in function as a
part of the internet promotion of tourist
capacities and beauties of Macedonia, as
well as the tourist offer for various types
of tourism, as well as many other web-
pages and forums:
www.exploringmacedonia.com
www.macedonia-timeless.com
9. Local self – government is intensively
included in tourism promotion and
presentation activities since 2007.
Many municipalities have already
prepared Development Strategies, a
specific part of which is Alternative
Tourism Development.
The National Agency for Foreign
Investments, whose goal is to promote
and facilitate investments in Macedonia,
has been formed in order to more
intensively attract foreign investments.
10. The key factor for investors in Macedonian
Tourism is also the Strategic plan of the
Ministry of Economics 2009 – 2011,
according to which the promotion and
stimulation of Tourism via the
IPA and CIP programs is one of the
strategic objectives of the Ministry.
Via the IPARD program the EU has
supplied finances within the Pre-
Accession Assistance for Rural Tourism
Development in Macedonia.
11. Women have the key role in tourism
promotion in Macedonia, especially with
regards to rural tourism.
Traditional Macedonian family places the
woman as the main cook in the house, as
well as the main bearer of traditional and
folklore values.
This concept of female-oriented
promotion of tourism has not been
exploited enough in Macedonia.
12. Gender Equalty in Macedonia
The minimum threshold of 30% women’s
political representation at all levels and
sectors is the accepted international
standard. Unfortunately, the statistics show
that this is still far from being fully realised.
This is due to several reasons:
- Strong patriarchal political culture
- Poor or non-existing national mechanisms for
promoting and securing gender equality
- Unfavourable electoral systems
- Male dominated political elites
13. The gender gap in participation in the
labor market grows in continuity as the
age progresses. There is significant
difference between male and female
participation in the peak years for
productivity (25-54 years), but is huge
among the age group 55-64. This data
reinforces the concern that employers
prefer younger employees which
discourage older women to remain active
and participate in the labor market.
14. A widely acknowledged fact is that
women possess only an estimated 1-
2 percent of all titled land
worldwide and are very often denied
the right to inherit property that
legitimately belongs to them. The
situation in Macedonia is not
different.
15. In the rural areas there is a deeply rooted
patrimonial system of values in which the
role of men is undisputed. Besides
dominating the decision-making process
within the family, men are owners of the
land, house and mechanization. At the
same time, women indirectly support and
perpetuate the patrimonial order, as they
do not seem very eager to improve their
economic position.
