UŽICE, December 11, 2024 – The final conference in Užice marked the completion of the project “Strengthening pedestrian corridor in the cross-border area of Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (E-CrossPass)” The project, linking western Serbia and the Tuzla Canton with 580 kilometers of hiking trails, was funded by the European Union through the Serbia-Bosnia and Herzegovina Cross-Border Cooperation Program 2014-2020.
Hiking tourism as a form of sustainable development gained new momentum thanks to this project. Trails were marked according to European standards, with ten rest areas installed at attractive locations. The project was implemented in cooperation with the Užice Tourist Organization, the “Konjuh” Mountaineering Society from Tuzla, the Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection of the Tuzla Canton, and the Mountaineering Association of Serbia.
The conference was opened by the Mayor of Užice, Jelena Raković Radivojević, emphasizing that mapping the trails and installing infrastructure would contribute to tourism development and further cooperation between the two countries.
Konstantinos Soupilas from the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia highlighted the project’s significance for regional development:
“We were not just donors but also partners with a desire to facilitate the project’s smooth implementation. Support was provided to 12 local tourist organizations, 10 mountaineering associations, 250 outdoor tourism service providers, and 15 protected areas. With such results, our goal of strengthening cooperation between municipalities, regions, and countries has undoubtedly been achieved. The project was well-conceived, sustainable, and has potential for further promotion and development,” Supilas said.
The Minister of Spatial Planning and Environmental Protection of the Tuzla Canton, Anela Ajšić, highlighted the project’s contribution to nature conservation and tourism development:
“We are proud to have symbolically demonstrated our desire to preserve nature and strengthen cross-border cooperation on International Mountain Day. We connected the Konjuh Protected Landscape with Tara National Park, creating a new tourist corridor that promotes ecological awareness and tourism potential.”
The President of the “Konjuh” Mountaineering Society from Tuzla, Dr. Sabid Zekan, emphasized the friendships formed through the project:
“Before this project, Užice was unfamiliar to me, but now I have new friends, and we are already planning joint hikes in Tara National Park. This is the best result a project can achieve.”
The project “E-CrossPass” set new standards for the development of hiking tourism and cross-border cooperation, establishing a lasting foundation for further tourism development and the preservation of natural heritage.
