Adventure, nature, tradition, and music – this is what tourism for the future looks like.
(Over 30 Activities during the Three-Day Festival)
The Kolašin Open Fest, a major tourist and cultural event, was organised as part of the EU cross-border cooperation project Tourism for the Future. The goal is to valorise and internationalise tourism, cultural heritage, outdoor adventures, and natural attractions in Kolašin.
Cross-border cooperation projects connect people on both sides of the border.
“Together, we address issues and undertake activities that are very important to the local population. Most importantly, when we successfully implement such projects, we forge friendships that bind us together, and this is the greatest outcome of such cooperation,” said Damjana Bulatović from the Municipality of Kolašin.
On behalf of the partners of the festival from Priština, Ahmet Jetullahu, Head of Prishtina Rea, stated that the Open Fest is the soul of Kolašin and its mountains, nature, recreation, adventure, food, tastes, hospitality, tradition, and music.
“We are very proud that the people from the management of the Municipality to our colleagues from all fields, have shown their love for the town and their region. I especially thank the Municipality, the project and cooperation team, and the businessmen from Kolašin who believed in our concept and helped us turn this event into a celebration. Now we have a three-day festival full of colours and flavours,” said Jetullahu.
The three-day festival, with around 30 diverse activities and events, gathered hundreds of visitors who explored the natural beauties of Kolašin, adventures, and cultural heritage.
“I am very proud that the EU support is making the tourism sector more sustainable, by diversifying the offers that respect the environment. We hope that Kolašin and Peja can be good examples of this,” said Melanie Bride, Project Manager for Cross-border Cooperation in the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro.
In addition to the adventures and heritage, the festival offers rich cultural programmes and networking addressing important issues such as adventure tourism, eco-tourism, infrastructure development, and challenges in sustainable tourism management.
“It is already evident that the project has brought new energy and a new approach to the tourism industry itself and has presented the town of Kolašin as one of the most beautiful and sought-after destinations for tourism. We deeply believe that this festival will become traditional even after the project ends and that it will be a good example of how to promote good neighbourly relations and the natural and cultural heritage of both countries in the best possible way,” stated Nada Pejović, Head of the Directorate for Bilateral Cross-Border Programmes at the Ministry of European Affairs.
The Kolašin Open Fest celebrates nature, adventure, culture, and sustainable tourism. Thanks to the support of the European Union, it promises to become a traditional event that will attract visitors from all over the world for years to come.
The festival aims to build a tourist identity brand by providing joy and fun, tastes and adventures, promotion and networking of Kolašin’s tourism potentials, opportunities, and connections through around 30 diverse activities and events organised over the three days of the festival.
The first in the series of activities carried out during this three-day festival was an exciting jeep safari to Zekova Glava.
“We visited the Kolašin 1600 Ski Resort, the Pešića Lake viewpoint, the Kordelj viewpoint with the most beautiful view of our Bjelasica, and then finally took our guests to the Vranjak katun where they tasted all our traditional specialties. Many people from Montenegro do not know about these areas, so it is important to promote these tours, and we hope there will be more guests,” said jeep safari organiser Šćepan Vlahović.
In addition to the panoramic jeep rides, during the festival guests enjoyed other activities such as hiking, cycling, rock climbing, walking on an educational trail, optional boat rides, a visit to the ferrata Lipovo village, canyoning, tours, traditional food tasting, an educational corner for children, rafting, trail running, zip lining, an adventure park, artistic painting, and many live music performances.
The festival is organised as part of the CBC project Tourism for the Future, which includes the promotion and branding of the tourism sector in Kolašin and Peja, the organisation of tourism festivals, and the creation of eco-trail paths in these two towns, as well as the internationalisation of touristic offers, heritage, and culture.
