Tourism in Kosovo

Tourism in Kosovo^[a] is characterized by Kosovar cuisine, architecture, religious heritage, unique traditions, and natural landscapes. Despite being in its infancy and overshadowed by the instability following the war, and the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence,The New York Times recently included Kosovo on the list of 41 Places to go in 2011.^[1][2] In the same year, Kosovo saw a jump of about 40 places on the Skyscanner flight search engine which rates global tourism growth.^[3][4] Contrary to general perception, the security and crime situation has much improved since the 2000s thanks to the close assistance of the European Union Rule of Law and Order Mission EULEX, and NATO-led KFOR to the newly formed Kosovo Police.

Statistics

The Statistical Agency of the Republic of Kosovo published hotel statistics on a quarterly basis beginning in 2008. The reported number of hotel nights spent by non-residents was between 10,000 and 13,000 per quarter in 2008; between 14,000 and 24,000 in 2009; between 16,000 and 22,000 in 2010 and 11,000 and 22,000 in 2011.

The following table illustrates the number of non resident visitors according to country of origin recorded in 2011. The data was issued by the Statistical Office of the Republic of Kosovo.

Country	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December	Total
Austria	31	22	47	51	50	57	19	33	35	72	42	41	500
Belgium	0	5	1	7	0	0	6	12	6	2	0	4	43
United States	148	177	231	97	170	145	98	58	49	176	164	115	1628
United Kingdom	52	73	109	144	214	149	74	45	54	121	144	72	1251
France	22	19	49	33	26	26	18	24	17	26	16	16	301
Germany	287	256	336	222	334	255	175	142	218	231	154	140	2750
Greece	2	5	0	3	7	7	5	3	2	1	0	2	37
Netherlands	9	8	14	52	43	32	17	25	7	17	45	9	278
Italy	56	56	62	157	159	257	390	376	156	167	51	51	1938
Croatia	96	116	129	89	80	96	28	41	57	59	48	32	871

Issues affecting tourism

Tourism is safe and considering mountains surrounding the country, you can hike, climb or ski during the winter. There are lakes and rivers and farms with beautiful landscapes. Also the old architecture from Illyrian ancestors makes it even more tempting to visit. An interesting and unique experience is visiting old stoned fortresses where people used to live, which now are under tourists' services.

Logistics

• If visiting the region from Serbia, no exit stamp is issued when entering Kosovo.
• Residents of Serbia including frequent visitors to the country can get matching entry and exit stamps; this would mean backtracking and leaving through Serbia via a regular border crossing point, but the traveller should avoid mentioning Kosovo.
• The traveller can request the Kosovar authorities to not stamp the passport at the border.
• Citizens of former Yugoslav republics may use a national ID card at border crossings with no stamping involved.

Attractions

Cities

Some of the most visited cities include:

• Pristina — the capital of Kosovo. Pristina accommodates the grave of Kosovo's president Ibrahim Rugova. The Gërmia and the Italian park are the most visited parks in the city. Other attractions in the capital include: the Kosovo museum, the clock tower and the Jashar Pasha Mosque.

• Gjakova — a well known city for its nightlife and historical monuments. Monuments include: mosques,churches,bridges, museums, landscape and hospitality.

• Peja— a city along the Bistritza river. It is located near the Prokletije or Albanian Alps, which are also known as Bjeshkët e Namuna. The center of the city is marked by different craftsmen shops, such as tailors, goldsmiths, leather tanners etc. Old mosques like the Bajrakli mosque and the Orthodox church, are part of the historical monuments of the city.^[5]
• Prizren — a town with a well-preserved Ottoman quarter, and a Roman-built castle. Prizren is located on the Prizreni River and is near the Sharr Mountains. One of the monuments to see in Prizren are the Kalaja Fortress as well as the St. Maria Levishka Church.^[5]
• Novo Brdo- a municipality in central Kosovo. Novo Brdo offers its visitors various hiking and mountain-biking possibilities. Some aercheological localities of the medieval town include: the medieval castle, religious buildings, cemeteries etc.^[6]

• Ulpiana- an ancient city of Illyrian Dardania from the 2nd century in the Balkan peninsula. It is known to have been re-constructed by emperor Justinian I.

Natural features

.

• White Drin Waterfall - located in the north of Peć. The White Drin is the largest spring in Kosovo.
• Rugova Canyon - located in the North West of Peja, with extremely steep walls reaching possibly up to 300 meters.
• Brezovica Ski Resort - a ski resort with an old infrastructure but great slopes, located in Shar Mountains National Park in Southern Kosovo.
  • Sharr Mountains National Park- proclaimed in 1993 within the temporary boundaries of 39,000 hectare in South Western Kosovo. The Shar Mountains are a mountain range that border the Republic of Macedonia. The Shar Mountains are the home of many animal species, such as: bears, wolves, deers, and foxes.^[7]
• Prokletije National Park- a proposed national park since 2001 in the area of the Prokletije Mountain Range in Western Kosovo and part of the larger Dinaric Alps.
• Gadimë Cave- an underground marmoreal cave in the village of lower Gadime near Lipljan that was discovered in 1969 by Ahmet Diti. It is famous for its Stalagmites and Stalactites.^[8]

Architecture

• Patriarchate of Peja- this complex of four churches was built between 1230 and 1330 by Serbian Nemanjici dynasty.^[9] The church was the seat of the Patriarchy of the Serbian Orthodox Church starting in 1302. For many Serbs it is considered to be of extreme national importance.
• Gjakova Old Bazaar- dating back to the 17th century. It has been reconstructed recently after the 1999 war.
• Decani Monastery- UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. It was built from 1307- 1328.
• Gračanica monastery- was completed in 1321 by the Serbian King Milutin.^[8] The monastery is one of the most beautiful examples of Serbian medieval (14th century) ecclesiastical architecture. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.^[8]

• Ulpiana- an ancient city of Illyrian Dardania from the 2nd century in the Balkan peninsula. It is known to have been re-constructed by emperor Justinian I.

See also

• Geography of Kosovo
• Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
• Municipalities of Kosovo

Notes and references

Notes:

a.

^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Kosovo. The latter declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. Kosovo's independence has been recognised by 108 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References:

External links

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kosovo.

News articles

• De Blocq van Kuffeler, Venetia (1 September 2011). "Picturesque Kosovo". Diplomat Magazine. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
• "The 41 Places to Go in 2011". The New York Times. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2011. 
• "Prizren: The Best Value European Destination You’ve Never Heard Of". Five Dollar Traveler. 9 December 2014. 

Commercial sites

• View Kosova (frosgroup.com)
• Kosovo Guide (Kosovapress News Agency)
• Kosovo Info Tourism Portal
• Kosovo Tourism Center
• AirKosova
• Be in Kosovo Portal
• Kosovo at In Your Pocket City Guide

Travel publications

• Warrander, Gail & Knaus, Verena. 2010. Kosovo: Bradt Travel Guides

Kosovo topics History General Archaeology of Kosovo Monuments Early (pre-850) Prehistoric Balkans Dardani Roman Empire (100 BC – 395 AD) Byzantine Empire (395–839) Medieval (850–1455) First Bulgarian Empire Serbian Grand Principality Kingdom of Serbia Serbian Empire Moravian Serbia Battle of Kosovo Serbian Despotate Ottoman (1455–1912) Rumelia Eyalet (Sanjak of Prizren) Prizren Vilayet Vilayet of Kosovo 20th–21st century First Balkan War Kingdom of Serbia Kingdom of Yugoslavia Albanian Kingdom (1939–43 1943–44) Socialist Autonomous Province (1946–90) Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija (1990–present) Republic of Kosova (1990–2000) Insurgency in Kosovo (1991–98) Kosovo War (1999) UN administration (1999–2008) Republic of Kosovo (2008–present) Geography General Climate Forests Mountains Crnoljeva Đeravica Junik Mountains Kopaonik range Koritnik Paštrik Rugova Mountains Šar Mountains Places Brezovica Lake Batlava Rugova Canyon Regions Drenica Dukagjin Goljak Metohija Rivers Ibar Sitnica Drenica Lepenac Nerodima Radika South Morava White Drin Erenik Klina waterfall Politics Assembly Chairman Constitution Districts Elections EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) Foreign relations Government Prime Minister Human rights LGBT International Steering Group International Civilian Representative Judiciary Kosovo Force (KFOR) Kosovo Protection Corps Law Military Municipalities Passport Police Political parties President Provisional institutions UN Interim Administration Mission (UNMIK) Status 2008 declaration of independence diplomatic response Standards for Kosovo Status process UN Security Council Resolution 1244 ICJ opinion on Kosovo Belgrade–Pristina negotiations Brussels Agreement Economy Banks Central Bank Euro (currency) Natural resources Telecoms Transport Tourism Society Crime Demographics Emigration Ethnic groups Languages Organisations Religion Culture Anthem Coat of arms Costume Crafts Cuisine Flag Literature Music Classical Radio Television Sport Federations Basketball Football Handball Table Tennis Basketball superleague (Siguria Superleague) Football Clubs National team League (Liga e Parë) Superleague (Raiffeisen Superliga) Olympic Committee (Kosovo at the Olympics) Sportspeople Outline Category Portal WikiProject Category:Kosovo (region)

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