Tourism in Kosovo

Kosovo is a country in the center of southeastern Europe, located in the central Balkans. Kosovo is a link between central and southern Europe and the Adriatic and Black seas. The declaration of independence on February 17, 2008, makes Kosovo the youngest country in Europe. Kosovo is known for its delicious cuisine, rich Ottoman architecture, Orthodox religious heritage, unique traditions, and the spectacular natural landscapes.

Landscape of Kosovo

In 2012, British-based pop icon Rita Ora, who was born in Kosovo, chose the capital, Pristina as the setting for the video of her song Shine Ya Light. The video features landmarks of Prishtina. The New York Times included Kosovo on the list of 41 Places to go in 2011. In the same year, Skyscanner reported that Kosovo's tourism grew, moving up 40 places on its annual chart. Tourists include residents, foreign visitors, and returnees from the large Diaspora. Foreign tourists mostly come from the large local international presence, and all over Europe. Lately, some groups are coming from Japan, while others include Kosovo as part of their Balkan tour package.

Since the end of the war in 1999, the security situation has much improved and is stable, thanks to the assistance of the European Union Rule of Law and Order Mission EULEX, and NATO-led KFOR to the newly formed Kosovo Police. After declaring independence, Kosovo has started marketing its tourism and has revamped its image through the Kosovo Young Europeans Campaign. Kosovo uses the marketing slogan "Discover New Beauty".

Statistics

The following table illustrates the number of non resident visitors according to country of origin. The data was issued by the Statistical Agency of the Republic of Kosovo. [1]

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
U.S.	148	177	231	97	170	145	98	58	49	176	164	115	1628
Great Britain	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

Attractions

Cities

Some of the most visited cities include:

• Pristina — the capital of Kosovo. Prishtina 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 musuem, the clock tower and the Jashar Pasha Mosque.

Prishtina, the capital city of Kosovo

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

The clock Tower of Gjakova

• Peja Peć— 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.
• Prizren — a town with a well-preserved Ottoman quarter, and a Roman-built castle. Prizren is located on the Prizrenska Bistrica 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.
• 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.

Old castle in Novo Brdo

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

Natural features

• Drini River Waterfall - located in the north of Peja behind the Berdynaj village. The White Drin is the largest spring in Kosovo.

Bridge in Prizren over the white Drini river

• 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 Šar 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 Sharr Mountains are a mountain range that are at the border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The Sharr Mountains are the home of many animal species, such as: bears, wolves, deers, and foxes.
• 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 [2] near Lypjan that was discovered in 1969 by Ahmet Diti. It is famous for its Stalagmites and Stalactites.

Marble cave in Gadime

Architecture

• Patriarchate of Peć- this complex of four churches was built between 1230 and 1330 by the Nemanjici dynasty. 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.
• Đakovica Old Bazaar- dating back to the 17th century. It has been reconstructed recently after the 1999 war.
• Dečani Monastery- a Serbian UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo. It was built from 1307- 1328 and founded by king Stephen Uroš III Dečanski of Serbia.
• Gračanica monastery- was completed in 1321 by the Serbian King Milutin. The monastery is one of the most beautiful examples of Serbian medieval (14th c.) ecclesiastical architecture. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Gracanica monastery in the municipality of Gracanica, Kosovo

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

Issues affecting tourism

Tourism is mainly hampered by the legacy of war contributing to the negative public perception on the situation in Kosovo, and planning problems stemming from the institutional vacuum following the war. NATO led security force KFOR to handing over the majority of powers to local authorities while maintaining a strategic security presence. When camping in the countryside, extra caution should be exercised by checking with locals first, as central Kosovo still holds unexploded ordnance from the war period.

Entering and exiting from Serbia

There are issues regarding entering and leaving Kosovo from Serbia stemming from the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence dispute. Serbia officially states that it will block passports containing stamps or visas from Kosovo. As of 7 July 2012, Serbian authorities deny crossing to passports with only a Kosovar entry stamp.

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.

A map of Kosovo in the Balkans

See also

• Geography of Kosovo
• Medieval Monuments in Kosovo
• Municipalities of Kosovo
• Tourism in Serbia
• Tourism in Albania

Notes and references

Notes:

a.	^ Template:Kosovo-note

References:

External links

• Kosovo Tourism Official Portal
• Kosovo Guide
• View Kosova
• Kosovo at In Your Pocket City Guide
• Kosovo Young Europeans Campaign

News articles

• "The 41 Places to Go in 2011". The New York Times. 7 January 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
• De Blocq van Kuffeler, Venetia (1 September 2011). "Picturesque Kosovo". Diplomat Magazine. Retrieved 16 December 2011.

Attractions

• Gateway Kosovo West - Dukagjini and Rugova Valley
• Brezovica Ski Resort
• Kosovo Caves
• Rural Tourism in Novo Brdo