31 May 2012

Award for Hotel Makpetrol Struga

The yearly magazine of tourist agency "Corendon" from the Netherlands that began bringing tourists to Ohrid Lake last year unveiled the evaluations of tourists regarding the hotel capacities on the Ohrid Riviera. 

From all the hotels the tourists stayed in, they gave the best grade - 8,7 to hotel "Makpetrol" in Struga. The grades for the hotels are result of different, good and bad experiences of Dutch and Belgian guests that visited Macedonia through tour operator "Corendon" and they look like this: Ineks Gorica 7,0; Sileks 7,0; Beograd 7,0; Turist 7,2; Metropol 7,3; Diplomat 7,8; Donco 7,9 and Belvedere 8,3. 

The tourist arrangements of "Corendon" and other tour operators will offer Macedonia this year as well. It is expected for the number of Dutch and Belgian tourists, who visit Ohrid Lake in the period from May to October, to exceed last year's number of 10,000 guests.

Promotion of Macedonian wines in USA


Starting from Wednesday, products of eight Macedonian cellars will be promoted in Washington, New York and Chicago.
The campaign, organized by the National Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion in cooperation with the USAID AgBiz and IDEAS projects, will present the wines of 'Bovin', 'Dalvina', 'Dudin', 'Ezmit', 'Popova Kula', 'Stobi', 'Tikves' and 'Kamnik'.
The promotion of Macedonian wines is wrapping up in New York on June 5.
In addition, representatives of Macedonian wine producers will hold talks with US market experts, potential importers and distributors, as well as representatives of retail and specialized wine stores, the Agency said in a press release.

30 May 2012

Solun (Thessaloniki) mayor to build a house in Krusevo


Yiannis Boutaris, the mayor of Solun is quietly moving back to his roots, in southern Macedonia.
Krusevo city council announced the Solun mayor has received green light to build a house in Krusevo, the city where his parents came from.
The house will be in a traditional Vlach style and follow the renowned Krusevo architecture, authentic to the house of his parents, reports Kanal 5.
The 30 room home will not be built at the same location in the city, the location is presently the home of the Krusevo center for retirees.
Part of the house will be turned into a museum, while the rest will be turned into a home for Yiannis Boutaris. 
Boutaris will visit Krusevo in August, where he is expected to provide all the details for his new home, reports Kanal 5.
Is Boutaris removing the mask he's worn for so long? Good to see Macedonians are coming home.

Bitola, Thessaloniki mayors sign declaration of cooperation


Thessaloniki, 24 May 2012 (MIA) - The mayors of Bitola and Thessaloniki - Vladimir Talevski and Yiannis Boutaris - signed a declaration for cooperation and joint promotion before EU funds within the INTERREG and IPA programmes with a project "Cultural Industries", MIA reported from Thessaloniki.
Taleski and Boutaris at their joint meeting held yesterday in Thessaloniki discussed cooperation in the field of culture, tourism, new technologies and education.
"Our embraces are wide open. In order to cooperate in various spheres, a special protocol with clear cooperation strategy will be prepared soon.  Despite the fact that the two countries have some political differences, the two friendly nations share a lot of ties that need to be developed," Boutaris said after the meeting.
In addition to Thessaloniki, Bitola has established cooperation with several Greek cities, including Florina, Edessa and Kastoria. Yesterday's talks were the first official meeting between mayors of Bitola and Thessaloniki.
Taleski said the cooperation between the two cities was in the interest of Macedonian and Greek citizens. "We are convinced that the absurd issue will be settled and life on both sides of the border will be much better," mayor Talevski stated.
The "Cultural Industries" project is an introduction into a wider and bigger cooperation, Taleski and Boutaris concluded.

28 May 2012

Macedonia gets museum replica of Golden Mask discovered in Trebenista


Skopje, 26 May 2012 (MIA) - A museum replica of the Golden Mask discovered in Trebenista was handed over Saturday in Skopje to Culture Minister Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska by her Serbian counterpart Predrag Markovic. The Golden Mask of Trebenista is housed in the Belgrade National Museum.
"Serbia's culture minister gave me a replica of an immensely important artefact - the Golden mask of Trebenista that is housed in the National Museum in Belgrade. The museum replica of this invaluable artefact, which was unearthed in the 1930s in Macedonia, will be displayed in the new archaeological museum, which is planned to be opened in late 2012 or early 2013," Kanceska-Milevska said.
She explained that the Ministry of Culture had submitted a request to the Serbian Culture Ministry asking museum replicas of artifacts housed in the National Museum in Belgrade to be made.
The move, the minister added, is a gesture of great friendship between the people of Macedonia and Serbia.
"The golden masks are considered to be the most important artefacts unearthed in the ancient necropolis in the vicinity of Trebenista village near Ohrid. Two of the four finds are housed in the National Museum in Belgrade and the other two in the Sofia Archaeological Museum," Kanceska-Milevska stated.
Serbian minister Markovic said that the museum replica was a gift to the Macedonian people and Macedonian state.
Less than a month ago, the ministers of Macedonia and Serbia signed a culture cooperation programme for 2012-2014. ba/14:39

26 May 2012

TraWell (Skopje) - Android App

TraWell is an application designed to be an intelligent and touristic guide which can provide you
simple but very fun navigation in the town of Skopje, the capital city of Macedonia.
This application is easy to use and it can provide complete and organized visit through all the places in
the old town: cafes, museums, galleries, churches, mosques, monuments, traditional Turkish Hamas,
restaurants, bars.. and many more places to see in this particular traditional old part of Skopje.
Once the user starts using this application, he can get full insight of a complete and fun visit which
includes gallery of pictures, maps, description of the places and rankings and comments from other
users. But what it makes this application even more interesting to use is its features such as:
-Reality +, a location based and augmented reality service that can provide you information of places
that are in your surroundings including distance and orientation.
-E-Card, service providing creating e-post cards and their sharing online vie social networks and mailing.
The pictures taken can also be saved in a personalized gallery.
-Tour Plan, a personalized catalogue of the placed the user wants to visit including map, orientation and
agenda (with time and dates) for the chosen places to visit.
This application can also be used offline. Once you download the application the user can get full guide
with pictures, maps and description of the places.

25 May 2012

Macedonia, Singapore initial air transport agreement


Skopje, 24 May 2012 (MIA) - Director of Macedonia's Civil Aviation Agency Dejan Mojsoski and the Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Yap Ong Heng initialed Thursday in Singapore a bilateral air transport agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding between the two countries.
The open skies agreement creates a legal framework for the promotion of international air transport based on the concept of liberalisation in order passengers to be offered a wider range of services while also providing highly secured air transportation, the Civil Aviation Agency says.
The open skies agreement is in line with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) policy, which is promoted by the two countries.
Both directors at the meeting welcomed the favourable diplomatic relations between the countries and accentuated the importance of initializing the agreement, which is expected to bolster bilateral relations, create potentials for possible business investments, develop tourism and intercontinental connection.

Macedonian Delegation in Vatican for Ss Cyril and Methodius intercession

A service of intercession was held Thursday on the tomb of St. Cyril in the church of St. Clement in Rome. The service was also attended by a state delegation, led by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.
PM Gruevski congratulated the Slavonic Enlighteners’ Day to the citizens of Macedonia from the sacred place where the remains of St. Cyril are laid to rest, media reports.
"This is a great day for Macedonia and that's why we are here in Rome on the tomb of St. Cyril to honor the enlighteners’ mission. We are pursuing the tradition established on this day. This year for the 44th time we have the chance to attend the service of intercession and together with many Macedonians living in Italy to mark the day,” Gruevski said.
The service on St. Cyril’s tomb in Rome is the main event marking the Day of Ss. Cyril and Methodius. It was organised for the first time in 1969 to observe 1.100 years since the death of Saint Cyril and it is marked annually by a state and church delegation. The Slavonic Enlighteners’ Day is a national holiday in Macedonia.
Earlier, the PM meet with Pope Benedict XVI at an audience in Vatican for talks on various issues.
"I informed him about the situation in Macedonia, its church policy, about EU and NATO and our efforts in improving the economy. We also discussed other issues that connect us, first and foremost St. Cyril and Mother Teresa," Gruevski stated.He told the Roman pontiff that in addition to the Mother Teresa Memorial House in Skopje, the clinics in the Macedonian capital would be renamed to bear her name in honor of her mission.
Gruevski also held a meeting with the State Secretary of His Holiness the Pope, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone for talks on topics of mutual interest.
The state delegation visiting Rome on the occasion of the manifestation "Macedonia in Honor of St. Cyril", includes Vice PM for Economic Affairs Vladimir Pesevski, foreign and culture ministers, Nikola Poposki and Elizabeta Kanceska-Milevska, minister without portfolio Vele Samak, the director of the Agency for Foreign Investments and Export Promotion, Visar Vida and the director of the Commission for Relations between Religious Communities and Groups, Valentina Bozinovska. The church delegation is made up of Metropolitan Timotej of Debar and Kicevo, European Metropolitan Pimen and Skopje Bishop Kiro Stojanov.
FM Poposki is scheduled to meet with his Italian counterpart Giulio Terzi to discuss the outcome of the recent NATO summit in Chicago, Macedonia's EU integration process, bilateral ties and cultural cooperation.On Wednesday, Poposki met in Vatican with Dominique Mamberti, the Secretary for Relations with States in the Holy See. They upheld the favourable relations between Macedonia and the Holy See and discussed ways for further cooperation.
At a business forum in Milan on Wednesday, PM Gruevski and his economic team presented Macedonia's economic potentials before 80 representatives of Italian companies and attended a working dinner organised by the US Chamber of Commerce in Italy.
In the frameworks of the cultural program in honor of St. Cyril, the Macedonian delegation will attend the opening of an exhibition titled "Ancient Terra-Cotta Figurines from Macedonia", organised by the Museum of Macedonia at the Montemartini Museum in Rome.
Nearly 200 terra-cotta figurines dating from the pre-Roman and Roman period will be displayed at the exhibition, which runs till May 30.
The cultural program also includes a concert by opera singers Ana and Igor Durlovski, who will perform pieces by Verdi, Handel, Mozart and by several Macedonian composers.

23 May 2012

Ohrid-Living History exhibition opens at Chelsea Town Hall

An exhibition, dedicated to the natural beauties and cultural heritage of Ohrid region, was opened late Monday at Chelsea Old Town Hall in London.
The exhibition, that will be opened for public by May 28, displays about 60 photos, pearls, folk dresses and copies of artefacts, originating from the Ohrid region. The photos, works of art of Petar Boev, Dimce Korunovski, Angel Sitnoski and Aleksandar Kovacevski, are part of a collection of the Ohrid municipality.
The event is organized by PRO ART & Co in Association with Mag Culture and Experience and the City of Ohrid. The opening ceremony was attended by many local citizens, friends of Macedonia, as well as Macedonian nationals that live and work in London.
In addition to the exhibition, Chelsea's main street 'Kings Road' is decorated with posters of Ohrid, presenting the city as a 'Living History' - one of the most beautiful towns in Macedonia, settled by the Ohrid Lake. It boasts with rich cultural history and unique natural world. Inhabited in early times, the town once had 365 churches - one for each day in the year - a large number of them are still preserved. Within them, they protect an immeasurable treasure of frescoes, icons, woodcarving and other sacred objects.
Promoting the exhibition, organizers say that every summer Ohrid hosts the internationally renowned Ohrid Summer Festival and other important cultural events. Many artists, from around the world, have chosen Ohrid as their open-air atelier and regard the town and its surroundings as an endless inspiration.It was also a place where St Clement, a student of the famous Byzantine brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, revised their Glagolitic Alphabet and simplified letters thus created a new Cyrillic Alphabet, which most of the Eastern European Slavs use even today. Ohrid is the soul of Macedonia and the UNESCO’s World Heritage site.
The exhibition will be also presented in Endiburgh - Scotland, Lithuania and Romania.

Stavreski: Construction of Corridor 10 section to revive economy

Construction of Corridor 10 highway section Demir Kapija-Smokvica will begin this summer, which along with other measures, is to help the economy's revival and increase of investments, said Vice Premier and Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski on Tuesday.
"The Budget review has secured funds for capital investments in the amount of Denar 21,5 billion (EUR 350 million), which are at the disposal of ministries and companies in Macedonia for capital investments. This is a large amount, which I expect would be properly used, and alongside the EUR 100 million provided by the European Investment Bank by the end of June, should help in the achievement of a positive growth rate", Minister Stavreski told reporters after today's session of the Financial Stability Committee.
He stressed the Government should continue to stimulate investment policies, adding that Macedonia, being a country with low budget deficit, should use the room for increase of investments, thus stimulating growth.According to the FinMin, these are the beast measures that a government of a relatively small country could implement.
"If this year's capital investments amount to Denar 21,5 billion, up by 20 percent compared to 2011, along with EUR 100 million for SMEs loans, project Demir Kapija-Smokvica, as well as series of other infrastructure projects, I believe this is the best way to help the Macedonian industry and construction sector", underlined Stavreski.

15 May 2012

Kuratica welcomed the Dutch tourist with national dished and rakija

Second year in a row, the Kuratica local have welcomed the Dutch tourists, who stay in Ohrid - with national dishes and home made brandy - rakija.
During their one-day visit to the Kuratica village (Ohrid municipality), the Dutch tourists had the opportunity to see the local beauties, to enjoy the visit to the Mazatar mountain, with a donkey safari.


10 May 2012

Meeting of Macedonian, Qatari tour-operators


A meeting between Qatari and Macedonian tour-operators, travel agencies and hotels will be held in the Economic Chamber of Macedonia, aimed at enhancing bilateral tourism cooperation. The meeting will include presentations of the largest travel agencies and tour-operators in Qatar, as well as Macedonia's tourism opportunities.

Research of Macedonian brands' emotional value


Ranking of Macedonian brands according to their emotional value is the aim of the research within project "Brands4ever", carried out for the first time in Macedonia.

"The brand's value should be presented in public, leading to increase of awareness and improvement of its image and perception among consumers", said "Brands4ever" project manager Ana Kjovkarova at Tuesday's press conference.
According to her, the research project emerges at the Macedonian market in a time when domestic brands focus exclusively on the financial aspect, neglecting the power of their emotional value.

Project "Brands4ever" has acquired support from the Agency for Promotion of Entrepreneurship of the Republic of Macedonia, saying it would be beneficial for SMEs.
The research of the companies' emotional value should produce a numerical value for each brand in Macedonia.