There are negotiations with a large number of tour operators that should bring tourists to the Ohrid coast in an organized manner. We are already in the final phase of negotiations with one, and I think we are already before signing, or rather, the signing of an agreement. This is a tour operator that would work off-season, although we are trying to have a 365-day season, aside from the summer season, should bring somewhere in total about half a million overnight stays, Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said on Sunday.
The PM discussed the plans at the marking of the reconstruction, upgrade and modernization of the Ohrid airport St. Paul the Apostle, which should expand the functional airport area by an additional 2,500 square meters.
Prime Minister Mickoski pointed out that the tour operator, which would bring EUR 85 million to the Ohrid coast annually, and that in the off-season, is already bringing visitors, and now there are talks about up to half a million new overnight stays in the off-season.
“Analysis shows, based on the previous cooperation with this tour operator, that the guests they bring spend an average of around 170 euros per day, including accommodation and other expenses, which would mean that in the off-season we will have around 85 million euros in tourism and hospitality on the Ohrid coast alone, which I think will be added value for the economy in this region,” said the PM.
This, Mickoski noted, will also mean that people who have not had work on the shores of Lake Ohrid in the off-season will now be able to be permanently employed.
“Moreover, it is an opportunity for hoteliers and hospitality workers to retain staff and employees during the off-season. So this is still just one, which means 2,000 visitors every day during the off-season,” PM Mickoski elaborated.
