On 26 April 2021 in Plužine was organized an event “Connecting rural households with service providers in the field of tourism” with the support of the European Union, which brought together representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development of Montenegro, representatives of rural households from Plužine, Meanderbug travel agency, the Municipalities of Plužine and Foča and Nature Park Piva.
The representative of the Ministry of Economic Development, Ms Anka Kujović, informed the participants about the steps that need to be taken in order to receive a Decision on the registration of a rural household, which legally allows them to be engaged in tourism industry. She pointed out that, in addition to being a legal obligation, registration also brings benefits to rural households, such as the possibility of applying for grants awarded by the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management and other relevant institutions.
In his presentation, the Executive Director of the Meanderbug Agency from Podgorica, Brit Boone, first praised the cross-border cooperation project between the Municipality of Plužine and the Municipality of Foča. Mr. Boone, an American by birth, moved to Montenegro eight years ago to work on developing rural tourism. He emphasized that the Municipality of Plužine is already using the potential for rafting, but it is necessary to develop other activities such as hiking, mountain biking and fishing, so that tourists have vacations filled with various activities and thus extend their stay. Boone pointed out that the COVID-19 virus pandemic has changed the way people think when it comes to travel, so now those who plan vacations want to spend them away from big cities and crowds. This is exactly the advantage of Plužine and Foča, because they are places for peace and isolation, and that is what many visitors from Western Europe want.
In the following period, activities related to rural households from the area of the two municipalities will continue within the project.
The event was organized in accordance with the measures aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic.