The municipality of Žabljak has implemented certain innovative ideas through the implementation of the low-carbon tourism development project in Montenegro, which has made significant strides towards the affirmation of green tourism, announced its president, Veselin Vukićević.
He said that these innovative ideas relate to the replacement of existing light bulbs with LED lighting, the valorization of the potential for the development of rural tourism and the purchase of an electric-powered tourist bus.
"The municipality of Žabljak, as the ecological capital of Montenegro, has an additional obligation to base its overall development on the principles of sustainability, appreciating the generous natural resources at its disposal," said Vukićević for the Chamber of Commerce Gazette (PKCG).
The project entitled Development of low-carbon tourism in Montenegro is implemented by the office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism and PKCG, with a donation from the Global Fund for Environmental Protection. The project provides financial support for innovative investment ideas that contribute to mitigating the effects of climate change in tourism.
Vukićević explained that the project of replacing the street with LED lighting is extremely important for Žabljak and that it is an investment of around EUR 195 thousand.
"The project was fully implemented last fall. We made an extremely good arrangement with the contractor, to whom EUR 49,6 thousand was immediately paid. We are paying the remaining amount in installments over a period of six years, from savings in electricity consumption on that basis," said Vukićević.
He stated that the project was supported by the Global Fund for Environmental Protection with around EUR 49,6 thousand, and that in addition to the reduction in electricity consumption and carbon dioxide emissions, it also had a certain visual and aesthetic effect.
"The streets have become more illuminated, while before that, in some the lighting did not work at all. Today we have modern street lighting, modeled on tourist centers around the world. Numerous positive comments from locals and tourists tell us that the project has fully justified expectations," said Vukićević.
He added that in August, a project worth EUR 15 was implemented to valorize the potential for the development of rural tourism, in the Durmitor katuns. The municipality financed the project with 50 percent of the funds, and PKCG and households with 25 percent each.
Vukićević announced that in this way, ten households in katuns got electricity, which should make life easier and make them more attractive for visitors.
"By acquiring ten solar panels for households on katuns, we made life easier for the people who stay there during the spring and summer. The project provided training on the assembly and disassembly of the panels, so that they will be able to use the panels upon their return to the villages," said Vukićević.
He stated that in this way conditions were created for those households to be more attractive to tourists.
Vukićević also announced that the electric bus procurement project is in fact a donation from NLB Bank, PKCG and UNDP to Žabljak. NLB donated EUR 46,43 thousand, and PKCG and UNDP five thousand.
"The bus, the first of its kind in Montenegro, will run to Black Lake, as well as to the Javorovača and Savin kuk ski resorts. We expect that we will significantly reduce the frequency of traffic to those destinations, and therefore, significantly reduce the emission of carbon dioxide", said Vukićević.
He added that the procurement of electric-powered buses is extremely important, because the largest part of the Municipality of Žabljak is in the National Park zone.
"I can already say that the bus has aroused great interest from both locals and numerous tourists," Vukićević said.
He recalled that in the previous period, in cooperation with the Government and the Center for International Cooperation and Development of Slovenia, a modern recycling center was opened and the existing city landfill was renovated. In cooperation with the same partners, a wastewater treatment plant was built and a multi-functional vehicle was acquired for sludge disposal, sewer cleaning and street washing.
"Taking into account all these projects, I can say that Žabljak is one of the few municipalities in Montenegro that has solved the problem of solid waste and wastewater management in a high-quality way. In this way, we contribute to improving the image of Žabljak as a regional tourist center", said Vukićević.
He also stated that the popularity of active tourism, as a global phenomenon, has led to some new facilities in Žabljak becoming very popular.
"Here, I am primarily thinking of rural areas, but also of katuns, which are mostly in the mountains. "More and more bikers, hikers and mountaineers are visiting those areas, so that these households are becoming a kind of tourist offer, because they provide a direct insight into the traditional way of life of the people of Durmitor", said Vukićević.
He believes that Žabljak has a leadership role when it comes to environmental protection and the implementation of policies based on sustainable development.
"I think that each of us individually has an obligation to treat the environment responsibly. Only with such an attitude will we save the environment. Finally, on the way to membership in the EU, Chapter 27 awaits us, which concerns the environment and climate change, and which is extremely demanding and complex," announced Vukićević.
He said that the municipalities should also be more actively involved in that process, because they will all have to implement demanding standards related to the environment.
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