Wizz Air to introduce four new routes from Macedonia
Hungarian Low-Cost CarrierWizz Air will start four new routes from Macedonia to Italy, Germany and Denmark. The new routes will connect Skopje with Bologna and Turin– Italy, Skopje to Billund – Denmark, and Ohrid to Friedrichshafen, Germany. The first flights to all destinations will depart in December 2021. The new routes will add up to the existing services already operated from both Skopje and Ohrid airports and will restate the airline’s commitment to offering Macedonian passengers flights to diverse destinations. The new services to Bolo…
Lonely Planet: Four reasons to visit Bitola, the city of consuls
With visitors to Macedonia making a beeline for Lake Ohrid and the capital Skopje, Bitola is still waiting for its moment in the spotlight. But this charming city rewards curious travellers with some heavyweight historic sights and effortless cafe culture. Add to that a renowned international film festival, burgeoning local wine production and excellent hiking nearby, and Bitola makes a worthy stop on any Macedonia itinerary. Bitola - A stroll through history Bitola’s architectural elegance won’t come as a surprise once you learn that the town…
Kokino Observatory - The Old Megalithic Observatory in Macedonia
If you want to know how people made calendars thousands of years ago, peaking through little holes in big rocks, or the temples where they performed their religious rituals, and want to spend a beautiful day, go to Kokino. It is not as far as Stonehenge, it is just 35 km away from Kumanovo, at an altitude of 1013 meters. According to experts, it is a megalithic (megalith – big rock) observatory that is one of the oldest in the world. In 2005, NASA ranked Kokino fourth, according to age, behind Abu Simbel in Egypt, Stonehenge in Great Britain a…
Dojran in Macedonia – A Treasury of Cultural, Historical and Art Values
Every time I visit Dojran I have a feeling that the entire town is wholeheartedly welcoming just me. It feels as if the natural beauties, the Mediterranean climate, the warm and healing water, the attractive fishing using cormorants, the kind hosts, the many tourist objects and camps, the town’s specialties, etc. are at my disposal only. Deep inside, I believe that the same feeling is shared and experienced by visitors and tourists that come here throughout the year. When I’m here, I always enjoy the long and pleasant walks along the lake whic…
German GEO lists Matka Canyon among 'Wild Natural Wonders in Eastern Europe'
Renowned german GEO magazine recently published an article entitled "Five wild natural wonders in Eastern Europe". This list also includes the wonderful Matka Canyon not far from the Macedonian capital Skopje. In addition to the Matka Canyon, the list includes the Endla Moor in Estonia, the Łącka Dune in Poland, the Telašćica Nature Park in Croatia and the Uvac River in Serbia. " Sure, you can travel to the other end of the world to experience something. But why? Right around the corner, with our neighbors towards sunrise, real …
Secrets of the Peshna Cave in Macedonia
Poreche is said to be one of the most beautiful areas in western Macedonia. Dense forests, many rivers, clear air, but this place hides many secrets, too. Just because there are people who hear about this place for the first time, Poreche is located in northwestern Macedonia, ie it stretches along the Treska river. As we wrote earlier, Poreche hides many secrets. One of them is the Peshna cave, which is known even beyond borders of our country. It is located eight kilometers from Makedonski Brod, and according to speleologists, Peshna is a cav…
Finland bans flights from Skopje
Finland has banned flights from Macedonia after several Skopje – Turku flights in a row brought dozens of coronavirus infected patients. The line was popular with Kosovar emigrants to Finland who came to the Balkans on summer vacation. After the initial “corona flight”, Finland re-introduced two weeks of quarantine for arrivals from high risk countries. Four flight in total brought over 60 patients to Finland. Five positive tests were reported on another flight from the same destination last Tuesday, and another 12 cases were detected on the…
Macedonia opens border crossings and airports for traffic
The government of Macedonia will open its land borders on Friday (June 26), local media reported. Also the airports will be open for passengers, but some day later from July 1st. The decision was taken at a government meeting and is based on the recommendations of the Commission for Infectious Diseases, according to a press release. Macedonian borders and airports were shut down mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent regional outbreaks have pushed back the opening of the borders. At the meeting, the governm…
Wizz Air extends suspension for Macedonia flights
Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air said on Monday that it has extended the suspension of flights to and from Macedonia until July 13, local media reported. The suspension has been extended due to local travel restrictions imposed to contain the coronavirus spread, state-owned news agency MIA reported. Macedonia's minister of transport and communications Goran Sugarevski said last week that it is still too early to open the airports in the country. The government ordered the closure of the two international airports - in S…
Coronavirus not affecting tourism in Macedonia so far
Macedonian tourism will not be significantly affected by the negative effect of the coronavirus. About 7,000-10,000 Chinese tourists annually visit Macedonia, most often as part of regional tours, a relatively small number that has no major impact on the sector, says Agency for Tourism Promotion and Support director Ljupco Janevski.
Macedonia Only Country of the Region to Decline in New World Tourism Competitiveness Report
Macedonia’s tourism has become more uncompetitive during the last two years, according to the new Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2019 released by the World Economic Forum. Compared to the last report in 2017, the country’s ranking declines by 12 positions (from 89th to 101st) out of 140 countries reviewed in the report. The numbers in the new report are disastrous: Macedonia was the only country in the subregion to decline in T&T competitiveness (89th to 101st). The nation’s business environment (40th to 84th), hu…
Eurowings started to connect Germany with Ohrid
German low-cost air carrier Eurowings launched on Monday flights linking Macedonia's beautiful and historic Ohrid to Germany's Stuttgart, later a second new route will start connecting Ohrid with Dusseldorf on July 17th. The Ohrid-Stuttgart flights will be serviced twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, during the summer months, Eurowings said in a statement. The Ohrid-Dusseldorf flights will be operated just once a week, on Wednesdays, the low-cost air carrier added. Eurowings is part of Lufthansa Group. The company has…
Macedonia cancelled again Public call for financial support for Low-Cost Airlines
The Ministry of Transport and Communications has again cancelled the public call for financial support of airlines, released on September 13. Minister Goran Sugareski told a press conference on Wednesday that Wizz Air was the only company to submit a bid, which does not correspond to the criteria of the public call. In the bid, Wizz Air is planning introduce four destinations from Ohrid-based airport “St.Paul the Apostle” as of August 2019, which goes against one of the tender criteria. “ The call clearly reads that the airlin…
Destination Macedonia! project to provide educational tours around Skopje
Skopje's Haemus Center for Scholarly Research and Promotion of Culture has launched its Destination Macedonia! campaign, which features educational tours across the country to popularize Macedonia's rich cultural heritage. The first tour, "Skopje's Ottoman heritage," will take place on Oct. 14. "Old Skopje Palaces" comes next on Oct. 21, followed by "In the Footsteps of Ancient Romans" on Oct. 28. According to Haemus, all tours were designed to provide participants with an opportunity …
Macedonia: Number of tourists up 15 percent
The number of tourists in period January-August, compared to the same period last year, increased by 15 percent, says the State Statistical Office: The number of domestic tourists increased by 14.5%, while that of foreign tourists increased by 15.3%. In the same period, the number of nights spent increased by 16.1%: the number of nights spent by domestic tourists increased by 14.8%, while those by foreign tourists increased by 18%. The number of tourists in August was 211,746, and the number of nights spent by tourists was 881…
Ex-Yu Aviation: Austrian complains over Macedonian LCC subsidies
Austrian Airlines has complained that the subsidies provided by the Macedonian government to stimulate low cost airlines to operate flights to the country are unfair and distort competition. The carrier noted it is difficult to compete in such an environment and under such circumstances. Although it has no direct competition on its double daily flights between Vienna and Skopje, rival Wizz Air will commence services from the Austrian capital to Ohrid this October. Vienna was the third busiest route out of Macedonia last year following Ist…
Skopje gets first-ever Museum of Illusions
The Museum of Illusions - the first of its kind in Macedonia - was opened Wednesday. Following months of preparations in an original museum concept, it is located in downtown Skopje in three-level, 550-square meter premises. The museum is the largest of its kind in the country's surrounding, Blagica Ilic, museum's representative, told a news conference on Wednesday. Not only children and youngsters, but also adults are the target group, according to her. " Some thirty items and over 60 pictures offer an unreal-looking…
From now on, Polish LOT to connect Warsaw and Skopje six times a week
The first direct flight from Warsaw landed at International Airport Skopje on Friday. At a press conference held after the plane's arrival, Michal Fijol, CEO at LOT Polish Airlines, said the new flight route would stimulate tourism and connect Poles and Macedonians. The average ticket price for the new Skopje to Warsaw direct flight introduced today will be EUR 120. It will also offer travelers a connecting point—Warsaw Chopin Airport—and transfer flights to several destinations in Europe, Scandinavia, the USA, and Canada. L…
Estonian journalists to promote Macedonia’s tourist destinations
A team of Estonian national TV Tallinn has arrived to Macedonia Wednesday to make travel documentaries about several attractive locations in the country, such as the capital Skopje, its Old Bazaar and Fortress (Kale), Matka canyon, Saint Jovan Bigorski Monastery etc. The future TV shows are aimed to promote Macedonia’s tourist attractions on the Estonian market. TV Tallinn is the first Estonian media that will promote Macedonia as an attractive tourist destination, depicting via its camera the country’s culture, history, traditions, c…
Wizz Air contract expires in June, new tender soon
The contract with low-cost airline Wizz Air expires in June and a new tender is to be announced soon, said Minister of Transport and Communications Goran Sugareski on Friday. “We are currently working on the tender criteria and it will soon be announced. We are committed to introducing more flights to the Ohridbased airport,” said Sugareski. According to him, there are plans to improve the subsidizing model for low-cost airlines.
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