The "Awake the Danube" project will improve nautical tourism in Kladovo

Representatives of the Port Governance Agency visited Kladovo and talked with the mayor Sasa Nikolic about the development of international passenger and line traffic in that local self-government.

Srdja Ljesevic, head of the Centre for Port Activities at the Agency, stated that in 2017 the Agency launched the project "Awake the Danube" which aims to promote cruising in the Upper and Lower Danube through the opening of new international passenger terminals and connecting locations located on the coast of the most important European river. He added that during the first phase of the project, among other things, the international passenger terminal in Kladovo was put into operation. "In accordance with the action plan of the Government, we will continue to affirm the numerous possibilities of the Danube, in order to improve international and domestic passenger traffic." Kladovo is a unique combination of nature and history, and we want to present the most important sights such as Trajan's Tablet and Fetislam Fortress to tourists who visit our country on cruise ships. We will pay special attention to regular traffic, bearing in mind that in 2019, at the initiative of the Agency, a ferry line was established between Kladovo and Turn-Severin, when more than 6,000 passengers were transported. We expect that, after the normalization of the epidemiological situation, this line will be equally popular with tourists from Serbia and Romania", Ljesevic emphasized and announced the plans of the Agency which envisage complete infrastructural equipment of the remaining international passenger terminals on the Danube and Sava in Serbia in the next two years.

The president of the municipality of Kladovo, Sasa Nikolic, said that the local self- government was privileged to participate in the project "Awake the Danube", within which, in cooperation with the Agency, they are working on the promotion of nautical traffic in eastern Serbia. "By working together, we are promoting the economic development of the Danube municipalities, and thus promoting the Danube region on the tourist map of Europe." The International Passenger Terminal in Kladovo is a significant tourist destination, with an important role in cruise tourism on Corridor VII. Through this project, the Municipality of Kladovo will actively work on increasing the quality and diversity of the tourist offer. By investing in river traffic, it contributes to faster economic growth and local economic development, in the first place through tourism ", said Nikolić.

One of the topics of the visit was the consideration of the adaptation and equipping of the marina in Kladovo, for which the Government of Serbia, at the proposal of the Agency, determined the port area. Ljesevic pointed out that significant investments in the field of marinas in Serbia are expected in the coming period, since they are important nautical facilities. The realization of development projects for the construction of marinas will contribute to the further promotion of nautical tourism in our country, as well as the income from this economic branch, it was concluded at the meeting.