Belgrade, 29 June 2023 – The City of Sombor and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed today the Declaration on Sustainable Tourism. It involves cooperation on developing a tourist offer in the city, which would contribute to the preservation of the natural and cultural heritage, as well as to the social and economic development, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). 

Sustainable tourism involves development of tourist destinations in a way which contributes to the protection of environment, improvement of the local economy in the tourist destinations and promotion of their authentic cultures and traditions. 

The Declaration was signed by the Deputy of the Mayor of the City of Sombor Ljiljana Tica and Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Serbia Anas Qarman. The signing was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Youth. 

The Deputy Mayor of Sombor emphasised that the city and UNDP have been cooperating in a number of fields, from working with the youth and establishing cooperation in the field of social protection and care of the elderly, right down to large infrastructural projects, such as “Zaplovi Srbijom (Sail Serbia)”.

“The city of Sombor truly has so much to offer to tourists and potential investors in the field of tourism, and we have thus far made efforts, and will continue to do so, to identify adequate associates that could help us attract investments, further develop the sector of tourism and offer to domestic and foreign tourist new locations, new experiences and, primarily, a place of rest and relaxation that they would wish to revisit. Within the “Sail Serbia” project, we will work on making cycling paths in order to connect settlements along the Gornje Podunavlje Special Nature Reserve, as well as on building marinas and quays near Bezdan, on the Danube. I believe that only in this way, through joint effort, we may achieve economic improvement, create new jobs and offer excellent living conditions in Sombor,” said Ljiljana Tica, the Deputy Mayor of Sombor. 

“UNDP will help Sombor develop sustainable tourism, with the active participation of the local community. Our common goal is to support economic growth, open new jobs and create better living conditions for everyone, while respecting the highest standards in preserving the natural and cultural heritage and local tradition,” said Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP in Serbia Anas Qarman. 

The City of Sombor and UNDP will jointly work on the development of the tourist offer which would focus on improved operation of small and mid-size enterprises, development of circular economy, investment in sustainable infrastructure, preservation of biodiversity, prevention of migrations and other fields crucial for the development and strengthening of sustainable tourism in Serbia. 

Signing of the Declaration represents a continuation of the cooperation between UNDP and Sombor, which started in April this year with the start of the “Sail Serbia” initiative, the aim of which is the development of water traffic and infrastructure in line with the Sustainable Development Goals. 

The Declaration also builds on the support that UNDP provided to the Government of the Republic of Serbia, so that the country became a member of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council in May 2023, at the annual conference held in Antalya, Turkey.