Vienna Economic Forum – Ohrid Meeting 2007
Vienna Economic Forum, founded in 2004 in Austria, aims to promote the economic development and cooperation between the countries from the Adriatic to the Black Sea, comprising around 130 Million consumers.
The Prime Ministers of the Member Countries of Vienna Economic Forum – Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey – created a Patron Committee, which is a decisive body of Vienna Economic Forum.
The topic of the Ohrid Meeting of the Vienna Economic Forum was:
Tourism: Industry with Future
The Patron of this year’s Forum was Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski.
From the Macedonian Governments side were also present:
Deputy President of the Government, Mr. Zoran Stavreski
Minister of Economy, Mrs. Vera Rafajlovska (the Ministry of Economy incorporates the Tourism Department)
Minister of Foreign Investment, Mr. Gligor Tashkovich
Minister of Transport and Communications, Mr. Mile Janakieski
From Vienna Economic Forums Board Members side were present among others:
Dr. Erhard Busek, former Vice-Chancellor of Austria and Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe and President of the Vienna Economic Forum.
Dr. Elena Kirtcheva, General Secretary of the Vienna Economic Forum.
In her opening address, Dr. Elena Kirtcheva specially welcomed some of the investors in Macedonia: Dr. Rudolf Gruber, the President of the Supervisory Board of EVN, Mr. Hanno Soravia, the Managing Director of Soravia Service Ltd., Dr. Boris Nemsic, the CEO of Telekom Austria and mobilkom Austria, all are Members of the Board of the Vienna Economic Forum (VEF) as well as other VEF Board Members, the representatives of Wiener Städtische, Vienna Insurance Group, who were voicing their interest in investing in Macedonia.
Overall, there were more than 200 participants from 17 countries and 3 International organizations – European Commission, OSCE and UN.
Most of the participants came from Macedonia (among them many Mayors of Municipalities of Macedonia) and Austria, but also from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Japan, Montenegro, Norway, Qatar, Serbia, Slovenia, USA, UNMIK Kosovo.
The list of participants is in the attached files.
Most of the speakers were emphasizing the potential of Macedonia as a tourist destination. What is missing though, is a Master Plan to get to its implementation. Dr. Busek stated that there was enough money in the different supporting institutions. But there is a need in elaborated projects. He focused strongly on regional development and the relevant institutions, but also mentioned the development of Airline Systems.
Mr. Coffey from the World Bank declared that only Green Field Investments create sustainable work force. As Macedonia simply not being on the “Radar Screen”? of international investors, he said that the World Bank will reinforce the Macedonian Investment Agency.
Hanno Soravia, from the Investment Group Soravia put his emphasis on the young and motivated work force in Macedonia. He also demanded a new Airline for the country.
Minister Vera Rafajlovska was citing the plans of her Ministry to install different forms of tourism, beyond the classical mass tourism. Among others: lake tourism, mountain tourism, spa-tourism, ecological tourism, cultural tourism etc. The Ministry is working on a Strategy of Development of Tourism.
The representative of Slovenia stated that Tourism was the most promising sector of economic growth (with growth rates of 10 % every year. In 1999 in Slovenia, 34.000 people were working in the tourism sector, in 2007 they were 60.000).
The Slovenians have made a Road Show for Investors, to sell the potentials of their country and they offered help to Macedonia in developing a tourism strategy.
After the different statements in the morning, the Forum was separated into two different Round Tables:
- Infrastructure and Tourism Development
- Tourism Development – Chances and Risks.
Mr. Andreas Vögl, the Moderator of the 2nd Round Table resumed the results of the discussions as follows:
1. Make Macedonia a brand
2. Create a cause (why should one come to Macedonia, film, golf, niche tourism)
3. Create Family owned Businesses (like in Austria)
4. Create a Win-Win-Situation: for the Guest, the Hotel, the Tour Operator
5. Invest in people (soft skills versus hard skills)
6. Use the offers of the Austrian Trade Organisations
7. Develop a Tourism Masterplan to transfer Threats into Opportunities
In the resuming speeches of the two Round Tables, the overall topic was education.
There was a general feeling that training and vocational training were the main needs for a development in the Tourism Sector in Macedonia.
But as also stated in the morning session, the elaboration of a Master Plan for Tourism was regarded of first need at this very moment.
