1

FOUR PRIORITIES OF THE MINISTRY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING, TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR NIŠ

February 8th

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, prof. Dr. Zorana Mihajlovic, said in Nis that this city was already the traffic hub of this part of Serbia and she pointed out to four priorities in the field of infrastructure – modernization of Nis-Dimitrovgrad railroad, construction of Nis-Merdare-Pristina highway, construction of cheap apartments and further development of the Airport Constantine the Great.

Mihajlovic announced the biggest project in railroad transport in the south of Serbia – modernization and reconstruction of the Nis-Dimitrovgrad railroad, with the construction of a roundabout around Nis, worth 268 million euros. “About this project, this involves removing a line that has been passing through the city center for years, has been spoken for at least ten years. Now there is no more delay. A contract has been signed and work on expropriation has already begun”, Mihajlovic told at the press conference held at Nis City Hall.

“The priority in the field of road infrastructure is  Niš-Merdare-Pristina highway, i.e. the construction of the first 40-kilometer-long section Niš-Plocnik, for which we expect to launch the public call for the selection of the contractor by the end of this year”, added Mihajlovic.

When it comes to building cheap apartments for members of the military and police forces, Mihajlovic said that another site was being considered, in addition to the one proposed by the City of Nis earlier, and that she expected the construction of the first apartments  to begin in May. “Both locations will be taken into consideration, and what is important is that all problems in these locations will be solved,” said the Deputy Prime Minister. She added that a special law was prepared that would allow the construction of cheap apartments, and that construction of apartments in several cities in Serbia would begin in late April and early May.

Responding to questions from journalists regarding the further development of the Nis airport, Mihajlovic said that the Serbian government had, so far, through the Belgrade Airport Nikola Tesla, the Civil Aviation Directorate, SMATSA, assisted with 6.5 million euros and that another 7.5 million euros had been planned for further assistance. “Our interest is that the Nis airport is further developed, a new control tower will be built and there are no restrictions regarding the airlines with which the airport could cooperate. It is important that the City of Nis, as the owner of the airport, and the regional development agency, , take into account all factors of market development in further development strategy, as we have pointed out to them earlier, “Mihajlovic said.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic thanked the Deputy Prime Minister for the support she had provided together with her entire team, to Nis in the realization of projects that would contribute to the faster development of the city and the better life of the citizens. He said that at the meeting of the vice-president with the city leadership in Nis, there were discussions about the development of Nis airport, road infrastructure projects, progress of illegal construction legalization processes, and the project of modernization of Nis-Dimitrovgrad railroad.

During her visit to Nis, the Deputy Prime Minister also spoke with Ms.Dragana Sotirovski, Head of the Nisava District and the leaders of local self-governments from the district.

Prior to the press conference, Mihajlovic presented the certificate confirming that the Nis airport met the highest European standards of security. Also, the Deputy Prime Minister handed out 11 decisions on legalization to individuals and companies who were waiting for a few years to legalize their property. In addition to the meetings with the representatives of the districts and local self-governments, the Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic also met with the citizens and this was unique opportunity for present their problems and give suggestions.




TOURISM IN NIS IN 2017

February 8th

Nis continues to record exceptional results in the field of tourism in 2017, and the revenue of the city for the observed period is 24,664,000.00 RSD coming from local tourist fee.
More than 100,000 tourists visited Nis during the stated period and that represents the increase of 26% in the total number of tourists, while the number of domestic tourists increased by 16%, compared to the same period in 2016. In total, 17% more tourist stayed overnight in Nis than in the same period of 2016; the number of overnight stays of domestic tourists increased by 6%, and the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists increased by 32%, which makes total of 190,000 overnight stays in 2017. The greatest number of tourists came from: Bulgaria, Greece, Germany, Turkey, Romania, China, Poland, Slovenia, Italy, Russian Federation, Slovakia and Sweden. Shown hospitality is the biggest tourism advantage in our city!