Paradise Arrives to Vrnjacka Banja, Kopaonik to Get First Indoor Aqua Park in Serbia, Cities Changing Appearance – 2022 Retrospective, Investments in Tourism, Entertainment and Recreation

Tourism is slowly, but surely, returning to the pre-pandemic levels in both the EU and Serbia. In the first 11 months of last year, a total of 3.5 million tourists were recorded in Serbia, which is 53.9% more than in the same period in 2021, as shown by the data of the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.

In November, local tourists realized 40.6% more overnight stays than in the same month in 2021, whereas the number of overnight stays realized by foreign tourists increased 38.7%. The most visited spas in November were Vrnjacka Banja, Sokobanja, Vrdnik, Lukovska Banja and Palic, and when it comes to mountain centers, the most visited locations are Zlatibor, Kopaonik, Tara and Fruska Gora, Divcibare and Goc.

The interest of investors in these destinations is not letting up. New luxury hotels are being built, old ones are being reconstructed, and aqua parks and pool complexes experienced a boom last year. An aqua park, announced as the biggest in the country and the region, opened in Vrnjacka Banja, and Kopaonik should get the first indoor aqua park in Serbia within the luxury resort Harmonija.

We present the list of investments in tourism that eKapija’s readers found the most interesting in 2022.

1. Hotel InterContinental New Belgrade

Following the beginning of the reconstruction of Sava Centar, the company Delta Real Estate announced a new investment cycle, which would bring another hotel from the InterContinental Group to Belgrade.

The hotel with five stars and 220 rooms will be located in an attractive New Belgrade location in Block 20 in Milentija Popovica Street.

– An office space with underground garages will also be built on this parcel, and the entire complex will create a modern and green oasis a walk’s away from the largest congress center. A fascinating project has been prepared, for which considerable funds will be required – Delta Real Estate said and added that the company was closer than ever to realizing one of its goals – bringing Hotel InterContinental back to Belgrade.

2. Aqua Park Raj Vrnjacka Banja

On July 14, the Day of the Municipality of Vrnjacka Banja, the aqua park Raj in Vrnjacka Banja symbolically opened. The biggest aqua park in Serbia and the region, as it was presented, is able to accommodate 4,000 to 6,000 people. The area of the aqua park is 3.5 ha, and the investment is worth EUR 12 million.

The aqua park will feature family waterslides, an adrenaline waterslide, the so-called kamikaze, up to 30 meters high, hydro massage pools with nine different configurations, the longest lazy river, 460 meters long, pools with artificial waves which provide a sea adventure on an area of 2,000 m2, but also the restaurant part.

3. Linear Park Belgrade

The City of Belgrade published, in October 2022, the tender for the preparation of the technical documentation and the execution of the works on the construction of the Linear Park. The total value of the framework agreement is RSD 8.27 billion without the VAT, that is, around EUR 70.7 million.

Works are to be done on the development of the Linear Park and the underground garage with the accompanying traffic infrastructure, pedestrian surfaces in front of the Sports, Recreation and Business Center “25. maj – Milan Gale Muskatirovic” and the space around the Monument to the 1915 Defenders of Belgrade.

The plan is to also set up a steel sculpture around 10 meters tall, an urban garden with aromatic and mosquito-repellent plants, to build a multi-functional ecological-educational center facility and to build an underground garage with 550 parking spaces.

4. Hotel Sumadija Arandjelovac

In August 2022, the Municipality of Arandjelovac issued a notice saying that, for the project of reconstruction and extension of Hotel Sumadija, the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Study is required. This is a project which was up for public review and which was prepared by Atelje AL doo from Vrnjacka Banja. The investor is Bukovicka banja Stublina doo Arandjelovac.

The hotel was built in the 1930s. It has been pronounced a cultural good and is protected at the Institute for Protection of Cultural Monuments of the Republic of Serbia.

The design entails the expansion of the existing hotel with a bedroom block, congress center and a part with outdoor and indoor pools, as well as a heated corridor between the extended part of the building and the existing Hotel Sumadija.

5. Hotel Vodena Vila Donji Milanovac

In the central part of Donji Milanovac, the 4-star hotel Vodena Vila is to be built. The hotel will be located in Kralja Petra I Street, alongside the Danube embankment, within the Djerdap National Park with the 3rd-degree protection regime. The investor is Vodena Vila doo Belgrade.

The hotel will have a ground floor, a mezzanine and 4 upper floors on a gross floor area of 9,996 m2. The accommodation capacity of the hotel is 81 accommodation units for 168 people. The hotel will also feature an indoor pool with a spa center and massage spaces.

6. Moevenpick Fruske Terme Vrdnik

A franchise agreement was signed in June 2021 between the French Accor Group and the Serbian Promont Group, whereby Hotel Fruske Terme became the first Moevenpick hotel in the country. As said, “Moevenpick Fruske Terma Resort & Spa” is the biggest aqua park, spa center and conference center in Serbia.

Initially, Promont Group was a small family company which managed to turn one hotel, Premijer Akva, into a large complex called Fruske Terme, in which, until the arrival of Accor Group, over EUR 70 million had been invested.

7. Pool complex Kladovo

Between the two lakes and the existing sports hall, at the currently undeveloped land of around 22,550 m2, the plan is to build the “Jezero” complex of city pools. The project was prepared by the designer team Arhitekta 7 from Belgrade, and it entails the construction of two pools which will be able to take in 330 visitors, a café, a management building, information counters, locker rooms, as well as green areas and roads. As said, it is also possible to plan the covering with a balloon in the winter period.

8. Hotel Zoned Kop Panorama Kopaonik

At the beginning of the weekend settlement Kopaonik, a five-winged apartment hotel Zoned Panorama with 300 apartments, an underground garage with 200 parking spaces and a wellness spa center is being raised.

The investor in the construction worth around EUR 20 million is Zoned Kop Panorama doo from Raska, and the designer is Lamda Studio Novi Sad. The completion of the works is planned for the beginning of 2025.

9. Aqua Park Harmonija Kopaonik

In a weekend vacation settlement around 6 kilometers from the center of Kopaonik and 3 kilometers from the Suncana Dolina ski track, the luxury resort Harmonija with 5 stars and 149 accommodation units is being raised.

According to Aleksandar Vujanac, the owner of the company Harmonija Resort doo from Raska, which is the investor in this project, the resort, whose completion is expected in late 2023, will have two hotels, villas in a row, underground garages, a unique indoor aqua park and its own indoor amphitheater.

The main attraction of the entire Harmonija resort will certainly be Harmoland, the first indoor aqua park in Serbia, which will spread on 1,388 m2 of indoor space and be able to take in up to 400 people.

10. Zemun Wharf

Last year, three preliminary designs for the Zemun Wharf revetment, sent as part of the contest organized by the Municipality of Zemun, were presented.

In the preliminary design of the designer team Beopotez, the revetment, which ends at the Radecki marina, is extended and expanded to the Mihajlo Pupin Bridge.

Revolution Architects proposes alternating marinas, parks, hospitality facilities and sports and recreation features along the coast.

The third project, submitted by the Institute for Architecture and Urban Planning of Serbia (IAUS), envisages an extension and a turn at the Pupin Bridge, where the promenade ends.

We presented the ten investments that attracted the most attention from our readers when it comes to investments in tourism. Make sure to view the full list in the TOURISM, ENTERTAINMENT AND RECREATION segment.