Celebrating the Grape and a Growing Tourism Industry

Glasses were raised in Rahovec Municipality on September 7 at the inauguration of the three-day “Grape, Wine, Food and Culture Festival 2011”. The whole community plus visitors turned out to sample the local grapes, wine, rakija and specialty foods amid performances of traditional music and dance. Government officials congratulated the community for its increasing success in attracting tourists to Kosovo’s main wine producing region. Mayor Smajl Latifi also thanked representatives of the U.S. Agency for International Development for the agency’s assistance to Rahovec tourism. The agency, through the Kosovo Private Enterprise Program (http://www.usaidkpep.net/advCms/?id=10,1,1,1,e) helped the municipality develop a long-range tourism strategy, create tourist maps and set up a tourist information center www.rahovectourism.com . Plans also are underway to develop more tourist accommodations.