Exit is ever more talked about as touristic product, while in the earlier days the main focus was on its cultural significance, why is that so?

Exit was born from a young generation’s desire to compensate for everything the politics had taken away from us during the Nineties. Unlike other communist states, the ex-Yugoslavia kept constant pace with the world  in cultural terms. We listened to the similar music as our coevals in the West, we had MTV, bigger concerts were organized in Belgrade, Zagreb, Ljubljana. Then the Nineties came and everything was gone. Beside Prodigy and some other concerts, we were isolated from the rest of the world for 10 years. However, our big advantage was our awareness of the fact that what we lack is normal life. For that reason, after October 5th, Exit simply had to happen, for that reason the energy at the festival was so phenomenal. The audience wanted to consume everything and right away. The performers were impressed. They passed their impressions further on in their circles, to the fellow musicians, managers, journalists… And every year, precisely for that energy, more and more significant performers came. I will not exaggerate if I say that, if there hadn’t been for Exit, probably the concerts of the Rolling Stones, R.C.H.P, R.E.M, Madonna and others would have happened either several years later or more probably in some other city in the region!
However, after the above-mentioned concerts held, besides Depeche Mode and U2, there are few great (still active) bands left which did not visit Serbia. So one may say this Exit’s basic, cultural mission of “compensation” for the years lost is completed and the first stage of its development is finished. Now we must ask ourselves how Exit contributes most to the society. Naturally, Exit does not cease to bear the cultural significance. However, the fact is that now the touristic aspect is the one with which Exit contributes most to our society, so that one can say that cultural and touristic aspects are now equal. Every year, over 30.000 foreign visitors from Australia to Canada come to Exit, and spend more than 10 million euro annually in Serbia. The marketing value, in terms of improvement of the country’s image, is several times higher. Also, the potentials for expanding of tourism and improvement of the Serbian image through Exit are even bigger and we intend to use them in the period to come.

You recognized this trend, so Exit formed a special tourism sector?

That’s right, two years ago a special tourism sector of Exit festival was formed, which has had only one goal, to offer the best possible service to local and foreign tourists. It seems to me that we are the only cultural product in Serbia and the region which developed this activity. We have created a special touristic web portal – www.exittrip.org, we organize the transportation for the tourists from all the surrounding airports, and the flights from London are also planned for the next year. Then the visitors can also book accommodation, get familiarized with the offer of Novi Sad bars, learn more about Novi Sad, and all that on-line. We have also launched the project “The Best of Novi Sad”, i.e. the printed brochure with the best restaurants, coffee-shops, stores, taxi associations, etc. in Novi Sad. I would emphasize that the visitors can pay for these services from their homes, via e-banking, which also makes us unique in Serbia, while this option is implied and expected worldwide. The scope of this idea is for the tourists to stay longer in Novi Sad and Serbia and to spend more money in our country.

At the recently held regional Media festival in Rovinj, a cultural-technical cooperation between Exit and the best Croatian club Papaya was announced, can you tell more about it  for SEEbtm magazine?

Exit, as the most significant cultural-touristic destination of the region, has launched the project of connecting of all attractive locations in South Eastern Europe. This is at the same time in accordance with the foundations on which Exit was built, namely the cooperation of young people in the region, which is why we’ve got an international support in our first years. Our goal is to position the Balkans region as one of the best in the world for youth tourism. The Papaya Club, on Zrce beach, is the only one beside Exit which managed to position itself on the global map as the place where the most important world musicians perform. The island of Pag is already called ‘’Adriatic Ibiza’’ for that club, and every year over 250.000 tourists walk over Zrce beach. It was logical to initiate this connecting project along with them.

Can you explain what you will do specifically?

We are going to connect most or all of the existing manifestations and interesting destinations in the region into a unique promotional-touristic system. Specifically, we will offer touristic arrangements which will contain in itself all the best the Balkans can offer – Exit, Croatian and Montenegrin coast, rafting, kite surfing, Belgrade as a capital of entertainment, Dubrovnik and many other things.

Do you think this will be appealing to the foreigners?

I am absolutely convinced so. Furthermore, I think that the future of the region will largely lay in the tourism development. When wishing to visit some exotic destination, it is far easier for German, French or English people to come to the City break in Belgrade or Dubrovnik, as 2-3 hours of flight divides them from us, while it is practically impossible for them to visit any farther destination without at least 10 days-off. We know that the Western people do not have much leisure time, except for summer and winter holidays, but shorter 3-4 day trips are frequent around a year. Even for longer stays the Balkans are totally competitive to any other destination in the world. For example, in one 15-day arrangement we will offer one of the world-s best festivals (Exit) and clubs (Papaya), one of the world’s best coasts, then Balkan New York (Belgrade), which grows every day into a European capital of entertainment, one of the most beautiful historical cities-museums (Dubrovnik), and one of the best rafting and kite surfing destinations. This is only one combination, and there are many to come. I don’t see many regions in Europe, and even in the world, which can compete with us, so I am sure we will manage to position the Balkans as a Europe’s Latin America in this word’s best sense.
What kind of support do you count on?

We count on that all the countries, cities and destinations in the region will recognize the importance of this initiative and support us. We also count on Europe’s support! The first signs are encouraging.

Is there already an interest for ‘‘Balkan arrangements” abroad?

Certainly! The English agencies which we have developed a good partnership with fully endorsed the project and we are being contacted by the agencies worldwide, e.g. even from Brazil! Sincerely speaking, I don’t expect million tourists to visit us in the first year, my opinion is that 3-5 years are necessary for this as for any other business, so I expect this story will fully come to life by that time!

What are your next steps?

The promotion at the most significant tourism fairs and musical conferences in Berlin, London, Miami, Amsterdam, Belgrade…