According to the opinion of students of the Faculties of Tourism, who participated in the activities of “Vlasina Award of Excellence” Vlasina lake will be more visible on the tourist map of our country and thus contribute to the promotion, but also to the economic and social development of the entire area that needs to be developed on the principles of sustainable development.

The Participation took students from seven state and private faculties for tourism in Serbia, whose task was to figure out a way for the development of tourist destinations Vlasina within the limits of the protected area and that their ideas encourage key stakeholders in the destination to get more involved in the development of ecotourism and active tourism.

Awards were given within the project “Vlasina Lake Ecotourism Promotion and Environment Protection“ which is realized by the Ministry of Energy, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Municipality of Surdulica supported by the Coca-Cola system.

This initiative should generate ideas and to present development opportunities of Vlasina destination. Its development sould include as many key players as well as cooperation between Coca Cola and Surdulica municipality, and the Ministry of Energy and Environmental Development and the United Nations Programme for Development  showed example of good practice for  development of ecotourism in the protected area.  And it’s a model that should be adopted by a majority of protected areas in Serbia.