TOURISM POTENTIAL OF SKOPJE CITY

Abstract

Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, is one of the important centers in the Balkans with its convenient location on the Vardar-Morava line, Thessaloniki-Belgrade highway and railway route. Skopje and its immediate surroundings is an area with high tourism potential with its natural, historical and cultural attractions. Skopje, which was under Turkish rule for 520 years, still carries Ottoman traces today and there are a large number of monuments from that time. Skopje attracts local and foreign tourists with the recreation area in Matka Canyon with its ancient settlement, Skupi ancient settlement, castle and churches, Ottoman-era stone bridge and the Old Town with mosques, inns, Turkish baths, mansions unique to Turkish architecture and shops of various artisans. Turkish citizens take the lead among the foreign tourists who visit Skopje where 9,000 of our compatriots reside. In the framework of this study, field studies were carried out in the city and its vicinity in order to promote Skopje's Ottoman heritage and other tourist attractions and to present the tourism potential of Skopje by providing print and visual documents from national and international sources.