Chosen amongst 170 registered places from 75 countries around the world, the people of Mokra Gora already knew that they lived in "the best tourist village in the world" before it was officially confirmed.
ADVERTISEMENTThe Serbian village of Mokra Gora was ranked among the best tourist villages in the world by the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization at the end of last year.
Chosen amongst 170 registered places from 75 countries around the world, the people of Mokra Gora already knew that they lived in "the most beautiful village in the world" before it was officially confirmed.
The untouched nature, clean air, and unusual tourist attractions are only a few of the things attracting tourists to the village.
"The people here are nice, we have good local products and still untouched nature," one of the locals told Euronews.
"We welcome everyone who comes to us," another added.
Most of the village's promotion was made by the Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica, who built the wooden tourist resort "Mećavnik" on the hill.
Every year, the resort is visited by about 100,000 tourists from all over the world.
The architectural masterpiece "Šargan Eight", which tourists can find near the narrow-gauge railways, is also responsible for the development of this area.
The railway used to connect Mokra Gora with the rest of the country, and today it is one of the main popular tourist attractions.
"When the railway was rebuilt, it brought tourists to this area, everything started with the railway," revealed Aleksandra Milutinović, manager of the "Šargan Eight" complex.
In 2005, this village was declared as a protected natural asset for its clean rivers, drinking water, and sewage.
The locals also refused for a nickel mine to be built, and every day the rangers of the nature park fight against illegal construction.
"Our task is to protect this beautiful nature from human bad influence," said Milisav Spasojević, the head of the ranger service at the Mokra Gora nature park.
Mokra Gora is currently inhabited by 600 people, and although many youngsters left the village in the past decades, most of them have decided to return.
The village's school has only 30 students, and forecasts say that there will be more in the future.