We want to remain the first

Since this gondola is the longest in the world, our aim is to maintain our position as the first and continue to progress further and higher. We strive to be innovative and provide an interesting experience for our guests, in line with our concept of the gondola as an ecological project. Our goal is to be in harmony with nature and promote healthy lifestyles. Bojana Božanić, the director of JP "Gold Gondola Zlatibor," discussed the achievements of the Zlatibor gondola, the longest panoramic gondola globally, as well as past and future investments, plans, and objectives, in an interview with "Vesti." 

The summer season on the Gold Gondola officially ended on August 26. How many passengers were transported during the season, and how many since the beginning of the year? 

During this season, approximately 180,000 passengers were transported. Additionally, over the course of two years, half a million passengers have been transported. These results are quite satisfactory. The number of passengers during the summer season was similar to that of the previous year. Unfavorable weather conditions in July affected the number of passengers and tourist arrivals to Zlatibor. However, the end of July and the entire month of August were highly popular. The various activities we organized on the gondola likely contributed to tourists riding it multiple times. Throughout the season, a significant number of passengers, including sports teams, large groups of children, and many of our partners, rode the gondola for free, totaling approximately ten thousand individuals. We operated 72 cabins throughout the season.

It was recorded that on February 16 of this year, the most passengers were transported by gondola in one day since the start of operation, 2,549. Has this number been exceeded by the end of August? 

We set a record for the highest number of passengers transported in a single day since the gondola's inception, with 2,549 passengers. However, this record was surpassed on May 1, when 3,050 passengers were transported in one day. Since then, this record has not been exceeded. Our goal is to set new records, but this is dependent on weather conditions. Nevertheless, we are pleased with the average daily ridership of around two thousand passengers during the season. With the expansion of our capacity from last year, we have been able to transport passengers efficiently and avoid long queues.

When will you be able to say that this biggest investment in the history of the municipality of Čajetina has paid for itself? 

- If we add up dinar for dinar or euro for euro as we paid it, it would be in a couple of years. However, I must remind you that as a local self-government, an investor, we repaid the loan even before it was an obligation in accordance with the banking contract. Money began to flow into the budget from communal equipment and the sale of land because of the Gondola as soon as its construction had just begun. At that moment, it was a new attraction that moved Zlatibor from a tourist spot even further. That benefit is great. The municipality's budget has increased considerably in the last few years and this is a direct benefit of the development of the very idea of ​​the Gondola, and "Gold gondola Zlatibor" as a public enterprise founded by the Municipality of Čajetina, operates one hundred percent from its own funds. From our income, we have for employee salaries, current expenses, but also for new investments. We can say that the gondola functions completely independently, and everything invested in it is returned to the municipal budget many times over. 

What were the additional investments in the gondola from the start of operation until today? 

The additional investments in the gondola from the start of operation until today include the acquisition of 18 new cabins worth approximately 560,000 euros, the construction of a canopy at the last station with an investment of over 600,000 euros, improvements in the communication system on the gondola, acquisition of additional equipment for the mountain rescue service and the technical sector, and the arrangement of the entire route. Significant funds were also invested in the intermediate station, which now features an eco-park, children's facilities, and a catering area. Additionally, investments have been made in employee education and team building activities. These investments aim to provide a complete atmosphere for families visiting Zlatibor, offering opportunities for rest, refreshment, dining, and entertainment for children.

Until now, you have shared your experience of building and operating a gondola with many people in Serbia and in the region. 

I think that the gondolas that are now being built in Serbia are an exceptional tourist potential and can bring benefits to the municipalities where they are located. It turned out that we are a good example. Everyone who started and finished gondolas in the area contacted us, and we selflessly and happily shared our experiences. I hope we have helped them not to make the mistakes that we, as pioneers in gondola construction, may have made. We are in constant contact with colleagues from the Ski Resorts of Serbia, from Jahorina, from Montenegro. 

How many employees does PE "Gold Gondola Zlatibor" have and do you have problems with a lack of suitable staff? 

There are currently 59 employees. For now, this is the optimal number, but with the expansion of some of our capacities related to the new ideas we want to develop, not related to the new cable cars, we will need more people. We are a public company that deals with the provision of services in tourism and that is why the working hours of our employees are flexible, they work dedicatedly in the afternoon and on Saturdays and Sundays, and we try to reward them accordingly. For now, it's yielding results, and we'll continue to do so. I think that in the coming period it will be more and more challenging to find staff for the new installations that are being built, but luckily our employees can transfer their knowledge to others faster than it was in their case when they were taught by colleagues from France. The shortage of personnel will be increasingly visible in tourism, the legal sector, and finance. 

During the summer season, there were many events on the gondola, starting with engagements, first weddings, open-air cinema, music evenings. Where do you get ideas from and what goal do you want to achieve by implementing them? 

We always want to go one step further. Since this is the longest gondola in the world, we are the first, we want to stay the first and just go further and higher. Maybe some new gondolas will come, maybe they will be longer, there will be content, but we will always be innovative and move forward. Our goal is to always be interesting to our guests and to attract both new and old guests every season, not to mention every month. In July and August, every day, from Monday to Friday, we offered free different contents to our passengers, from the promotion of paragliding with the Zlatibor Paragliding Club, archery to children's workshops of various contents in cooperation with our colleagues from "Spajalica", relaxation treatments with "Ethereal Zlatibor'', natural cosmetics workshop with our partners from "Desvaux cosmetiques", promotion of traditional nutrition with "Zlatibor", healthy lifestyles in cooperation with "Cigota". We want to develop commercial content in accordance with the possibilities that the space offers, and they are huge. I think that with the open-air cinema in Zlatibor, we have pushed the limits of the tourist offer, as well as with the musical evenings on top of Tornik. And ideas are not a special novelty, all of that can be seen in the world, however, the important concept that we promote is: gondola as an ecological project, to try to be in harmony with nature in everything and to encourage healthy lifestyles. We also want it to be accessible to everyone, children, parents, young people, families, pensioners, people with disabilities, to enable everyone to enjoy what we have, what Zlatibor gives us, fantastic air and nature. It is up to us to use it in the right way, to attract people with new content and to keep them coming back to us. 

How are you preparing for the winter season and what do you expect from the next few months leading up to it? 

According to the long-term weather forecast, I am happy that we will most likely have a Michaelmas summer. If so, I expect September and October to be on par with last year, if not better. In that period, which is marked by congresses, seminars, and team building in Zlatibor, the focus will be on organized groups. We already have a lot of inquiries, as well as planned contents that we will realize. At the end of October and the beginning of November, we plan to do a regular technical inspection of the entire installation in order to prepare for the winter season, then the gondola will not work, and the public will be informed in time. We will also work on conquering new markets. The most important is the presentation, not only of the gondola, but of the entire tourism potential of the municipality of Čajetina, which we are preparing for the United Arab Emirates. We will try to organize new study trips for employees, which is very useful for enriching our content and offer. The backbone of the offer for the winter season will be the promotion of Nordic skiing at the intermediate station as well as outdoor entertainment. We have more ideas that we are still working on, and for the New Year and all other holidays that will come after them, we will do our best to provide tempting and interesting content.