Pristina says pilgrimages are not tourist guiding
Pristina's culture and tourism ministry tells Radio Kim that religious rites and pilgrimages fall outside the new tourism law, two days before it takes effect.
The culture and tourism ministry in Pristina’s government says a pilgrimage or taking part in a religious service does not count as tourist guiding, two days before a new tourism law starts to apply in Kosovo and Metohija. The answer went to Radio Kim after the Diocese of Raska and Prizren raised the alarm, and it is the first time an institution in Pristina has spoken about the status of pilgrims. The law, passed by the assembly in Pristina, applies from August 1, 2026.
The ministry says the law governs the provision of tourism services and the conditions for running a tourism business, which includes tourist guiding. Religious visits, on that reading, sit outside the frame.
“In cases where groups of believers arrive solely for religious rites, prayer or participation in religious ceremonies, such activities are not considered the provision of a tourist guiding service.”
The same point is made in a shorter line.
“A religious visit, a pilgrimage or participation in a religious rite is not in itself tourist guiding.”
The ministry draws the line at interpretation. If a group is given expert explanations about cultural heritage, history or landmarks, the provisions on tourist guides apply. Priests and monks accompanying pilgrim groups as religious representatives are not required to hold a licence.
What the law asks of organised groups
The law introduces a licence requirement for professional guiding. From the text of the law and the ministry’s answer, three things follow:
- anyone who professionally provides tourist guiding and leads organised groups must hold the appropriate licence
- an organised group arriving with a foreign guide who has no licence must be accompanied throughout its stay by a local guide licensed in Kosovo
- fines have been announced for breaches
The ministry also points out that public consultations on the law ran for 30 days before it was passed, and that any individual or legal entity could submit comments.
How the answer came about
We covered this story when the Diocese of Raska and Prizren asked for pilgrims to be exempted from the licensed guide requirement. The diocese said at the time that pilgrim groups had reported being handed leaflets by the so-called Kosovo police carrying the ministry’s notice about the law.
In its statement the diocese said the monasteries of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija are “first and foremost living shrines, places of worship, prayer and monastic life”, adding that most visitors come as believers rather than tourists. The diocese asked that the rules be applied with full respect for freedom of religion, freedom of movement and the special legal status of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija. Radio Kim approached the ministry after that.
Fines only after a breach is established
The ministry says inspection bodies will determine during checks whether a tourism service is being provided in each specific case. Fines, according to the same answer, can be issued only where breaches of the law have been established and under the prescribed procedure.
That does not close the practical question so much as move it to the inspector on the ground, who has to judge where prayer ends and expert commentary begins. The law starts to apply on Saturday.
The reaction from Belgrade
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic commented on the announcement on July 30, at the opening of the glass viewpoint “Kablar” near Cacak.
“Pristina has reached the stage where everyone who stands for respecting Resolution 1244 and the United Nations Charter is no longer normal but an aggressor.”
Vucic also spoke about property owned by Serbs south of the Ibar.
“They want to impose force in Kosovo and Metohija too, to demolish everyone’s holiday houses, especially those of people who have always been loyal to the Serbian state.”
The ministry’s answer changed no provision of the law. It offered an interpretation days before enforcement begins, and what that interpretation looks like at a monastery gate will be clear from Saturday.
