Spanish Ambassador to Serbia Ignacio de Palacio Espana in Pirot on April 6 said he expected a hotel complex that is being built on Mt. Stara Planina to be a generator of tourist activity in the region.

The complex on the mountain is a joint project of a Spanish consortium and the Serbian Economy and Regional Development Ministry.

After meeting with local officials, the ambassador said he believed that Pirot would become a strategic center of development in the region.

"With the municipality head we discussed concrete projects for opening a tourism school in Pirot and refurbishment of the Pirot Hotel, which should turn into a center of that region," Palacio Espana said.

The development of Mt. Stara Planina, opening of a tourism school in Pirot and renovation of Pirot Hotel, according to the ambassador, could become a generator of tourism development in the region.

Consortium of Spanish hotel companies HG Hotels and Sol Melia is building three of the six hotels on Mt. Stara Planina.