Attractive destinations for tourists have recently become places rich in hives and bees. This has led to the accelerated development of a completely new branch of tourism, known as api-tourism.
Numerous world scientific researches have shown that beekeepers live much longer in relation to their peers who do not live next to bees, and many magazines write about the advantages of honey and other bee products, as well as about the positive effect of bees on the human body.
The word api-tourism has the Latin word apis, which means bee, and in combination with the word tourism, it means a destination where people can get to know the life of honey bees on the spot.
This branch of tourism is also developing in Serbia, and some of the most famous places are “Jasenica” in Smederevska Palanka and “Svilos” on Fruska Gora, as well as rural households in Donja Draginja near Prijedor and Brdjani near Gornji Milanovac.
The trend has spread around the world, so api-centers have started to develop in many countries from Croatia, BiH and Serbia to Greece and America.
At the suggestion of the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association, the UN General Assembly declared May 20 the World Bee Day, which has been celebrated around the planet since 2018, and the date, as the portal reports, represents the birthday of Anton Jansa, the founder and teacher of modern beekeeping from the 18th century.
Api-tourism, means a travel concept that is combined with getting to know bees and beekeeping, and weekend tourists who want a vacation in nature and escape from the city crowds mostly opt for it.
Visitors to api-centers have the opportunity to get to know the world of bees on the spot in the apiary, and they are presented with the technique of honey production, they can spin it and try it and organize workshops on the importance of bee products, making fats, balms, creams, liqueurs and everything else, which is obtained by a combination of honey and medicinal herbs.
A great advantage is that api-tourism is combined with other branches of tourism, so excursions and getting to know the natural and social beauties of a certain area are organized for visitors.
Staying near beehives has a healing effect due to the ethereal vapors of honey, propolis, pollen and perga, which have a noble effect on humans, while the sound of bees buzzing contributes to the relaxation of the mind and body.
There are already several api-centers in California that, in addition to the beekeeping experience, offer guests a set of enjoyment and relaxation in spas that are surrounded by an aerosol of hives.
In addition to honey massages and other treatments for health and beauty with bee products, these specialized ranches offer stays in api-chambers, which are equivalent to life in an apiary and where people breathe air from the hive that is rich in bioactive compounds.
A California winery came up with the idea to combine bees and wine through honey wine tasting and classes on winemaking and beekeeping, reports B92.
