Bitola has no free rooms for the weekend; some visitors will stay in Resen

Bitola this weekend has run out of free rooms — hotel owners and private accommodation providers, as well as online booking platforms, confirm that almost 99 percent of properties are booked until August 3 and beyond.

The reason for the sudden influx of guests is the large concert by pop legend Zdravko Colic on August 1 at the "Petar Miloshevski" stadium, other cultural events, and the return of emigrants for Ilinden on August 2.

Shortage of beds and rising prices

"There is no free room this weekend," say several owners of accommodation facilities. Hotels and apartments in the center, around Shirok Sokak, are most in demand, but peripheral properties are also booked; a room for two costs between 30 and 80 euros.

"Not a single bed remains available. If I were to offer the apartment where I live, believe me I would rent it out in 5 minutes," says Filip Josifovski, a restaurateur from Bitola.

Licensed tourist guides and owners warn that the problem is structural: "This is the peak of the summer tourist season; from July 31 through the whole next week we have no free rooms. The city is so full that some guests, unable to spend the night in Bitola, agreed to sleep in Resen," says Goran Pinza.

Data from the State Statistical Office show that in July 2025 Bitola recorded 6,011 overnight stays, of which 3,969 were by foreign guests and 2,042 by domestic guests. In September 2025, during the "Manaki Brothers" Festival, there were 3,729 overnight stays, and the Armin van Buuren concert at "Bitfest" in 2025 alone attracted over 10,000 visitors.

Historical reviews of the hotel industry indicate that in summer Bitola can have over 5,000 guests, and by 2023 the city had more than 1,000 rooms and over 2,200 beds — capacities which, according to professionals, are not sufficient for large festivals and events.

Photo: SDK.MK)