In the absence of tourist police, Macedonian guides are the first "battle line" for foreign tourists in the country. They receive from them framework prices for some products and services (such as, for example, how much beer costs or what is the price of 1 kilometer in taxi transport), as well as advice that they should look for a fiscal account, and this is where their task ends.

Some caterers in the country are so impudent that they don't issue receipts at all, and when they charge foreigners the amount, domestic guests from neighboring tables react violently.

The last case from last week when a Turkish citizen reported that a taxi driver in Skopje asked her for 2.500 denars for a short destination, after which she protested about the amount, and the taxi driver forcibly took 2.000 denars from her hand, and then drove her and her passengers out of the vehicle is not unique. Such and similar information has been arriving all summer from touristic Ohrid.

Tourism worker Zoran Tanevski for "Free press"says that foreign guests have no one to complain to, not only if they were "skinned" in a restaurant, but also for all other inconveniences they may encounter while walking. The institutions are not aware that "one will pay, but a thousand other guests will understand, and that brings us negative advertising in every sense", adds Tanevski.

- We can only advise and warn them, because even if they rob them or charge them more, the guests should report it to the police or to the inspection. But does someone who is in the country for a day or two have time to deal with such things and spoil their vacation? The shame remains, and the bad publicity spreads. For years we have been asking for the establishment of tourist police, as exists in Croatia, Italy, Morocco, Spain... Our system of impunity works everywhere and it has been going on for years - Tanevski reacts.

There are complaints and complaints mostly about wild taxi drivers, Elvir Sadiković-Vili, vice-president of the Macedonian Association of Tourist Guides and Companions MATVP, shares with our newspaper. And he says that apart from a warning, they can't advise tourists what or who to avoid, especially when it comes to restaurants and cafes.

- In the last year, tourists mostly complain about the dirt. They even share advice on social networks to avoid Skopje because of the garbage. Some of them who were in our city before, now they cannot be surprised at how little attention is paid to hygiene. There are also the stray dogs, the lack of public toilets, the unlit center and the road situation. We cannot and must not have an excuse for this. As for the shaking of prices by the caterers, I recommend greater involvement of the market inspectors, because this situation is not only in Skopje but also in all tourist places. The institutions are not doing their job and that is the main problem - adds Sadiković.

For years, the Agency for the Promotion and Support of Tourism has been asking for the establishment of a tourist police and inspection, which will provide security in the tourism sector. Part of the competences of the tourist inspection would be the control of the work of caterers (restaurants, cafes, hotels, motels, hostels, "fast food"...), travel agencies, tour guides, companions, animators and other professionals providing tourist services, as well as control of price lists in bars, issuing invoices and fiscal accounts for guests.
Of the 119 tourists who visited the country in June, as many as one third, or 40.403, stayed in Skopje, statistical data show.