From October 26 to October 28 , delegation from Bosnia and Herzegovina participated at the World for Travel Forum (#AWFT22). With the support of USAID Turizam, our country was represented by: Federal Deputy Minister for Tourism and Environment Sabina Šahman – Salihbegović, Secretary General of the Republika Srpska Chamber of Commerce Dragana Kokot, Deputy Director of the USAID/BiH Economic Growth Office Erol Mujanović, USAID Turizam Chief of Party Ibrahim Osta, and Tourism Product Development Team Leader at the USAID Turizam project Feđa Begović.
Building Sustainable Destinations through Partnerships: The Case of Bosnia and Herzegovina
For the second year in a row, Bosnia and Herzegovina is recognized as a country that is making great efforts to develop a people-centric and conservation-led tourism sector, with special emphasis on a partnership between the public and private sectors, and jointly with citizens of the country.
“As the world seeks less discovered destinations, our appeal is rising. If I could only convey one message today, it would be that we should start envisioning a future where people and the environment will be in a better position than the present. And we are doing it in partnership with our local communities and with global businesses that share our values for responsible and sustainable development, and three of them are with us today, thanks to USAID that enabled these partnerships.”, stated Sabina Šahman – Salihbegović, Federal Deputy Minister for Tourism and Environment
Photo Credit: AWFT22
Bosnia and Herzegovina a country with a conservation-led and people-centric development
Our representatives then discussed the importance of the business community and how Bosnia and Herzegovina, through the expansion of its business networking, is indeed paving the way toward complete alignment with the best international economic standards. Ms. Dragana Kokot, Secretary General of the RS Chamber of Commerce, stated: “Subscribing to international best practices and sustainable standards of operations is both a moral and a professional imperative. We put partnerships into action. A Tourism Competitiveness Coalition was formed with the assistance of USAID, and it is made up of community, government, businesses, and academia all working together. This joint effort resulted in the creation of our tourism strategy, under the theme: Conservation-led, people-centric development.”
This will result in a greater number of opportunities for youth and women, as well as better involvement of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in BiH tourism industry. Therefore, agreements with internationally renowned tourist partners are necessary to sustain the sector’s growth.
Photo Credit: AWFT22
$20-million USAID Turizam project
As Dr. Erol Mujanović, Deputy Deputy Director of the USAID/BiH Economic Growth Office, noted: “To put matters in perspective, the $20-million USAID Turizam project is the largest in the portfolio of USAID/Bosnia and Herzegovina. We look forward to telling you our story and invite you to partner with us to deepen our international partnerships and for the media in the room, to see best practices in action and report on the significant progress made and many of the lessons that we are eager to share with other destinations as matters of best practice.”
Photo Credit: AWFT22
Billions Available: Why and how to invest in the travel sector?
The panel ‘Billions Available’ was moderated by the USAID Turizam Chief of Party, Ibrahim Osta, and featured prominent speakers from global powerhouses in the fields of investment, finance, and consultancy. These stakeholders invest in tourism, hospitality, aviation, and infrastructure on an annual basis, identifying challenges and solutions to smaller borrowing needs of tourism enterprises as well as exploring the most optimal approaches to accessing capital for large-scale multibillion-dollar investments.
Photo Credit: AWFT22
Importance of agriculture and the food industry
Agricultural methods encourage the development of Wine Routes, and wine tourists generate five times more revenue for a place. USAID Turizam revitalized the Herzegovina Wine Route (HWR), which includes wineries, restaurants, hotels, and cultural and natural attractions in the Herzegovina Region (Click to read more about HWR). Along these lines, the USAID Turizam project’s Tourism Product Development Team Leader reached the following conclusion: “The tourism and agriculture sectors must work together. BiH is a culinary destination, with unique adventure experiences, rich cultural heritage, and wonderful natural assets, all connected through agriculture. We need to support farmers to make an upgrade towards agritourism, just as USAID Turizam did in Trebinje with Slow Food producers through developing cheese and honey trails. We need to avoid the “Disneyland” type of agritourism and focus on authenticity, user experience, and storytelling.”
Photo Credit: AWFT22
ABOUT #AWFT22 – Nimes Forum: A Forum for Action, a Forum for Transformation
Conference is held in Nimes, known as the ‘French Rome’. This is an international event aimed at transforming and developing travel and tourism activities in sustainable manner. In particular, the event builds on conversations and outcomes of the #AWFT21, following the information regarding United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Target 2030. The focus is on transforming the travel industry and advocating partnerships that enhances benefits for the employees, communities, and travelers. Over these two days, international decision-makers from the private and public sectors, academics, experts, consultants will discuss the social and economic impact of tourism, sustainability, and solutions for tourism that meet climate challenges.
Find more at: https://www.aworldfortravel.org/
USAID Turizam is proud to have had the opportunity to share the story of Bosnia and Herzegovina through the establishment of partnerships with public and private sectors, community engagement, and a tourism sector based on the concept of people-centered and conservation-led tourism.
Photo Credit: AWFT22
