Sustainability of Western Balkans Panel and the Beginning of Collaboration at the Tourism Fair – ITB Berlin

Signing Marketing Collaboration Between the Countries of Western Balkans

On March 7, the world’s largest tourism fair, ITB Berlin, had a panel discussion on Sustainable Balkans, featuring speakers from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and North Macedonia discussing current difficulties and potential
for developing sustainable tourism in the Western Balkans. Although countries in the region select the path of prosperity and integration into the European Union, it is critical to preserve destinations’ most significant assets: nature, environment, and cultural heritage, thereby providing an alternative to young people’s emigration. There have been speakers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Albania, North Macedonia, and Montenegro, including USAID Turizam Chief of Party Ibrahim Osta, and Rika Jean Francois, the representative of sustainability and social responsibility at ITB Berlin, and Snježana Derviškadić, the coordinator for tourism sustainability in front of Green Visions Eco Tours.

The Tourist Board of Sarajevo Canton (Visit Sarajevo), the Tourist Organization of Republika Srpska (TORS), the Tourist Cluster Herzegovina, the National Tourist Organization of Serbia (NTO Serbia), the National Tourist Organization of Montenegro (NTO Montenegro), and USAID’s Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Turizam) signed the Joint Implementation Plan during their participation.

Vesna Hasanović (Visit Sarajevo), Marija Vukoja (Tourist Cluster Herzegovina), Miodrag Lončarević (TORS), Marija Labović (NTOS), Ana Tripković Marković (NTOM), and Ibrahim Osta signed the plan (USAID Turizam).

This Plan seeks to establish a framework for cooperation in joint marketing activities on broadcast markets of mutual interest, with the objective of fostering cooperation and strengthening relations between the region’s countries in the development of the tourism sector, likely to result in sustainable growth of the tourism sector in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina and contributing to the region’s economic development in the long term.

Tourism is an important economic segment in Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. These countries have a broad spectrum of natural beauty, cultural heritage, and adventure activities that can draw tourists from all over the world. But, in order to compete as a destination in the global tourism market, these destinations must collaborate and coordinate their marketing efforts, particularly in distant (long haul) markets.

Marija Labović, acting director of NTOS, stated on this occasion, “We recognized this as a great opportunity, and I want want to thank you for the initiative, because it is very important for us as a region to be visible in distant (long-haul) markets First and foremost, because travelers coming from afar want to visit more than one country. Second, we’re compatible, you know, with the tourism products that we have, and we’re distinctive in our own way, but we’re still similar enough, let’s call it that, and we’ve had some prior experience. We are a blend of East and West, traditional and modern, and this applies to all three of our countries. In this respect, we may say that the Balkans are truly mysterious, because there are various tourist products that have yet to be found.”

The three countries will pool resources and maximize the impact of joint marketing activities with the intent to boost the countries’ visibility, as well as encourage the sharing of best practices and expertise to develop a common understanding of target markets, tourism trends, and traveler profiles.