Inspiration in everything is our homeland, its nature, and cultural heritage.
Bosnia and Herzegovina can become a leading tourist destination in the region
During his studies, Afan Abazović from Zenica worked as a tourist guide for a local travel agency and traveled Europe with tourists from Bosnia and Herzegovina. For the now 36-year-old law graduate, this employment was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
As an enthusiast of the BiH’s cultural and natural treasures, Afan has always felt that his homeland could become a popular tourist destination. Therefore, fourteen years ago, he swapped the streets of tourist centers in Spain, Italy, Turkey, and Greece for the streets of his hometown and the paths of the surrounding mountains, where he joyfully leads his guests.
„I approach Turizam with great love, with the intention to teach others about all the beauties we have, and this is what has been guiding me all this time“, he says.
Intriguing socialist architecture, rich multicultural life, important national monuments, good traffic connectivity with the rest of the country, as well as nearby mountains of extraordinary beauty are some of the characteristics of Zenica that Afan identified as an optimal predispositions for the development of tourism. But also the surprise factor and the visitors’ expectations, which are almost zero, he adds.
„To be honest, initially I often received comments with a sneer like: ‘What does Zenica have to do with tourism?’ and ‘Are you really going to take people under the smokestacks of Željezara?’, and similar. But the story has completely changed,”says this young man who has undergone numerous trainings for tourist guides, registered a mountain guide business under the name Afantour, and created many interestingly designed city and mountain tours for which interest is increasingly growing.
„If everything were set up correctly, tourism is one of the economic areas that would eliminate the necessity for travel to Germany,“ says Afan. “The tourist season lasts all year, we have winter tourism, summer tourism, we are a country that is said to be the westernmost point of the East and the easternmost point of the West, relatively unknown to the wider tourism world, and all these are arguments that work for us, we just need to package them in quality cellophane, put a bow on it and place it on the market.”
Afan is also agreed with by thirty-five-year-old Amela Bubalo from Konjic, who founded the tourist agency Visit Konjic in 2012. Amela’s agency offers various adrenaline tourism services, from rafting on the Neretva to mountaineering activities on Prenj, one of the most beautiful BiH mountains.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina has great potential to become the leading tourist destination in the region, and certainly wider, when looking at the rich cultural, gastro, religious, and adventure tourism offerings,”saysAmela.
Like Afan, Amela also studied law, and while traveling, she heard of new trends in tourism, then opened her own business and started offering tourist services to guests from abroad. Amela believes that the advantage of working in tourism is precisely that it is interdisciplinary, as in it, people with various professional interests and education can find their place: from creatives, economists, and lawyers, to athletes and ecologists.
Tourism can be an excellent source of income
With a university degree in ecology and environmental protection, and experience of working in tourism in the United States, thirty-three-year-old Danijel Prpoš opened Kamp Bukovica on his family estate near Gradiška last year. Independence, flexibility in making decisions and free time, and making contacts with people from various business sectors and countries are considered the main advantages of working in tourism. “Also, it is an excellent opportunity to improve the country’s tourism, which is one of the main goals, and on the other hand, in a private sense, it is an excellent source of income for the whole family,” says Danijel.
Although the pandemic has slowed this growth, between 2021 and 2027, 18,500 new jobs could be generated in the tourism industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while the deficit of qualified personnel in the same period could reach 8,100 workers, according to USAID Turizam’s Human Capital Needs Assessment and Forecast for BiH tourism sector. However, the existing workforce needs modern skills and knowledge about quality provision of tourism services, according to USAID’s estimates.
Tourist workers as country ambassadors
“We are still not aware of how significant tourist workers are as ambassadors of the state,” says Afan, explaining the importance of a well-educated workforce for the development of the tourism industry in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Guests notice every little thing, and that is why everyone in the tourism value chain must do their job in the best way.”
The U.S. Government encourages young people to be educated and work in the field of tourism through the USAID’s Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Turizam), which has recently published useful course for the youth in the field of hospitality and tourism at Turizam Academy online educational platform. The course specifically aims to inform youth about multiple career possibilities for those who are currently feeling lost in a sea of opportunities and lack the capacity to profile themselves in a certain area of expertise. Through a short and dynamic online course called Turizam for Youth: A Path to a Career, young people can explore different aspects of Turizam and hospitality, tailored to different personality types, and find their place in this sector. The course includes a lecture by Robert Dacešin, a popular travel blogger from Banja Luka, who talks about why young people should explore or start a career in tourism and hospitality.
And maybe then you will follow the same path as Amela from Konjic, who found inspiration for work, and a job she loves, in the beauties of her country: “Inspiration in everything is our homeland, its nature, and cultural heritage. I recognized these values and decided to present them to foreign tourists.”
