In the tourism sector, there were unforeseeable consequences caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and in the past five months, a 100% drop in traffic was recorded, which led to the loss of jobs.
Some of the most prestigious hotels in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina are announcing the closure, and for now the only salvation is the help of the competent institutions, which has been lacking, Avaz news portal reports.
Last year, at this time in Sarajevo hotels, everything was bustling with visitors, and now in the hotel corridors and rooms there is silence and emptiness left behind by the coronavirus pandemic.
Although a week ago, the Council of Ministers made a decision on the entry of foreign nationals into BiH, but with the obligatory coronavirus test not older than 48 hours, the hotels are still empty.
The group of hotels “Evropa” records millions of losses, and all reservations have been canceled until 2021.
The director of this group, Rasim Bajrovic, says that in the last five years of business, the biggest income was generated by tourists from Turkey and Arab countries.
“Who knows how many times we appeal to the Council of Ministers to open the borders to Turkey, Arab countries and all other countries friendly to us as soon as possible, in order to save at least part of this tourist season and improve our business. That is more of a reason to enable borders and the arrival of tourists as early as tomorrow,” says Bajrovic.
He adds that the hotel industry needs and expects the help of all levels of government until April 2021, and that he hopes that the black scenarios around the closure of the hotel will be avoided for the general satisfaction of the entire society.
The owner of the Ilidza Hotel Group, Alija Budnjo, states that currently only several guests are staying in the “Terme” hotel, and the capacity of the hotel is as many as 12,000 beds.
“We have already closed four hotels, “Austria”, “Bosnia”, “Herzegovina” and “Kristal”, and currently “Terme” and the apartment complex “Oaza” are working, although it is also closed for guests, only a restaurant is open. If the authorities do not meet by the beginning of August, we will be forced to close other hotels and lay off all workers, because we are no longer able to finance. We do not have guests from Europe at all,” Budnjo points out.
