Bosnian and Herzegovinian travel writer and blogger Robert Dacešin gathered a group of bloggers from across the world in early July. They traveled across Bosnia and Herzegovina with him for 11 days as part of the “Discovering Bosnia & Herzegovina” project. Upon completing the trip, they shared their impressions with the global audience.
Dacešin told Fena that the project surpassed his expectations. The idea behind the Project “Discovering Bosnia & Herzegovina” was to present Bosnia and Herzegovina to the group of 11 international travel bloggers and content creators as we know it – authentic, welcoming, diverse and still unknown to big part of the world.
“These were not classic tourist tours, but a trip through experience, meeting people, local gastronomy, nature and stories that make up our country’s identity. This is why I believe that the content they created will have much greater value than any other basic promotional campaign,” he emphasized.
According to him, the project’s greatest value lies in the participants’ reaction. Almost everyone told me that Bosnia and Herzegovina has transcended their expectations. Most of them, before arriving, did not know much about our country, and some had very limited findings about what they could experience here.
“After eleven days of mutual travelling, they left with a belief that Bosnia and Herzegovina is one of the most underrated tourist destinations in Europe. One of the guests asked, publicly and honestly, if this might be the most beautiful country in Europe. This meant a lot to us, especially coming from someone who has visited almost every European country. Others commented they were surprised that the places we toured are familiar to such a small number of people,” Dacešin told Fena.
He believes that they were mostly fascinated by the diversity Bosnia and Herzegovina offers. In only a couple of days, they had the opportunity to experience different landscapes – ranging from Una and its waterfalls, through medieval Jajce, the highlands surrounding Livno, Blidnje, and Jablanica, to Sarajevo, Mostar, Kravica, Vjetrenica, and Trebinje.
“Many said they did not expect that such a relatively small country could offer so many diverse experiences over a small distance. The mix of nature, history, and diverse cultures left the strongest impression on them,” he emphasized.
If he had to highlight the moments that astonished them the most, Dacešin singled out the encounter with wild horses in Livno, a canoe ride on the Sturba River, Una National Park, a kayak tour in Jablanica, waterfalls in Jajce and Kravica, a tour of the UNESCO-listed Vjetrenica Cave, as well as the walks in the streets of Sarajevo and Mostar, where they met honest and warm people.
“Most of the photos and videos were taken at these locations, which they immediately shared with their followers from across the world. Livno was honestly one of the biggest surprises for all participants. I have been saying for years that Livno is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s hidden gems and I am glad they confirmed that,” he said.
It was not nature that surprised them the most, but people. Almost everyone emphasized how heartwarming the hosts were, how welcome they felt wherever they arrived, and how much spontaneous situations impossible to plan ahead astonished them.
“They often said that the people were the ones who gave a completely new dimension to every destination,” Dacešin emphasized.
They were also impressed to see the church, mosque, and synagogue all in one place, and to feel the richness of the diverse cultures that together make up Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“That was something they emphasized more than once, as a special value of our country. Maybe this is one of the main reasons why everyone in this country can feel at home,” he said.
During the entire trip, they tried, Dacešin said, not to eat in restaurants that offer universal cuisine, but to get familiar with what is authentic for every area.
“When it comes to food, I think I can freely say that it absolutely amazed all participants. They tried local specialties – domestic cheese, traditional meals and products of local producers. They were especially thrilled by Livno cheese, domestic cuisine in Herzegovina, and that almost every place has its gastronomic story. This is what travelling is about, for people to meet the country with all their senses,” he emphasized.
Honestly, he said, there were almost no negative comments. It was weird to them that Bosnia and Herzegovina is not better known on the world tourism map.
“More of them told me that they don’t understand why millions of tourists are still choosing the most famous tourist destinations, while here there are so many authentic experiences, without crowds and mass tourism. This is where I see our greatest advantage. Today in Europe, more and more people seek peace, nature, and authenticity, and Bosnia and Herzegovina still has that,” Dacešin emphasized.
He believes that such projects can have a great significance for tourism development in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today, people no longer choose destinations based on brochures, but based on real experiences they see on social media.
“When someone who has been traveling the world for years and has an audience of several hundred thousand or millions of people, and honestly says that they were amazed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, it holds much greater weight than any other paid commercial. For this reason, we wanted the participants to have enough time to truly experience the country, not only photograph it. Their video-recordings and posts will continue to come out weeks and months after the Project’s completion, which means that promotion of Bosnia and Herzegovina is yet to start,” he said.
He is especially happy they managed to present to them not only Sarajevo and Mostar – leading in popularity, but many other destinations that are often overlooked by international guests.
“I think the future of our tourism lies exactly there, in promoting the entire Bosnia and Herzegovina and showing how rich it is in nature, culture, history, and people. This is only the beginning of a bigger story. I already think about the next editions of the Project. My goal is to bring new international authors and content creators to Bosnia and Herzegovina every year to present our country to millions of people worldwide. I am convinced that Bosnia and Herzegovina has all it takes to become one of the most wanted destinations for travelers looking for authentic experiences, sustainable tourism and places that have not yet lost their soul. If we managed to change the perception of at least part of the world about Bosnia and Herzegovina, then I think we have achieved our goal,” Dacešin emphasized.
In the end, he shared one emotion from their departure. They said that Bosnia and Herzegovina became their second home in only eleven days.
“It was not only about natural beauties and all places they visited, but above all about warmth and love they felt from people they just met. There are many pretty countries and cities, but not a lot of countries have such a mix of nature, history, and honest hospitality.”
“They did not see this trip as another business engagement, which was my main goal. If people who have travelled almost the entire world can’t wait to return to Bosnia and Herzegovina and bring their families and friends, then I believe this is the clearest indicator that the project was successful and that our country has a lot to offer. We don’t have to prove this to anyone else; it is enough that we continue to tell our story with pride,” emphasized Robert Dacešin in a talk to Fena.
He is grateful to all partners who supported the project and all kind people they met during the entire trip.
“I am equally grateful to those who did not support the Project, the ones we contacted and asked for support in some way, those who did not respond to our messages although we only wanted to bring people who would promote their services and be of use to them. You further motivated me to create this project with a pure heart, and your rejections served as a wind in our sails,” Dacešin emphasized.
Robert Dacešin from Banja Luka, together with his team, made many recordings across Bosnia and Herzegovina, but always keeps finding new ways to promote its natural beauty, culture, and tourist destinations in the best possible way. He has travelled to many countries across the world, sharing experiences and challenges from different destinations. With his engagement, he showed how the authenticity and beauty of one country can be presented through contemporary digital tools.
