Over 10.000 overnight stays are expected in Medjugorje for Easter next Sunday, according to the reservations received, which will also determine expectations for the upcoming season, which is on trial due to long waits at the border crossings with Croatia and the European Union (EU).
This information was confirmed by the president of the Association of Tourism, Hospitality and Room Rental in Medjugorje, Davor Ljubic, stating that this Herzegovinian tourist place is cautious about the upcoming tourist season, even though there are a large number of guests who want to come.
Waiting at the border with Croatia
He claims that restaurateurs and hoteliers are ready for the coming season, but he wonders how ready the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) is for it, because he believes that tourism is facing a new challenge due to increasingly difficult border crossings with Croatia, which is also the border for the EU, and long waits. He believes that BiH should have resolved this with the neighboring country a long time ago, but there is still no indication that it will solve it.
“At the national level, the problem of crossing the border between Croatia and BiH should be solved and people should be able to come here more easily. The VAT collection for carriers coming from other countries to BiHmust be solved differently, where the most time is wasted. The fact is that it must define VAT as a flat rate per invoice, as Croatia did two years ago, and not for people at the border to suffer and wait 45 minutes or more because of that invoice. There are a lot of things left unfinished and BiH is not ready for some things and must work on it not only because of Medjugorje, but in general because of BiH,” said Ljubic.
Great interest of tourists
“For the Easter holidays, according to reservations, capacitiesshould be fuller than the last three years and the expectations are really high. Easter is the biggest Catholic holiday that traditionally gathers a large number of believers from all countries of the world, and this year will also be an indicator of what kind of season can be expected. If we have 10.000 overnight stays for Easter, as we expect based on the bookings received, we can expect all accommodation capacities to be filled during the season,” Ljubic told.
However, in order for tourism to shine in full glory, not only in Medjugorje, but in all of Herzegovina, but also in the whole country, according to him, some preconditions need to be solved by the governing structures, and their move is crucial, with all the readiness of hoteliers, restaurateurs and tourist workers, as well as goodwill of tourists to come to BiH.
