Residents of Sarajevo and numerous visitors will welcome the New Year 2026 at a new location behind Sarajevo City Center, while data from last year’s holiday period show that the public New Year’s celebration brought record economic and tourism results.
According to information from the Sarajevo City Administration, based on data from the Tax Administration of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), in the period from December 25th, 2024, to January 4th, 2025, turnover of more than 160 million BAM was recorded in three key sectors: retail trade, hotels and similar accommodation, and hospitality.
Growth in the number of tourists and overnight stays
The Canton Sarajevo (CS) Tourist Board records a 30 percent increase in tourist arrivals, while the number of overnight stays increased by 23 percent compared to the previous year.
In December 2024, the average length of stay of tourists was 2.2 days, which represents a slight increase compared to the year before. Foreign tourists in Sarajevo stayed an average of 2.4 days, while domestic guests stayed an average of 1.5 days.
Statistics confirm an upward trend
Data from the Federal Institute of Statistics confirm the positive trend; in December, 78.027 arrivals and 146.254 overnight stays were recorded, while in January 2025, the number of arrivals increased by almost ten percent.
The highest number of overnight stays was recorded by tourists from Croatia, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia, and Germany.
An assessment by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of CS shows that around 55.000 visitors attended the public welcoming of the New Year 2025, which is approximately 25.000 more compared to the previous year.
Hotel capacities are filled to the last spot
The Minister of Economy of CS, Zlatko Mijatovic, said that hotel capacities during the holiday period were fully occupied.
“This is a clear indicator that such events have a strong positive economic impulse. Our goal is to extend the New Year period, enrich the content, and ensure that guests stay longer, are satisfied, and return,” said Mijatovic.
He added that a strategic document that would systematically cover the organization of New Year events does not yet exist, but that the tourism development strategy is in its final phase and will also include the holiday segment.
New location due to infrastructure and accessibility
Speaking about the new location of the celebration behind Sarajevo City Center, Mijatovic stated that the decision was probably made due to better traffic connectivity and the proximity of parking spaces.
“The City of Sarajevo, in cooperation with the Centar Municipality, likely made the decision taking into account all aspects of organizing the public celebration,” he added.
Sarajevo in competition with regional destinations
Professor at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Sarajevo, Maja Arslanagic Kalajdzic, pointed out that Sarajevo is not the only city in the region striving to position itself as an attractive New Year’s destination.
She recalled that in 2022, she participated in the preparation of the Analysis of the Justification of Investing Budget Funds in the Organization of the Public New Year’s Celebration, prepared by the Sarajevo Institute of Economics.
“We analyzed Budva, Porec, Zagreb, and Belgrade. All of these cities target similar groups of tourists. Sarajevo has recorded strong growth in arrivals and overnight stays over the past two years, especially in the period of recovery after the pandemic,” she said.
Potential exists, but planned development is needed
According to her assessment, an investment of around 500.000 BAM in organizing the public New Year’s celebration would be justified, but she emphasized that a more developed marketing and strategic approach is needed.
“Sarajevo is a brand, but the marketing concept needs to be further developed. It is necessary to more clearly define target tourist groups and conduct field research on attitudes and perceptions. The methodology was proposed, but never implemented,” she said.
She concluded that such an approach would enable better-quality planning and greater competitiveness of Sarajevo, citing the example of Zagreb, whose Advent lasts throughout December and attracts tourists from all over the world.
“Sarajevo has potential, but the offer must be richer in content and planned in the long term,” Arslanagic Kalajdzic said.
