War events in the Middle East and the cancellation of flights to that region are already affecting tourist flows in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the tourism sector warns that the consequences could be visible throughout the year.
The President of the Sarajevo Canton Tourist Board, Haris Fazlagić, said to Fena news agency that all flights connecting Sarajevo with the Gulf countries have been cancelled, which directly affects the arrival of tourists.
“Of course it’s bad because all the flights have been cancelled. As you know, Sarajevo has direct flights with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Emirates, so all these flights have been canceled and of course it is already felt. We will summarize our results at the end of March, but in general, as soon as the planes don’t fly, nobody comes to us, and therefore nobody leaves,” said Fazlagić.
He adds that during the month of Ramadan the arrivals of tourists from those countries are certainly not in large numbers, but that a larger influx of guests is usually expected after Eid.
“Tourists from the mentioned countries are the best tourists who have been visiting Sarajevo for years. I think that their non-arrival and non-appearance will greatly affect tourism in Sarajevo if what is happening is not stopped in the near future. In general, this will certainly affect this year’s tourism in Sarajevo and globally,” he pointed out.
Fazlagić states that the Tourist Board is already working on redirecting the promotion towards other markets, primarily the region and European countries.
“We have been doing it since the first day, although it is a complicated system. We will focus more on domestic tourism, tourism in the region and a little wider than that. When I say wider, it means Slovenia, Austria, Hungary, Germany, Slovakia and all the countries that are several hours’ drive away from Sarajevo and from which tourists can come by car,” he said.
He adds that the plan is to expand to other European markets.
“Our plan is to open markets as much as possible and concentrate on Scandinavia, Poland and the general European market. In the last few years, we had a greater expansion on other continents, which is understandable, but in these developments we will have to expand the European markets. I think it is in our favor that Sarajevo is a favorable and safe destination, so European tourists may choose closer and safer destinations,” said Fazlagić.
Similar estimates come from the Association of Tourist Guides “Vučko” Sarajevo, where they state that a complete drop in tourist arrivals from the countries of the Middle East has already been recorded.
The president of that association, Edin Ogrešević, says that there are 100% cancellations of arrangements from that region.
“The drop in tourist arrivals from that region is 100 percent and it will not recover at the moment. There was also a decrease in the arrival of tourists from Asia and Australia, where arrangements were also 100 percent cancelled,” Ogrešević said.
According to him, if the war events stop, arrivals could recover, but not in the near future.
“Of course it will recover if the war stops, but at the moment we can talk about a safe period of five to six months of decline in arrivals from those destinations,” he pointed out.
He estimates that the total tourist traffic in Bosnia and Herzegovina could be lower by around 20 percent on an annual basis.
“I think that this will affect the year-round arrival of tourists in a percentage of about 20 percent. All guests are welcome and all are important, and tourists from that region made up a significant part of the total arrival,” said Ogrešević.
He adds that in the current circumstances, the arrival of tourists from European countries and nearby destinations is particularly important.
“What is encouraging and positive is that these closer destinations will not fall. We really have to praise the work of the Sarajevo Canton Tourist Board and the CS Ministry of Economy, which financed the airlines. Now those closer destinations are crucial for us,” he said.
He states that currently the most important tourists are those who come by low-cost airlines from European cities.
“Destinations such as Italy via Wizzair, then Ryanair from London, are key tourists for us because we can no longer count on arrivals from distant destinations,” said Ogrešević.
He also warns that the cancellation of flights to major world hubs such as Dubai and Doha has wider consequences for tourist flows.
“In addition to the drop in direct arrivals from the Gulf countries, Australia and Asia are also affected because tourists from Australia travel via Dubai and Qatar, and the same is true for guests from Asia. These are one of the largest airports in the world and very important markets for the Balkan region,” he said.
He adds that the consequences could have a domino effect on other markets.
“This now creates a domino effect on guests from America and Canada who will probably travel less because they will be more careful. That’s why we can count mostly on European tourists this season,” concluded Ogrešević.
