The villages in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with well-kept households, healthy food, clean air, kind hosts and rich natural and cultural-historical heritage can be our new tourist brand, said the Federal Minister of Environment and Tourism Edita Dapo
”We welcomed the World Tourism Day in 2020 in a very specific and difficult time of uncertainty, at a time when we in BiH, as well as the whole world, are struggling with a coronavirus pandemic. Its consequences are enormous, the tourism sector and the sectors associated with this activity are recording constant losses, and a large number of people are losing their jobs. However, just like any other crisis, I believe that the COVID-19 pandemic can be seen as our great chance,” Djapo emphasized.
She stated that closed borders and significantly reduced movement of people have returned people to a safe life, to the countryside, small and very little known tourist places and destinations.
She believes that the development of rural tourism is an important factor in promoting the potential of BiH, and that it also helps to preserve traditions and customs.
”This brings us back to the village and a healthy lifestyle where rural households are an invaluable social and natural resource, a peaceful and healthy environment, and communication with local hosts. Rural tourism gives the opportunity to taste local food, agricultural products and get acquainted with life in the countryside, which can be very attractive for potential tourists who have not preferred rural tourism as a form of vacation – said Djapo.
She concludes by saying that such small, individual rural households can become new and undiscovered oases of a healthy and quality life in which, under the influence of a pandemic, people return to tradition and a forgotten environment.
