With a ceremonial program at Babanovac, the winter tourist season in the Central Bosnia Canton (CBC) area was officially opened yesterday, as well as the popular event “Sankanje.”
For visitors, the organizers from the Tourist Board of the CBC prepared a variety of activities for the next two days, and during the opening ceremony the new logo and slogan of the Central Bosnia tourist destination were presented, along with the website of the CBC winter centers – ski.srednjabosna.ba – and the new ski passes for the Vlasic Sports and Recreation Center. The celebration was not spoiled even by the fact that there was no snow.
The Prime Minister of CBC, Tahir Lendo, said that tourism occupies an important place in the canton’s economy.
“This year, our Ministry of Economy has also prepared certain incentives for the winter centers. It’s not a large sum, but it’s important because it can cover some costs or help with preparations for the tourist season. Analyses show that the year was extremely good when it comes to tourism, that there was an increase in overnight stays and visits, and we hope that this trend will continue and intensify,” Lendo said.
Miroslav Matosevic, director of the CBC Tourist Board, emphasized that they expect more than 10.000 overnight stays on Vlasic over the weekend.
“On Vlasic, an extra bed is in demand; there are just over 2.500 beds in registered accommodation facilities on the mountain. If we consider that this is only one quarter of the total capacity and that these are fully booked, that means 5.000 realized overnight stays, plus overnight stays in other facilities. We hope that just on Vlasic mountain this weekend we will have more than 10.000 overnight stays,” Matosevic stated.
Kenan Dautovic, mayor of the Municipality of Travnik, highlighted that Vlašić has remained a people’s winter center.
“Travnik is a popular destination when compared with other winter centers. In a way, we have remained a people’s winter center, with prices that people can afford. In terms of infrastructure, despite the problems we still haven’t solved, private investors are not giving up on Vlasic, which speaks for itself – they surely know why they are investing. As for the municipality, we are trying to keep up infrastructurally with all the necessary amenities,” Dautovic emphasized.
Goran Saric, owner of a company that handles vertical transport on Vlasic, said that everything is ready for artificial snow production as soon as temperatures drop below zero.
“We are used to being patient; the snowmaking system has been repaired and is ready. We are just waiting for sub-zero temperatures, and we will start making snow at the first opportunity. It’s not the first time, but it’s not too late – ideally, we start the season between December 20th and 25th,” Saric said.
Samer Dolovac, director of the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Travnik, invited guests to breathe deeply on the mountain.
“Today, at the opening of the season, guests had the opportunity to come out of the fog and breathe freely, just as we are doing on this beautiful mountain of ours. They should relax, rest, and enjoy the benefits and good entertainment programs, whether daytime or nighttime. This is a prelude to the winter season, which we expect to be a good one,” Dolovac stated.
