For unexplored getaways, Bosnia and Herzegovina is the third best choice

Sairaj Iyer

Bosnia and Herzegovina may not be a common tourist place but it has certainly been one underrated in the tourism avenue. The country along with Armenia and Georgia came to be discussed as one among the top new-age-destinations commonly discussed by customers for a vacation or a short-visit at the recently concluded Travel and Tourism Expo at Mumbai.

Formerly referred to as Yugoslavia, the country was the centre-stage to events such as political unrest, clashes and even a war prior to 1990s. Sadly these negative things have stayed on in people’s minds, but the beautiful country with its warm and affectionate people have been forgotten. Referring to an incident, Dr. Sabit Subasic, H.E, the Ambassador of Bosnia & Herzegovina said, “I was at an event, when I asked people if they knew of Bosnia in the past. People referred to Bolivia, and then with Poland too, and a few referred to the clashes and then the history of war, but sadly no-one had the right answer. Very few people refer to us as the hosts of winter Olympics. We have been historically connected with that for a long time. Perceptions are taking time to change, although we are trending as the country with lot of beautiful destinations to look out for.”

As a Balkan nation, it may not fare regularly in conversations where Singapore, Australia and New Zealand could be discussed. But ask for an unexplored getaway, and your travel-operator is bound to suggest Bosnia and Herzegovina as one among the top 5 options. Dr. Subasic added that his country is the future destination for tourism. “A major proportion of tourists to B&H are Indians. Our sensibilities and cultures are matching. For example, we have a tradition of taking the guest as our God, and Indians also believe the same. Bosnia and Herzegovina is one among the top 3 destinations in the world, thanks to abundance of natural beauty, exotic locations and 1000 rivers that offer a perfect blend of aesthetics and scenery, and I think Indians are also well-connected to scenery and nature,” he shared.

According to a World Tourism Organization report, Bosnian tourism surpassed 1 million arrivals in 2015. Dr. Subasic is confident that he is likely to see his picturesque country featured in Bollywood movies in 2017. “Visitor foot-falls were 25% more from 2014, and came majorly from Poland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia etc. But, we believe that our ‘connect’ with India is only increasing. We are keen to attract Bollywood to our country as well as provide our natural ambience as the perfect background for Indian marriages.”