Bosnia and Herzegovina has become an emerging tourist
destination in recent years with an average 10% growth in arrivals and
overnight stays since 2010. Sarajevo is the main driver of rising tourism rates
as its annual growth is around 4 percentage points higher than the country’s
benchmark. Largest number of tourist arrivals in Bosnia and Herzegovina comes
from foreign tourists, with 70% of total arrivals. Neighboring countries:
Croatia, Serbia and Slovenia together held 18% market share in 2016.
In recent
four years, Bosnia and Herzegovina has become an attractive market for tourists from Middle East countries, South Korea and China which achieved 100+% year on
year tourists arrivals growth. Tourism and airline industry go hand in hand, as
is the case with the Bosnian market, substantial number of airlines started
flying to Bosnia and Herzegovina in past two years stimulating tourism and
hospitality sector. The largest increase in operated flights and passengers
carried has been recorded to Arabian Peninsula countries. Currently Sarajevo is
connected with Dubai, Sharjah, Kuwait City, Doha and Riyadh. Most of the
flights are summer seasonal, but year after year flights are increasing with
season extending into fall. For summer 2018 Flydubai will start daily flights
to Sarajevo from March 25. 2018, increasing flights to three daily in peak
summer months. Newcomer at Sarajevo Airport Qatar Airways, will most likely
increase its service from Doha to daily, while in near future Kuwait Airways
will introduce Kuwait-Sarajevo flights as well. It is also very likely that Emirates
will launch Dubai-Sarajevo flights in near future.
With Sarajevo Airport expansion
and investments in building four and five star hotels and resorts, we will see
more airlines operating flights to Sarajevo, covering under-served markets such as: Amsterdam, Paris, Brussels, Moscow, London, Rome,
Frankfurt etc... In coming years, we can expect more low-cost airlines starting
flights to Bosnia and Herzegovina, especially to Mostar.
Within the last month the mayors of Sarajevo, Belgrade and Beijing
held talks in Belgrade about possible direct flights from China to Sarajevo via
Belgrade. Currently Hainan Airlines operates two weekly flights from Beijing to
Belgrade via Prague. Initiative by the city mayors is for the flights to operate
via Belgrade to Sarajevo instead of Prague. Flights would cater to a substantial
number of Chinese tourist visiting the region. Major step in that direction was
made by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and China by abolish visas for
its citizens from January 01. 2018.
Bosnia and Herzegovina tourist numbers (January-September
2017)
In the
period January - September 2017, Bosnia and Herzegovina was visited by
1.025.975 tourists, representing an increase of 13,7% compared to the same time
of last year. Total of 2.136.036 overnight stays were recorded, which is 12,6%
more than in the same period of 2016. First nine months of the year Bosnia and
Herzegovina was visited by 743.478 foreign tourists, representing an increase
of 18,1%. Foreign tourists made 1.555.832 overnight stays, an increase of 16,1%.
Notable increase of tourists has been recorded from: Israel 7.161 (increase of
316,7%), Belgium 5.183 (increase of 61,1%), Canada 5.258 (increase of 40,3%)
and Russia 4.328 (increase of 35,2%).
By the
length of stay of foreign visitors to Bosnia and Herzegovina, tourists from Malta
stay the longest with an average stay of 6,1 nights, Kuwait with 3,7 nights,
Ireland with 3,5 nights, Qatar with 3,4 nights, France and Iran with 3,2 nights,
Romania with 3,1 nights and United Arab Emirates with 3,0 nights.
Bosnia ans Herzegovina tourist arrivals (Jan-Sep 2017)
Source:Flying Bosnian and Agency for statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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