Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina offers a favourable tourist business investment environment with an increasingly active tourism promotional system. [1]

BiH has been a top performer in recent years in terms of tourism development; tourist arrivals have grown by an average of 24% annually from 1995 to 2000 (360,758 in 2002).

According to an estimation of the World Tourism Organization, BiH will have the third highest tourism growth rate in the world between 1995 and 2020.

The major sending countries in 2002 have been Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Germany, Italy, USA, Poland, Great Britain, Austria, and Spain. [2]

In 2006, Lonely Planet named Sarajevo, the national capital, the 43rd Best City in the World, in its Best Cities Book.

With its #43 spot Sarajevo has come ahead of Dubrovnik, #59, Ljubljana at #84, Bled at #90, Zagreb at #125 and Belgrade at #143, making Sarajevo the best ranking city on the Balkan peninsula.[3]

Tourism in Sarajevo is chiefly focused on historical, religious, and cultural aspects. (see also: Sites of interest in Sarajevo)

In the week of July 24, 2006, Bosnia: Rebirth of a Nation was the feature expedition on the popular Richard Bangs Adventures page, part of Yahoo!, and sponsored by Travelocity.

Sarajevo, the national capital, hosted the 1984 Winter Olympic Games, which, at the time, were the largest Winter Games ever (in terms of athletes and media).

The country lost its reputation as an excellent ski destination during the war-torn period between 1992 and 1995.

Presently, the economy and tourism are on the way back up, and the area provides some of the best-value ski vacations in Europe. [4]

More recently, the town of Visoko has experienced a staggering increase in tourist arrivals due to the alleged discovery of the Bosnian pyramids, attracting in excess of 10,000 tourists in the first weekend of June 2006.

Additionally, the pyramids have attracted the attention of Egyptian geologist and expert in pyramids, Aly Abd Alla Barakat, who in May 2006 confirmed the existence of a pyramid in Visoko.[5]

Some of the tourist attractions in Bosnia and Herzegovina include:

• city of Sarajevo;
• city of Banja Luka, the "Green City";
• city of Mostar (site of Stari Most);
• the coastal city of Neum;
• city of Višegrad and the Old bridge;
• the Una river, and the city of Bihac;
• the town of Stolac; Begovina neighborhood and Radimlja tombstones
• the town of Visoko (site of the Bosnian pyramids); and
• mount Bjelašnica and Jahorina (sites of the XIV Olympic Winter Games)

[edit] UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Bosnia and Herzegovina

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included the following BiH sites on its World Heritage List:

• The Old Mostar Bridge (Stari Most)

Additionally, the alleged Bosnian pyramids are currently undergoing inspection by a team of experts sent by UNESCO in June 2006.[6]

[edit] External links

• VisitMostar.net - Ultimate tourist guide to Mostar, city of UNESCO
• Bosnia and Herzegovina - Things to Do - Travel Guides
• Ask Richard Bangs: What about Bosnia?
• News Coverage of Southeast Europe
• Tourism Association of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Bosnia and Herzegovina online
• The Heart Shaped land - BIH
• GreenVisions BIH
• National Monuments - Muslibegovica House
• Banja Luka Tourist Organisation
• Bosnia Travel Guide
• Hidden Bosnia: Trips, Places

[edit] Photographs

• Europe on the Matrix: Bosnia-Herzegovina — Photographs and information.