BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: mountains challenge war-torn image to attract tourists

Perched on the rocky southern ridges of Mount Bjelasnica, the Bosnian village of Umoljani is both new and ancient. Destroyed during the 1992-95 war, its stone-and-wood huts have been rebuilt, as good as old. Its welcoming people, handmade artefacts and organic food are a window into the past and a hit with tourists seeking a different sort of holiday. Bosnia's tourist arrivals in the first four months of 2007 were almost 20 percent higher than the same period last year and a World Tourism Organisation study predicted the Balkan nation would have the third highest growth rate in the world by 2020. The pristine landscape around Umoljani is one of the many natural gems featured in a new series of adverts promoting Bosnia as a travel destination under the slogan "Enjoy Life". The images challenge Western perceptions of a war-ravaged, brutal and hostile land, projecting instead peaceful beauty and generous hospitality. And the tourists who walk through the mountains seem to be embracing it. "I think the potential is huge and especially since it's a country that is still, for European standards, relatively virgin. So there are lots of things to discover, lots of places to go," said Santiago Fernandez from Spain, as he takes part in an organised walking tour of the area. Bosnia's central bank said tourism generated close to 900 million Bosnian marka (625 million US dollars) last year when, according to official statistics, 500,000 tourists visited the country. The foreign trade chamber said tourism's share of 2006 GDP was 1.3 percent. When he opened his Umoljani guesthouse in 2005 Emin Fatic did not expect to begin turning a profit for a couple of years. Instead, within three months the money was rolling in, as hundreds of nature-lovers began arriving, some from as far away as Australia and New Zealand. "The guests show interest in sitting with local people, talking to them and learning their customs. To see their traditional clothes and to learn about production of natural food, healthy food," said the 52-year-old highlander. Hilary Doyle and Lucas Robinson are visiting Bosnia, from Canada. "To have an opportunity to go and walk around less charted territories with somebody who knows the land and can tell you about it and can tell you about the country and can chat with people, with locals as you run into them, is really an important and great experience," said Hilary. "You read the guide books, like the Lonely Planet type guide books, and they basically say don't step anywhere where there isn't concrete or wood," Lucas added. Australian tourist, Susan McCaughtrie said she relishes getting off the beaten track. "Heaps of people...just go through the guide books and go from city to city, maybe to get drunk in every city...There's more to Bosnia than just a city and that's why it's nice coming out here, walking around, it's quiet. It's quiet, that's important," she said. Life in Umoljani, some 1,300 meters up Mount Bjelasnica is deeply connected to the traditional pursuits of farming and sheep-breeding. Several households grow organic produce while local women sell sturdy woollen socks and jumpers, bragging that their knitting talent is unmatched. The wild beauty around the village is striking. The worldwide adventure tourism market is estimated in a study by Australia's Griffith University at some 500 billion USD a year, and Bosnia's appeal as an unspoilt, off-the-beaten-track destination could see it claim a sizeable slice of that pie.

ITN Source | July 24, 2007

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