British Tour Agents Captivated by Bosnia-Herzegovina
"I am fascinated with what I have seen and tried while I was here. My agency will do our best to include your country in our tourist offer," exclaimed UK tourist agent Allison White during her first visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH).
Eleven British tour operators and eight journalists traveled to various destinations in BiH courtesy of the BiH Tourism Cluster with the support of USAID's Cluster Competitiveness Activity (CCA). The tour operators specialize in ecological tourism, youth tourism, "city breaks,” and educational journeys.
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| British tour operators visit Franciscan Monastery and Humac Museum in Ljubuski |
The visit was organized in cooperation with British Airways, which launched its first direct flight from London to Sarajevo on March 25th, 2007.
The guests toured the country, visiting Sarajevo and nearby Olympic ski slopes, Mostar, Trebinje, Pocitelj, Stolac, and the shrine to the Virgin in Medjugorje. They sampled products on the famous Herzegovina Wine Route, and viewed a presentation by the regional tourism association.
Sead Krupalija, of the local agency Zepter Passport, commented, "This was an excellent journey. We have already agreed on short trips to Sarajevo with the London-based Balkan Holidays travel agency. Thomas Cook is interested in fly fishing and Saga Holidays in cultural tourism."
USAID has also facilitated the development of Sarajevo and BiH tour guidebooks. Said British journalist John Bell, "Nowadays, when you enter any bookstore in the UK, you will be able to find a whole selection of guides to BiH. This represents important progress."
The UK generates more outbound tourists than any other country in Europe. Thanks to USAID, the BiH tourist industry now has a much greater opportunity to attract customers from this market.
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