Tourism 2025 in Bosnia and Herzegovina is experiencing steady growth, with this year showing positive results and new opportunities for development. In this exclusive interview, Nasiha Pozder, Minister of Environment and Tourism of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, shares insights on the country’s summer season, priorities for autumn and winter tourism, regional cooperation opportunities, and strategic plans for strengthening sustainable tourism and competitiveness in the coming years.
How do you evaluate this year’s summer tourist season in your country – did the results meet expectations, and in which segments do you see the greatest growth?
We can say that this summer tourist season is statistically positive; the data show a slight rise, indicating more tourist arrivals in the first six months of this year. More overnight stays by foreign tourists compared to domestic ones were also recorded, which is excellent considering that foreign guests are a significant driver of tourism. However, the data are still not final; they have yet to be collected since the season has not yet officially ended.
The peak of the season was during the Sarajevo Film Festival. So we can say that the summer tourist season of 2025 in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is successful, showing a mild upward trend in the number of tourists and overnight stays, especially in destinations that are more serious about improving the offer and promotion, and mostly in the segments of eco tourism, rural tourism, etc.
What are your priorities and activities in the last quarter of the year to further strengthen tourist traffic and maintain the continuity of visits outside the summer season?
The upcoming period is challenging for all countries of the region, given that tourism is characterized by seasonality, which is also applicable in our country. As priorities and activities in the last quarter, we could point out that the focus is on autumn and winter tourism (mountains, wellness, cultural events, gastro-tourism), the promotion of outdoor activities such as hiking, cycling, fly fishing, and rafting, as long as the weather permits.
The Ministry also supports cultural, gastronomic, and other festivals that enrich the local offer. Likewise, the Ministry supports promotional tourism campaigns aimed at attracting foreign and domestic tourists.
The Ministry’s activities in the coming period are mostly focused on the adoption of a new Tourism Law and a Tourist Tax Law, which will improve the business environment in this area, regulate certain issues in accordance with world tourism flows, monitor sustainable tourism, and harmonize with the regulations of the European Union.
What would you personally recommend as a must-see destination or experience in your country? And what would you highlight as worth visiting in the countries of the region?
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, we recommend experiencing the unspoiled nature through its rivers and mountains that have not yet been damaged by mass tourism, such as a visit to the Una National Park or hiking on numerous mountains. Our country really offers diverse opportunities, so if you want to visit cities and their culture, you will visit Sarajevo, Mostar, Ljubuški, Travnik, Jajce… Blagaj, Međugorje, Počitelj, and Stolac will bring you closer to historical and religious heritage… I also like to go to the countries of the region, ranging from Dubrovnik to Ljubljana and Lake Bled.
Do you see an opportunity somewhere for joint promotion and linking of offers?
Yes – there is significant potential for joint promotion and regional linking of tourist offers in the Western Balkans and the wider region, especially through topics that are attractive to tourists and naturally connect these areas, thematic tourist routes that cross borders, Balkan gastro tours, the possibility of festivals and fairs that rotate around the countries, etc.
As the entire area of the Balkans shares many similarities, yet each country in the Balkans has its own distinct characteristics, it would be beneficial to highlight this combination of uniqueness and diversity through cooperation and joint tours.
From a normative-legal aspect, the Republic of Croatia is quite interesting to us because it is a member state of the European Union, and many practices are drawn from the legislation in that country. The region is also appealing since tourists often stay for a short time and like to combine several destinations—for example, spending a day in Neum, then visiting Dubrovnik, Herceg Novi, and continuing to Serbia.
What are the main strategic goals of your tourism policy, and in which tourism segments are you currently investing the most?
The main strategic goals and policies in the tourism segment are the development of sustainable tourism, increasing the recognition of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as a destination – both on the domestic and international markets, improving the brand and promotion, encouraging a favorable environment for tourism and hospitality that includes legal reform, public invitations and subsidies, infrastructure investments, incentives for investors, incentives for various tourism entities, connection with the EU integration process and regional cooperation.
Specifically, in recent years, we have doubled the budgets for both tourism and the environment, allocating 4 million euros to each. We adopted the Tourism Development Strategy with the clear intention that it be a developmental and not a social category.
Our country really offers diverse opportunities, so if you want to visit cities and their culture, you will visit Sarajevo, Mostar, Ljubuški, Travnik, Jajce… Blagaj, Međugorje, Počitelj, and Stolac will bring you closer to historical and religious heritage.
What is the current contribution of tourism to the gross domestic product of your country, and what trends do you expect in the coming period?
According to certain sources, the GDP in tourism amounts to 9.2%, and with the growth in the number of tourists and overnight stays (as shown by preliminary data for 2024), it is expected that the contribution of tourism to the GDP will continue to grow – possibly to move above 10% if the current growth trends are maintained.
Where do you see the greatest chances for the further development of tourism in your country and region, and in which fields do you still need to work intensively to improve the offer and increase competitiveness?
When discussing opportunities for further tourism development, it is evident that this depends on the preferences of tourists and the progress of the destination. Strengthening the tourism offer can have a positive impact on the ground if its quality and content complement what is already available to visitors. Therefore, the primary goal for the better development of tourism is to better integrate the offerings at different destinations with the local offerings.
A key task is to improve the infrastructure of destinations, as well as to improve the accommodation capacities that are the basis for the stay and retention of guests visiting for more than 3 days at the destination. The greatest opportunities for further development of tourism in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are natural tourism (ecotourism, outdoor, adventure), the vast untapped potential of the country’s mountains, rivers, lakes, and national parks, winter and mountain tourism, cultural and historical tourism, and gastronomic and ethno tourism.
To mark World Tourism Day on September 27th, Internationalis secured exclusive, high-level interviews with Ministers from the region, including the perspectives of Matjaž Han, Minister of the Economy, Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Slovenia, and Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia.
