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The number of tourists visiting Herzegovina is increasing every year, and they have recently shown great interest in sports tourism, but the region, like other European tourist destinations, faces a shortage of labor, so landlords and owners of catering establishments are forced to look for workers from other countries.
“Given the significant development of religious, bathing, cultural urban, sports and other forms of tourism in Herzegovina, it should be said that sports tourism attracted the most tourists in the first quarter, excluding the summer tourist season. “Spring and autumn are the periods with the largest number of tourists compared to all other forms of tourism in Herzegovina in the fourth quarter of the year,” said Anđelko Maslać, acting director of the Herzegovina Tourist Board, in an interview with Fena.
Total tourism passenger traffic will exceed pre-epidemic levels
As he said, they don’t have specific indicators yet, but they are systematically working on connecting all destinations in order to get accurate indicators of future arrivals, stays, overnight stays, and guest flows.
Information obtained from the business tourism sector and previous exhibitions indicates that this tourist season will perform well and the total tourism volume in HNŽ is expected to exceed that of last year.
It is realistic to expect total tourist traffic this year to exceed pre-pandemic levels. Maslač noted that according to the data at the disposal of the HNŽ Tourism Region, the 2023 tourism year will be more successful than the previous one and will be roughly similar to the record-breaking 2019 year in terms of the number of tourists and overnight stays.
As he said, the first quarter was slightly better than the same period last year.
“Apart from the constant involvement of us tourism workers in the tourism market, it can be said that the increasingly mild winters in the Mediterranean are one of the more important reasons for the change in trends in tourist itineraries and offers in the region, so it is expected that future tourism investments and content will follow these trends”, added the Acting Director of the HNŽ Tourism Board.
In Mostar, there are often guests from Middle Eastern countries
The aforementioned forms of tourism largely determine the structure of tourists and their sources. As a pilgrimage site, Medjugorje has attracted pilgrims from more than 100 countries around the world, while destinations such as Mostar and Neum mainly attract tourists from Central European countries and neighboring countries. Maslach said that since Mostar has made significant progress in this regard, it often has guests from distant countries and the Middle East.
He continued that today’s world transport connectivity ensures the availability of every destination, so Herzegovina’s growing position on the world tourism map will bring changes to the current structure of tourists as well as services in Herzegovina.
When asked about expectations for the current quarter, he replied that based on information provided by tourism specialized sectors and past world and regional fairs, this tourism year should exceed the previous one in all parameters.
“Although we live in an uneasy world, the Mediterranean macrotourism area is currently an oasis of safety for potential tourists, which will certainly affect Herzegovina as a Mediterranean region. In this sense, Herzegovina is expected to become a real tourist destination in this season in terms of attractions, accommodation capacity and the number of tourists, with an above-average occupancy rate in all tourist facilities and an increase in the total tourist flow,” he said.
How much is the entrance fee to Mostar Old Town?
When asked if there were plans to introduce a charge for the Old Town of Mostar, he said that it was still free, but there were certain considerations for the rules for entering the Old Town during the summer.
“However, no serious discussions on this matter have taken place so far, so the number of tourists and all conditions for their stay in Mostar remain unchanged. The Mostar City Tourism Board has taken over the future official tourist events and organization in the city of Mostar, and we are sure that they will also consider this possibility in due course,” Maslach added.
As for tourist expenditure, he said that it varies in different destinations in Herzegovina. In the pilgrimage site of Medjugorje, tourists are mostly group guests on full or half board arrangements, leaving little room for non-board expenditure, so it can be said that expenditure there is moderate, i.e. a maximum of 30 euros per person.
On the other hand, Neum, as a summer resort, has a high non-boarding consumption, about 50 euros per person. In this context, Mostar can be said to have the highest off-board consumption, because it is a specific form of tourism, and therefore the needs and preferences of guests are also specific, with an average consumption of more than 50 euros per person.
The average length of stay of tourists in Herzegovina remains two to three days, with short-term travelers usually staying up to five hours on average.
Lack of manpower
Regarding the labor force, he pointed out that the shortage of professional labor in the tourism and hotel industry has become a problem faced by tourism and hotel companies and industries.
Virtually all professions in the sector are in demand, but it is difficult to fill vacancies and demand. Therefore, the tourism and hospitality industry in Herzegovina is forced to look for workers in neighboring countries and often from faraway countries. Maslach said that professions such as waiters, cooks, assistant cooks, pastry chefs, receptionists, tour guides, businessmen, drivers are the professions with the highest demand during the tourist season and this problem definitely requires a serious and systematic approach to solve it.
The growth in the number of tourists has also been brought about by the introduction of direct flights connecting Mostar with several cities such as Zagreb and Belgrade in Italy.
Air traffic is a condition for the development of a specific economic region, including the tourist region of Herzegovina. Maslach noted that the launch of new airlines this year and the connection of Herzegovina with international airports in the surrounding regions and Europe will significantly contribute to the increase in the number of tourists traveling by air to this part of the Mediterranean this tourist season.
Transport connectivity is one of the key factors for development
He also believes that any economic region, or even a tourist destination, should not ignore transport connectivity as one of the key factors for development.
According to him, modern tourists are accustomed to choosing to travel to their destinations by air, therefore this year the competent authorities of Herzegovina took the most serious steps to connect Mostar Airport with the International Airport, thus making a significant contribution to the availability of the tourist market in Herzegovina.
“Mostar Airport is finally recognized as an important and indispensable transit hub and we hope that this will be confirmed in the coming years. Mostar Airport has great potential and we are sure that it will eventually meet everyone’s expectations”, says Acting Director of Tourism Board HNŽ. The Board believes that Herzegovina’s regional tourism policy must take stronger measures to ensure that air transport plays a greater role in the availability of Herzegovina as a tourist destination, as the infrastructure of Mostar Airport can be used to a greater extent.
Finally, he reminded that as part of its marketing activities, HNŽ Tourism Board is present at all major world and regional tourism fairs held on the European continent.
“In addition to all the promotional tools used, we should especially recommend the Herzegovina Virtual Tourism product, which HNŽ TZ offers through its website. With this product, the Tourism Board enables potential visitors to Herzegovina to travel in a more convenient way. New ways – to explore, plan and enjoy the beauty of natural and social tourist attractions and values of Herzegovina from the comfort of their home or any second place”, Maslač concludes.
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