Bjelašnica and Igman depend exclusively on snow: If it doesn't fall soon, the tourist season is ruined

The winter season in Bosnia and Herzegovina is under threat. If snow does not fall in the next few days and last at least until the end of February, tourism workers will be in trouble. Last winter was one of the best in the last 20 years.

Night skiing on Bjelašnica has been postponed until further notice. On Malo Polje on Igman, there are also minimal amounts of snow.
In Babin Do on Bjelašnica and on Malo and Veliko Polje on Igman, it is also warm, with temperatures around three degrees.

The winter idyll can only be felt at the mountain tops, where the temperature is below zero and the snow depth is slightly more than 20 cm. Unfortunately, reaching the tops of Bjelašnica and Igman is almost impossible.

Tourism expert Amel Salihbašić told the Bosnian news agency Patria that Bosnia and Herzegovina's strategy for mountain tourism is wrong. The mountain, he says, should be alive all 12 months of the year, not just during winter. However, this requires new investments and new ideas. And BiH is suitable for new investments, because the country's natural beauty is far from being fully exploited.

- Bjelašnica has several restaurants at the foot of the mountain, but what about those tourists who want to have lunch or drink coffee at the top of the mountain and enjoy the view? - asks Salihbašić. He has personally done a lot to promote BiH tourism. His book „Come, See, Tell Others - BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA“ has been translated into four world languages. However, Salihbašić himself repeatedly faces problems with tourism infrastructure in BiH.

- People come to the mountains to enjoy the clean air. And you must enable them to do that all year round, regardless of whether it is summer, winter, or beautiful autumn - says Salihbašić.

- First of all, you must enable people to have access to every part of the mountain, including the highest and most remote ones. In some places, this can be solved with lifts, and in others with simple hiking trails. Furthermore, skiing is interesting only to one group of tourists, but those who manage the mountain must know how to please those who do not want to ski as well. That is why there are mountain restaurants, cabins, walking paths, cycling trails, sports fields, adrenaline parks... Such facilities will work during winter but also during summer. Also, you must take care of people who do not have cars; for them, you must provide public city transport that runs regularly - says Salihbašić.

Prenj, this tourism expert reminds, is one of the most beautiful mountains in the region, but to enjoy its beauties, you must first overcome ascents that are challenging even for experienced hikers. The trails can only be used by those who know them well, because they are not marked.

In Austria, for example, tourists spend more money on local food, clothing, and handicrafts than on ski passes. The trend of developing mountain tourism in that direction is more pronounced with the emergence of climate change, writes Patria.