What the new tourism law in FBiH brings: Stricter controls, better educated guides, more money for the budget

A group of domestic and international tourism experts have been working intensively in recent weeks on amendments to the Tourism Law in FBiH, reports Patria agency. The new legal solutions could soon be before the Parliament of FBiH. If adopted, it is believed they will bring innovations that will open opportunities for new investments as well as new jobs in the country. It is also estimated that tourism can replace the struggling heavy industry, which once provided a livelihood for the largest number of inhabitants in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

- Tourism is one of the more promising sectors in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If this area is properly regulated, it is certain that it can bring hundreds of millions of marks annually to the budget of Bosnia and Herzegovina - says in a statement for Patria Huso Hadžić, director of the Agency for Cultural-Historical and Natural Heritage and Development of Tourism Potentials of Jajce.

- If we revive tourism at full capacity, it will be a driver for the rest of the economy in the country - Hadžić is optimistic.

Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the rise, even with incomplete legal solutions. In FBiH even more so than in RS. According to data from the Federal Agency for Statistics, in the first ten months of 2015 alone, over 650,000 tourists visited FBiH. That is 27.3 percent more compared to the same period a year earlier. The number of overnight stays also increased by 33 percent. With the new tourism law in FBiH, these figures could increase further. Practically, the changes to the law will bring federal tourism to the level of European standards.

Experts warn that in FBiH, levies for those who want to engage in tourism should first be reduced. On the other hand, control over tourist supervision should be increased. Today, the situation is such that even when tourists pay the tourist tax in FBiH, tourism workers can keep the money for themselves.

- According to data from the Institute for Statistics, the number of overnight stays is continuously growing, but the revenues from this do not correspond. It is clearly visible that something is not right - the Employers' Association of FBiH has warned several times. The Federal Ministry of Tourism and Environment explains that the new law will precisely prevent such malpractices. This means there will be more money in the state treasury. Criteria will also be tightened for those who want to be tourist guides. Those who are not in the unique database will not be able to guide tourists. The categorization of hotels and other catering facilities will also be more strictly supervised, those with four or five stars at the federal level, and those with two or three stars at the cantonal level, reports Patria.