Čolpa's Conclusion Adopted: Departure Tax from Sarajevo International Airport to be Abolished

(Patria) - Member of the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament, Nihad Čolpa, proposed a conclusion obliging the FBiH Government to annul the provision in the Decision on Passenger Tax - Fee for the development and improvement of air traffic in FBiH, according to which, until now, every departing passenger from Sarajevo International Airport had to pay a Federal Tax in the amount of 20 KM, as well as to secure funds for Tuzla and Mostar airports through the budget. The Parliament supported this conclusion.

"Sarajevo Airport is the most expensive in the region. The fees are up to four times higher than in Turkey, where only domestic citizens pay fees, all with the aim of attracting as many tourists as possible.
Compared to Turkey and the surrounding countries, the larger BiH entity, instead of enabling the cheapest possible arrival of foreign tourists to Sarajevo, the FBiH has prescribed a fee that has made Sarajevo International Airport the least competitive in the region," said Čolpa.

If we know that FBiH does not have developed road infrastructure, then the arrival of foreign tourists is slow and very expensive with levies such as the departure passenger tax. Opening up possibilities for faster, easier, and cheaper transport will ensure a larger number of tourist visits. We will have multiple benefits from every tourist who comes to the country. The demand for hotel accommodation is growing, which is a signal for new domestic investments in expanding accommodation capacities, which in turn means opening new jobs in the service sector. Carriers will benefit, as will all other economic branches related to tourism. The most important effect of the increase in the number of tourists in our country is the growth of consumption," Čolpa stated.

Our cultural and historical heritage, the blend of Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian architecture, beautiful Olympic mountains, as well as the diverse gastronomic offer give us the predisposition to make our offer more competitive than the offers of other countries in the region. The abolition of the senseless departure passenger tax from Sarajevo International Airport is the first in a series of measures to make BiH a tourism leader in the region, which it deserves, Čolpa concluded.