Bosnia & Herzegovina exhibits at the World Travel Market for the first time
At the World Travel Market (WTM), which took place in London over November 11 – 15, 2007, the Bosnia & Herzegovina stand was selected for the “Best Stand Feature” award, one of only six awards, out of over 200 stands, that received “Best” recognition in various categories.
There were over 5,500 companies from more than 200 countries participating at the WTM this year. “We are truly glad that Bosnia & Herzegovina had a such successful first ever exhibition at the WTM“, said Craig Moyes, WTM Director, as he handed the award to the representative of Tourism Association of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The USAID Cluster Competitiveness Activity (USAID CCA), implemented by Emerging Markets Group, provided technical and financial support to the BH travel industry in preparing for this important event. Working closely with counterparts, CCA organized and supported design and production of the new stand, production of marketing and PR materials, and identification of travel industry business contacts for appointments at the fair.
The Tourism Association of Bosnia & Herzegovina and ten BH tour operators – selected for attendance according to strict criteria – presented the BH tourism offer at WTM for the first time. In addition to the eye-catching stand, the BH delegation hosted the well-attended lunch presentation for UK tour operators and press. The media and the tour operators were greeted by the BiH Ambassador to UK.
The main selling points for BH included cultural and historical tours, short breaks opportunities in Sarajevo and Mostar, the Herzegovina Wine Route, and a wide range of outdoor programs. The opportunity was also used to promote the 2009 World Rafting Championships, for which BH was selected as the venue.
“This is a true success“, said Mili Bijavica of Fortuna Travel in Mostar. “There was great interest in cultural and historical tours and outdoor programs and we already signed some new contracts.“ More than 200 business contacts were established between BH and UK tour operators during these four days. As a result, BH destinations will now be included for the first time in the catalogues of major UK travel agents and tour operators, including Saga Holidays, AirMiles, Holiday Options and Sunshine World, while Exodus and Regent Holidays decided to expand their existing BH offers with additional programs.
The preparation for WTM also was notable as a rare shared, coordinated effort among key institutions across both entities and the entire country. The State-level BH Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations and both the Republika Srpska and BH Federation tourism ministries worked closely with the tourism associations of both entities and a number of cantons. For the first time a BH international trade fair participation received adequate planning and joint funding from all relevant parties. Notably, these ministries have now already included substantially increased funding to support BH tourism in their 2008 budget planning. This is highly welcome, given the very low score BH received for prioritization of tourism in the Travel and Tourism Sector Competitiveness report issued by the World Economic Forum in early 2007.
The successful Bosnia & Herzegovina presence at WTM was the result of intensive cooperation developed within the BH tourism industry, largely thanks to the USAID CCA project. The BH tourism industry has been transformed over the past three years. Top-line indicators are highly positive, with tourism arrivals growing at least 20% per annum, and with the Central Bank of BH pointing to receipts from tourism as the main reason behind a record level of foreign exchange reserves over the summer months this year. The ultimate aim of these efforts is the sustainable development and promotion of tourism of Bosnia & Herzegovina, which has the greatest potential for growth and employment of any of the country’s economic sectors.
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