Sarajevo Tourism Launches Campaign in UAE

Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina nestled in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula, is leaving no stone unturned to attract visitors and has launched “Visit Sarajevo” message on the buses that citizens and visitors of the UAE can see these days on the streets of four emirates, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Dubai, which is world-famous tourist attraction and the largest city of the UAE, in addition to the three emirates mentioned above, which have a multi-million population and tourists from all over the world, are ideal targets for the tourist promotion of Sarajevo, Sarajevo Times reported.

The aforementioned promotional activities of the Sarajevo Canton Tourist Board will continue for the next three months, and the Board believes that a bus in the UAE with the message “Visit Sarajevo” will have an affirmative effect on UAE nationals planning trips to the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Tourists from the UAE are among the top 10 in the list of arrivals and overnight stays in Sarajevo Canton, according to statistical data of the Sarajevo Canton Tourist Board during the first six months of 2024.

According to the data, Sarajevo’s tourism sector has blossomed with the number of tourist arrivals increased by 58.7%, while there were 52.7% more overnight stays in June 2024 compared with the same period last year.

Sarajevo Canton Tourism Board President Haris Fazlagić said that according to the statistical data so far, it is evident that the current year 2024 could break the previous records since in the first half of the year we have a significant increase compared with last year.

“Statistical increases in arrivals and overnight stays were recorded in the period of the first half of this year when 30.7% more tourists visited the Sarajevo Canton, and 31.1% more overnight stays were achieved compared to the same period last year,” the SC Tourism Board said.

In the mentioned period, the most tourists were recorded from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Croatia, the UAE, Serbia, Slovenia, Germany, China, Great Britain and the US.

To make it easier for passengers to travel and increase travel options, he said that the Tourism Board in cooperation with Sarajevo International Airport and the Sarajevo Canton Government co-financed air traffic for about 30 new airlines operated by low-budget airlines such as Ryanair, SunExpress, and TUI Airways.

Through public calls, the SC Tourism Board has supported numerous projects that will enrich the tourist offer in the city, among which are festivals.

Calendar of Events

The Board also created a calendar of events in 2024, which includes dozens of events planned for the coming period, and the calendar was published on social networks and the visitsarajevo.ba web platform.

However, Haris believes that Sarajevo needs stronger promotion and even more promotional activities so that potential tourists get direct and verified information about Sarajevo’s tourist destination.

To this end, international marketing advertising and digital campaigns, i.e. stronger promotion via social networks, will be carried out.

“Tourists in Sarajevo, in addition to all the city attractions, are attracted by our hospitality, a good relationship between price and quality of service, and the fact that our tourist destination is insufficiently researched and offers numerous options and different possibilities,” he said.