BANJA LUKA ATTRACTS A RECORD NUMBER OF TOURISTS

Banja Luka is welcoming an increasing number of tourists, who come to the city on the Vrbas River for relaxation and vibrant entertainment, while numerous city events gather thousands of visitors throughout the year.

PHOTO: Glas Srpske

Visitor and overnight stay statistics from the past year show that investments in events, attractions and promotion are delivering increasingly visible results. The Banja Luka Tourist Organization said the city is once again breaking records in terms of tourist arrivals.

Record Number of Arrivals and Overnight Stays

“In 2025, growth continued and the highest level of tourist traffic so far was achieved,” the Tourist Organization stated.

According to their data, 131,326 tourist arrivals were recorded, which is seven percent more than in 2024, when there were 123,266 arrivals, along with 200,714 overnight stays.

They added that an additional 4,107 arrivals and 7,836 overnight stays were registered in apartments, private rooms, holiday homes and rural tourism facilities, whose traffic records have been officially kept since January 1, 2025.

The highest number of visits, they noted, was recorded during the New Year holidays.

Events as a Magnet for Tourists

City project manager Milada Šukalo emphasized that these figures confirm the city’s strong focus on events and festivals that attract a growing number of visitors.

“We are truly proud of these results and of the fact that we have achieved what we set out to do – to place Banja Luka on the map of tourist cities not only in the region, but worldwide. We organized a large number of events and, in particular, New Year’s concerts, which once again broke records for tourist arrivals. All of this motivates us to continue organizing outstanding events this year as well,” she said.

Šukalo also announced that the Street Performers and Entertainers Festival ‘TrotoArt’, the rich program of ‘Banja Luka Spring’, and many other events will be held again this year.

“TrotoArt is a recognizable festival in our city and something we are truly proud of. In addition, we organize numerous events as part of ‘Banja Luka Spring’, many concerts and diverse content for all generations,” she added.

Krupa na Vrbasu on the World Tourism Map

Tourists are also eager to visit Krupa na Vrbasu, which has been included on the list of the world’s best tourism villages for 2025. The prestigious “Best Tourism Villages 2025” recognition was awarded to the director of the Banja Luka Tourist Organization, Minja Šurlan, by UN Tourism (formerly UNWTO) in the Chinese city of Huzhou.