HOTELIERS IN REPUBLIKA SRPSKA RUB THEIR HANDS AS WINTER SEASON EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

Hoteliers at mountain resorts across Republika Srpska are expressing strong satisfaction with the current winter season, claiming that occupancy rates have surpassed all expectations. Guests from across the region are seeking accommodation, often struggling to find available rooms, prompting many hotel operators to already plan expansions and improvements for the next season.

Public holidays, school breaks and winter vacations have filled ski resorts to capacity, and hoteliers hope that interest among winter sports enthusiasts will remain high until the end of the season.

Although December fell short of expectations, January brought excellent results for hotels on Jahorina. Representatives of the “Rajska dolina” hotel say that both of their facilities are currently fully booked until the beginning of March.

“While December was not particularly strong, January delivered outstanding occupancy in both of our hotels. At the moment, all accommodation capacities are filled through early March,” the hotel stated, adding that most of their guests are domestic tourists, with a significant number arriving from neighboring countries. They also emphasized that skiing conditions are currently excellent.

Similar optimism comes from the exclusive “ConnectIN” apartments in Pale, where the winter season is described as exceptionally successful. Favorable weather conditions and abundant snowfall on Jahorina, in Pale and on Ravna Planina have played a key role. In addition to daytime skiing, night skiing is also available, further attracting large numbers of skiers and tourists.

“The season is excellent, there is plenty of snow and demand is very high. We have nine accommodation units, all of which were fully booked in the first part of the season, while reservations for the second half of January and February have already started,” representatives of the “ConnectIN” apartments said. They added that when ski conditions are good, accommodation prices are rarely an obstacle for guests.

That the season has exceeded all expectations has also been confirmed on Ravna Planina. Rastko Blagojević, an employee of the “Planinska kraljica” hotel, described the current winter as ideal.

“There are more skiers and visitors than ever before. Snow cover remains at an impressive level, and we expect these conditions to last until the end of the season. We can already say with certainty that this will be the most successful season in the past four years,” Blagojević emphasized.

According to him, excellent results have provided additional motivation for investment, and the process of expanding accommodation capacities for the next season has already begun. He added that most guests come from Croatia, with the highest number this year arriving from Dalmatia.

On Kozara Mountain, the manager of the “Bijele vode” hotel, Vladislav Mirković, told Glas that the season and occupancy rates are satisfactory, but not without challenges.

“Our guests mainly come from the region, especially Slovenia and Croatia, but congestion at border crossings has led to some reservation cancellations,” Mirković said.

He added that with the announced drop in temperatures and new snowfall, they expect an increase in visitor numbers. However, he pointed out that much depends on road accessibility and the reliability of electricity supply.

“Although Kozara is a low mountain, ski slopes are currently operational. This winter season is, in essence, on the same level as last year, but with significantly greater challenges that need to be overcome,” Mirković concluded.