REPUBLIKA SRPSKA CONTINUES TO ATTRACT TOURISTS FROM THE REGION

Republika Srpska continued to break tourism records in 2025, further justifying its reputation as an attractive destination for foreign visitors, with tourists from the former Yugoslav countries still accounting for the largest share of arrivals.

According to data from the Republic Institute of Statistics, a total of 477,944 tourist arrivals and 1,125,259 overnight stays were recorded in the first 11 months of this year.

“In November 2025 alone, 35,591 tourist arrivals were registered, which is a 2.2 percent increase compared to the same month last year, while the number of overnight stays rose by 4.5 percent,” the Institute announced.

Marko Radić, Head of the Promotion Department at the Tourist Organization of Republika Srpska, told Nezavisne novine that tourism in Republika Srpska maintained a positive growth trend throughout the first 11 months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.

“In the first 11 months of 2025, Republika Srpska recorded 477,944 tourist arrivals and 1,125,259 overnight stays, representing an increase of around 4.5 percent in arrivals and 2.7 percent in overnight stays compared to the same period in 2024, when 457,561 arrivals and 1,095,732 overnight stays were registered,” Radić emphasized.

Looking at the structure of visitors, foreign tourists continue to generate the majority of tourism traffic.

“Out of the total number of overnight stays in the observed period, foreign tourists account for approximately 57.1 percent, while domestic tourists make up about 42.9 percent. These figures confirm that domestic tourism remains significant, while Republika Srpska continues to be an attractive destination for international markets,” Radić said.

When it comes to the structure of foreign guests, visitors from Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia together account for nearly 70 percent of all overnight stays by foreign tourists, or about 40 percent of total overnight stays recorded in Republika Srpska during the first 11 months of this year.

“These indicators clearly show that regional markets remain the backbone of tourism traffic. At the same time, there is room to further strengthen our presence in more distant markets, which would require significantly higher investments in promotion. Currently, the funds at our disposal do not allow for greater visibility,” Radić explained.

He added that the overall tourism volume resulted in an average stay of about 2.36 nights per arrival, indicating that short stays dominate. However, this also opens space for the further development of tourism products and content that could encourage visitors to extend their stay in the future.

“The results achieved in the first 11 months of 2025 confirm stable growth in tourism traffic, continuous interest from both domestic and foreign guests, and the need for further strategic investment in improving the quality of the offer, extending the length of stay, and diversifying markets, with the goal of long-term and sustainable tourism development in Republika Srpska,” Radić stated.

He also noted that the statistics are largely based on registered arrivals and overnight stays in hotels and motels and do not fully include private accommodation. According to estimates, real figures are on average about 20 percent higher, while experiences from the region suggest that 50 to 60 percent of total arrivals and overnight stays may actually be generated in private apartments.

Meanwhile, the Tourist Organization of the City of Banja Luka (TOBL) reported that during the first 11 months of this year, the city recorded 119,462 tourist arrivals, which is seven percent more than in 2024 (111,650), and 183,591 overnight stays, representing an increase of around eight percent compared to the same period last year (170,245).

“An additional 3,735 arrivals and 7,127 overnight stays should be added from accommodation types such as apartments, rental rooms, holiday homes, and rural tourism facilities, for which traffic records have been kept since January 1, 2025,” TOBL stated.

The year coming to an end can be assessed as very successful for tourism in Banja Luka.

“Throughout the year, a continuous increase in arrivals and overnight stays was recorded, along with stronger international recognition of the destination and improved cooperation with the domestic tourism industry. These trends provide grounds for optimism for the coming year, in which we expect continued growth and even better results,” TOBL concluded.