TOURISM VOUCHERS: WHERE AND HOW TO USE THEM

Tourism vouchers, which will once again be available this year, have brought joy to residents of Republika Srpska, as well as to hoteliers and travel agencies. Under the new initiative, agencies will receive 70 KM for every foreign tourist they bring to the region, a move expected to incentivize more inbound tourism.

This support will be offered to domestic travel agencies that organize trips for foreign tourists to Srpska, as well as to those partnering with international agencies.

Denis Šulić, Minister of Trade and Tourism of Republika Srpska, told Glas that the main proponents behind the initiative are Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik and the Serb member of the BiH Presidency, Željka Cvijanović, with whom a meeting was recently held to discuss the project.

“Our ministry is in charge of drafting the regulations that will define how the vouchers are distributed,” said Šulić. “We plan to present these to the Government of Republika Srpska and expect to publish the first call for hotels and accommodation providers to apply at the beginning of next month.”

This year, around 20,000 vouchers will be allocated to domestic tourists, while approximately 10,000 will be directed toward agencies bringing in foreign guests.

According to Šulić, the program will be implemented in two phases: the first from the end of May through June, and the second from September 10 to November 15.

“This initiative also aims to support local agencies engaged in inbound tourism. For every foreign tourist who stays in Srpska for at least three days, the agency will receive a 70 KM subsidy. This applies to all agencies that bring in non-residents, including those from the Federation of BiH,” Šulić added. He noted that few local agencies currently focus on this type of tourism, which was one of the motivations for launching the program.

Each voucher, valued at 100 KM, can be used by residents of Republika Srpska on the condition that they stay at least three nights in the same hotel within the region.

“This is yet another message that Republika Srpska is a stable and safe destination for tourists. This is also evident from the number of tourists from various countries who have recently visited,” said Šulić.

The total cost of the program is expected to reach approximately 2.7 million KM, which will be funded by the Government of Republika Srpska.

Vedran Jokić, Director of the Banja Luka-based travel agency Kontiki, said they fully support and plan to participate in the initiative.

“When it comes to foreign visitors, the majority coming through our agency are from Serbia. Besides Banja Luka and Jahorina, which are their favorite vacation spots, many also choose wellness and spa packages,” Jokić noted.

Vedrana Smiljić, head of Smiljić Travel, said the idea is interesting and that her agency will consider participating, although they have mainly focused on organizing trips abroad for local residents until now.

“I’m not even sure how many agencies in Srpska actually bring in foreign tourists, since most organize outbound trips for our citizens,” Smiljić commented.

Meanwhile, the Rajska Dolina hotel on Jahorina expressed eagerness to join the program, citing positive experiences from previous years.

“We will apply for the tourism vouchers without hesitation. In past years, when vouchers were available, we had a lot of domestic guests using them, and we expect the same this year,” hotel representatives said.