October 27, 2022, Nimes, France - The A World for Travel Forum was opened this morning with welcomes from the representatives of the partner organisations, the Occitanie region, agencies, as well as Jamaica's Minister of Tourism. The event of the morning was the signing of agreements between the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (notice how environment takes the first place) of Bosnia and Herzegovina and their partners, all on a mission to develop tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina while focusing on sustainability. Tourism will not be an accident but a planned collaborative effort, with environment in the focus, built on the foundations of communication and partnerships between the governmental organisations and external partners. Panels of the country's representatives and interviews will follow this afternoon, but their opening did make us wonder if Croatia can still learn.
The representatives from the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, Intrepid Travel, The Travel Corporation and USAID’s Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Turizam) project are signing the culmination and launch of their partnership which was born to facilitate the sustainable tourism development of Bosnia Herzegovina. The project is built on a platform of collaboration starting with the spurring of sustainable community-based tourism experiences to drive and answer increased market demand for unique experiences. The international networks of these partners will jointly work on transforming Bosnia and Herzegovina’s world-class tourism potential into a globally recognized example of sustainable tourism development. Two agreements are being signed by USAID Turizam Chief of Party Ibrahim Osta, Intrepid EMEA Managing Director Zina Bencheikh, The Travel Corporation Global Sustainability Manager Nadine Pinto and the CEO of Jacobs Media Group/The Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council, Duncan Horton.
“We could not be prouder of the work our Resilience Council has done this year, particularly with such a positive story coming forward to share with other destinations who may be looking at repositioning sustainably,” stated Mr. Horton in a recent interview with Travel Weekly.
“Developing sustainable tourism in new destinations is a key focus for us at Intrepid and we are delighted to be working with USAID, Project Turizam and the Global Travel and Tourism Resilience Council on this project. Partnerships like these are essential as we move toward a more sustainable future for our industry,” said Zina Bencheikh, Managing Director, INTREPID Travel, EMEA. She continued,” We’re grateful to play a part in making this beautiful destination more accessible in a way that respects the history of the country, leaves a light footprint and respects and supports local communities."
The partnerships are building upon a strong foundation which includes community engagement, toolkits and consistent communication on the value of collaboration in driving sustainability. The destination benefiting from these projects, Bosnia and Herzegovina has joined the AWFT22, as they did last year in Evora to share more in depth various aspects of the project with this year’s attendees. The announcement at AWFT 22 includes the participation of Deputy Minister of Tourism and Environment of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Sabina Sahman-Salihbegovic, Secretary General of the Republika Srpska Chamber of Commerce Dragana Kokot, Deputy Director of the USAID/BiH Economic Growth Office Dr. Erol Mujanovic and USAID Turizam Chief of Party Ibrahim Osta.
Additionally, USAID Turizam Tourism Product Development Team Leader Fedja Begovic will participate in the Case Study Agriculture and the Food Industry’s Relationship with Travel, Sabina Sahman-Salihbegovic is one of the speakers at the panel Community Involvement vs. Engagement – Has it Been defined? Are the Benefits Reaching Local Communities?, Dragana Kokot will be part of the panel How to Bring Talent Permanently to the Industry?. Ibrahim Osta will lead one of the headliner sessions titled Billions Available, a session with panelists such as BpiFrance, Certares, ICF and Roland Berger which represent investment, finance and consulting global powerhouses with billions of euros in annual investments in the tourism, hospitality, aviation and infrastructure spheres. The objective of this session is to explore the most optimal approach to expand access to capital for large-scale multi-billion dollar investments and to identify challenges and solutions to smaller borrowing needs of tourism enterprises. In addition to his participation in the opening session dealing with international partnerships, Erol Mujanović will participate in the conference’s Final Roundtable slated to determine the event’s output.
"Tourism is the country's strategic sector, accounting for around 11% of total employment and one of the key generators of exports and foreign exchange. And perhaps the best embodiment of the concept of partnership is how our USAID Developing Sustainable Tourism in Bosnia and Herzegovina project is being implemented. Our delegation here in Nimes consists of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism representing government, the Chamber of Commerce representing the local private sector, two international trade partners, examples of our global partnerships, and our project leadership that works with local communities, entrepreneurs, and youth," noted Erol Mujanović, USAID/BiH Economic Growth Office Deputy Director.
USAID Turizam is a five-year project that aims to fuel broad-based tourism-driven economic growth and promote social harmony by capitalizing on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s rich cultural heritage and distinctive nature. The project aims to set the tourism industry on a robust growth trajectory toward a sustainable tourism economy with increased employment and business expansion. With the aim of generating arrivals, increasing tourism spending by international travelers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, expanding retail options for the country’s rural producers and spreading economic opportunities into secondary destinations, USAID Turizam is establishing partnerships with the following companies and organizations:
- Global Travel & Tourism Resilience Council’s key focus is to bring together the public and private sectors to facilitate collaboration and sustainability in the development of tourism strategies. Similarly, broad dissemination of collaborative efforts towards sustainability through tourism dispersion, cultural product development, experiential opportunities, local community inclusion, regional coalitions and financial parity sets a path for others to follow.
- The Travel Corporation (TTC) is a leading operator of 40 award-winning, sustainable brands, offering unique and industry-leading service that puts its guests at the heart of everything the brand does. TTC also has an extensive global distribution & marketing network to support the inward flow of business to support activities included in TTC tours.
- Intrepid Travel is a leading operator of Sustainable Experience Rich travel with significant expertise in developing experiential activities in communities and supporting various stakeholders to prepare to manage, operate and maintain their business as a supplier. Intrepid also has an extensive global distribution & marketing network to support the inward flow of business and support activities included in Intrepid tours.
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