Zarko Vico, Assistant Director at Tourist Organization of Trebinje – We are planning a gathering of tourism workers from the region in the Fall

According to the data of the Tourist Organization (TO) of Trebinje, in the 2022 there were 180,418 registered overnight stays in the city, an 80% increase compared to the formerly record 2019, which pushed Trebinje to the leading position in the region when we look at the percentage growth rate of tourist turnover.

Zarko Vico, the Assistant Director at TO Trebinje states for eKapija that Trebinje can become a prospective congress center and he also announces an upcoming event, the gathering of tourism workers from the region.

eKapija: We are seeing Trebinje become a frequent host to the big gatherings of the business community, including the upcoming Trebinje Energy Summit. How important congress tourism is to Trebinje and how do you see it developing?

– Trebinje Energy Summit is growing more each year. There are 600 registered participants and perhaps this event is a pioneer or an illustration how it`s possible that Trebinje turns into a congress center, a business tourism center, which has been predicted in the Tourism Development Strategy of the City of Trebinje for the next ten years as one of the directions of tourism development and is the thing that the tourist organization and the entire local community is going to put their focus on together with other types of tourism.

eKapija: Does Trebinje possess enough accommodation capacities and have new investments been planned in that regard?

– Trebinje has enough capacities to accommodate large groups of participants like these, but the need for expanding our tourist capacities nevertheless grows from year to year. This year, the Energy Summit will fill out the tourist economy completely, all accommodation capacities will be full. Apart from the 600 participants, we are also planning for several tourist trips to Trebinje which means extra overnight stays, so there`s definitely a room for expanding the accommodation and hospitality capacities, because Trebinje doesn`t have such a pronounced seasonality like, for example, Dubrovnik or Herceg Novi.

eKapija: Regarding tourism infrastructure, are there any new projects in the pipeline and in what area?

– We need road infrastructure the most, above all, I`m referring to routes that connect us to the rest of the region, the rest of B&H, to Serbia and Montenegro. The primary focus of the local tourist community is to call attention to just that. We`ve got another project planned and we believe it will come to pass, which would be invaluable for Trebinje and the tourism economy.

I am talking about the future airport near our city, a project that should start in the upcoming period. We are eagerly awaiting the first steps on that project and we think that it is extremely important for such an infrastructure project to be actualized in the city of Trebinje.

eKapija: What are the most significant projects for TO Trebinje in 2023 and what are your expectations regarding the upcoming season?

– When it comes to projects of the TO Trebinje, we are currently in the preparation period, we are preparing for the tourist season. We are implementing various types of activities, trying to be ready for the guests that started arriving at the beginning of March, which will intensify in the upcoming months, especially in the summer. We are adapting and repairing the tourist signalization, brown tourist signs, welcome signs, billboards, everything that`s needed for tourists to get around Trebinje with ease. We also preparing for promotional activities, such as tourism fairs.

We have “Place to go” exhibition in Zagreb ahead of us, where we will present Trebinje in the Tourist Organization of Republika Srpska booth. We are aiming to show up intensely and as often as possible, not just on the regional market but also on the European market where we are building up a good image.

We are also going to focus on the digital advertising, and organizing all sorts of cultural, entertainment and sports events. We will officially open the summer tourist season on June 19-20 with accompanying activities for all ages.

Senka Trivic