The Balkans beckon

The Balkan region represents an incredible mixture of people, places and history, but it has to deal with challenges such as international competition, the lack of services aimed at individual tourists and the overall image of the region’s political stability and security.

Until not long ago, senior politicians from the Balkans’ star EU country in the region, Slovenia, kept avoiding their affiliation with the Balkans. Now in the realm of the EU, holding the EU presidency, Slovenia’s increasing visitor interest enables Slovenians to see themselves as the Balkan country that can help establish a permanent tourist interest in the region.

“EU enlargement is the best promotion for any of the Balkan countries, therefore EU membership will help all Balkan countries do better in tourism than they do now”, said Bojan Škoda, councillor at the Slovenian embassy in London.

Škoda rated the popularity of the Balkan countries among international tourists, starting from Croatia and Slovenia, followed by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia and Macedonia. He stressed that countries which are known as mass tourist destinations, such as Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia, need to work harder on their tourism development in the face of international competition.

Montenegro, which is the youngest independent state in the region, despite Kosovo’s declaration of independence earlier this month, has done very well by attracting affluent niche tourists, following what Croatia has been doing for some time.

Furthermore, at last November’s tourism trade show in London, the most noticeable stands of the Balkan countries belonged to Montenegro, Slovenia and Turkey. While these shows provide a professional glimpse at the tourist industry in each represented country, they also give an indication of where tourists go and why.

It seems that one missed opportunity for the Balkan region in promoting itself as a tourist destination is the lack of a common strategy. This can start with something as simple as naming the region in broader terms, such as the ‘East Mediterranean’, a term which is accurate for most countries, and mirroring more closely the cultural heritage, customs, cuisine and climate of many of the key destinations in the Balkans. 

Unlike other European regions, in the Balkans regional tourism plays a particularly important and positive role in the sense that tourists from neighbouring countries will know more about the hidden natural or historic treasures next door. The Balkan region remains very much an undiscovered gem in Europe, carrying with it a tremendous potential for development.

According to Škoda, in 2007 every seventh Slovenian visited Serbia, while the percentage of tourists in Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia and Montenegro, as well as Kosovo, is constantly increasing. This can only be a good thing for the FRY countries, which are not EU members and whose GDP depends sometimes considerably on the success of their tourism industries. Currently, Montenegro generates one-third of its GDP from tourism, while Croatia’s visitors contribute roughly 12 per cent to the country’s GDP.

This month’s declaration of independence by Kosovo has stirred the region and tourist industry; experts expect that Balkan countries that have recognised Kosovo might get lower numbers of Serbian and Russian visitors in the summer.

Donka Sokolova, head of the Bulgarian tourist agency, is particularly worried that this summer the traditional Russian tourists will go elsewhere, as they oppose the province’s independence.

While the country’s foreign minister, Ivailo Kalfin, has stated that Bulgaria’s decision to recognise Kosovo might come at a price, he also said that that this was the only way forward.

However, the Bulgarian tourist industry has long way to go to compete successfully with some of its neighbouring countries, despite political developments, as services for individual tourists are scarce. As a result, if the Bulgarian tourist industry experiences the likely shortage of Russian package tourists this summer, it might turn out to be a good thing. Such an event might stimulate price competition for services, as well as make the country more attractive for individual tourists, especially for families and more affluent visitors.

Another phenomenon of Balkan tourism is that despite good neighbourly relations, the trade between Romania and Bulgaria, including tourism, is extraordinarily low. One reason is probably Romania’s higher GDP, thus making it a less popular destination to Bulgarians, as well as other Balkan visitors, although to a much smaller extent. These developments are closely watched by the EU, which has encouraged the construction of a second bridge over the Danube; it’s expected to stimulate bilateral trade relations and tourism.

In its diversity and integrity, each of the countries in the Balkans has some way to go, but without a sound regional strategy, that might take time. If on your way to any of the Balkan countries, please don’t forget one smart outfit, a few pairs of running shoes, a torch and a thick diary. 

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