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Bosnia’s mountain resorts pivot to summer tourism as climate changes
SARAJEVO, BOSNIA, AUG 11 – Mountain resorts near Sarajevo have added hiking, biking, and ATV tours since 2017 to counter reduced winter snow, attracting more summer visitors, officials said.
- Following several winters with limited snowfall, the Jahorina and Bjelasnica mountain resorts close to Sarajevo started developing their range of activities for visitors during the warmer months in 2017.
- This change addresses the impacts of climate change, as Sarajevo's mid-elevation resorts that have traditionally relied on winter sports are experiencing reduced snowfall, while seaside areas across Central and Eastern Europe are increasingly facing intense heat waves with temperatures soaring up to 40 degrees Celsius.
- The mountains have extended the use of ski lifts throughout the entire year to offer panoramic vistas and continue to develop new trails for hiking, biking, and ATV excursions, while visitors like Dusko Kurtovic appreciate the cooler temperatures compared to the hotter Adriatic coastal areas.
- Haris Fazlagic, president of the Sarajevo tourism board, explained that while snow used to be a reliable draw, it now generally only falls above 2,500 meters—an elevation higher than the region’s mountains. He described the development of tourism throughout the entire year as both a long-term plan and the key to the industry's future.
- Bosnia and Croatia both aim to lengthen their tourism seasons and establish themselves as year-round destinations; however, Dubrovnik’s coastal tourism remains more lucrative, with close to two million overnight stays reported in early 2025—nearly twice the number recorded in the Sarajevo area.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Bosnia's mountain resorts pivot to summer tourism as climate changes (World)
A short drive from the Mediterranean coast, mid-altitude mountain resorts near Sarajevo - traditionally dependent on snow sports - are slowly but steadily pivoting to attract summertime tourists. Despite Bosnia's notoriously poor record-keeping, tourism officials in the mountainous Balkan country of...
Associated Press News
Bosnia's mountain resorts pivot to summer tourism as climate changes
Mountain resorts near Sarajevo are shifting from snow sports to summer tourism. Haris Fazlagic, president of the Sarajevo tourism board, says snow is now likely only at higher altitudes, which their mountains don't reach.
In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the mid-altitude mountain resorts near Sarajevo, traditionally dependent on winter sports, are slowly but steadily shifting to summer tourism. “We used to depend on snow, but we can’t escape the fact that snow is likely to fall above 2,500 meters, and our mountains simply don’t have the height. For example, in Bjelasnica, we are not sure every winter whether there will be enough snow,” says Haris Fazlagić, president of…
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