CALL FOR INTEGRATED REGIONAL TOURISM PROMOTION

BANJA LUKA, JUNE 23 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska Minister of Trade and Tourism Ned Puhovac and Serbian Minister of Tourism and Youth Husein Memić today announced a regional meeting of tourism ministers, which will represent the first step toward intensifying cooperation and creating a joint tourism offering for the region.

During the meeting in Belgrade, special emphasis was placed on activities aimed at combating the gray economy in tourism, as well as the operation of foreign online platforms in the markets of regional countries, the Republika Srpska Ministry of Trade and Tourism said in a statement. It was assessed that Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH will follow Serbia`s positive experience, as Serbia seeks to amend legislation to ensure the legal operation of the Booking platform and curb the activities of unregistered accommodation providers. The ministers also discussed support programs and investments in rural tourism development, which represents significant potential for the sustainable and balanced development of rural areas and for enriching the overall tourism offering. The discussion focused on the successful cooperation between the two ministries to date and opportunities for its further enhancement, particularly in the area of joint promotion of tourist destinations and the creation of integrated tourism products. Both sides expressed satisfaction with the cooperation achieved so far and reaffirmed their readiness to further strengthen the strategic partnership between the relevant institutions through the exchange of tourism industry data and the application of best practices in destination management.