Rural Tourism in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Current Situation and Perspectives

Abstract

Rural tourism stands out as a specific form of tourism. The rural search for peace, rest and recreation is a growing trend at regional, national, European and international levels. It can be said that rural tourism represents a relatively new tourist activity that aims to return people to traditional values and the natural environment.

This type of tourism produces numerous positive macroeconomic effects. These are, first of all: the development of underdeveloped areas, the employment of a larger number of household members, the placement of home-made products and agricultural products, and development of non-agricultural activities.

Development of rural tourism, in addition to contributing to the economic empowerment of the rural population, also contributes to the strengthening of local and regional economies, as well as the overall economy.

The most important consequence of rural tourism development in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is the progress of rural communities, the improvement of the socioeconomic status of the rural population so that they would rather choose to stay in their surroundings than to migrate to larger cities in the country or outside the country.

In FBiH, there are already a lot of guesthouses, rural households, camps, vineyard houses, mountain huts and ethnic villages that provide rural tourism services. However, there are also numerous difficulties faced by those who have decided to stay in their local community and develop it through the provision of tourist services.

In the paper, we will point out the current situation in the field of rural tourism in FBiH, the challenges it faces and possible perspectives and directions in the future.