DRINA RIVER - INEXHAUSTIBLE POTENTIAL

The municipality of Bratunac is working to expand its tourist offer. The Drina River is an inexhaustible tourist potential.

BRATUNAC, SEPTEMBER 6 /SRNA/ - The main tourist potential of Bratunac is the Drina River and numerous activities related to it, such as relaxation, swimming, sunbathing, enjoying natural beauty, entertainment and socializing at the favorite picnic spot of river lovers Paradise Beach.

"During these hot August days, as in July, Paradise Beach is visited daily by three to five thousand tourists from the middle Podrinje region, but also from the interior of the Republika Srpska and the Federation of BiH, as well as Serbia. There are many guests from Western countries who come to camp and spend several days by this river," Ranko Jakovljević, director of the Bratunac Tourist Organization, told SRNA.

He says that the largest number are one-day guests, but that there are also quite a few who camp and stay for several days, resting and enjoying the charms of this clean, clear and fast river.

"This year, we started charging an entrance fee for cars. The entrance fee is two KM, and last weekend we recorded more than 4,000 tourists and more than 1,200 parked cars per day," Jakovljević points out.

According to him, the money earned is invested in maintaining the beach, and part of the funds will be directed to its further development after the summer season.

"By improving the beach, enriching the catering offer, building cabins and hygiene facilities, we have increased the safety of tourists and improved the hygiene conditions on the beach. We intend to continue building and improving the infrastructure at this picnic area so that it offers the possibility of using as many facilities as possible, and with that goal we plan to start renovating the sports fields that this beach has," said Jakovljević.

According to him, a large number of tourists come to this beach from neighboring Serbia, and there are also groups of tourists from Portugal, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Slovenia.

FISHERMEN ARE THE MOST LOYAL GUESTS

Tourists from Serbia come every day, while these groups of Western tourists stay for several days by the Drina, camping, fishing and enjoying the natural beauty.

Jakovljević said that for years, groups of fishermen from Sweden and Germany have been coming to fish on the Drina both in summer and winter, staying for three to four days. 11 fishing trails have been established along the Drina, which allows fishermen to be safe and enjoy their hobby.

In addition to the Drina, water sports and beautiful landscapes, Bratunac also has other potential, tourist attractions and offers attractive to certain groups or categories of tourists.

"Event tourism is becoming more and more prominent. Motorcycle races, old-timer gatherings, bicycle races, horse races, regattas, film, folklore and comic book festivals, hiking tours along well-maintained and marked trails with numerous viewpoints, all of these are events that bring a significant number of guests to Bratunac," said Jakovljević.

He added that the balance is the increasing number of overnight stays and other income from tourism.

THE MACCABEES FAIR BRINGS THE GREATEST TURNOVER

However, the traditional Maccabees fair attracts the most visitors every year, when several thousand guests flock to Bratunac and when the highest turnover is achieved in catering facilities and shops during the two days of the fair, but the local community also generates significant income from renting out space.

Catering professionals are especially looking forward to the fair.

According to Jakovljević, Maccabees is a day for meetings and fun, so people eat, drink, dance, sing and don't ask why. In order to develop and create the best possible conditions for the development of sports and event tourism, Bratunac has begun the construction, reconstruction and renovation of sports fields and training grounds, as well as marking and arranging hiking trails and lookouts.

Three mountain biking trails have also been arranged. Memorial and religious tourism are also significant, while business tourism is at a low level and is only developing with the opening of the "Bratoljub" border crossing for freight traffic.

NUMBER OF GUESTS IS GROWING AND ACCOMMODATION CAPACITIES ARE INCREASING

The growth in the number of tourists has led to increased interest and revival of private initiatives for the construction of catering and accommodation capacities, which is increasing the capacity to receive a larger number of guests.

"Until this year, we had only two registered providers of accommodation and overnight stays, and this year eight more have been registered. This allows tourists to choose and accept a larger number of guests for a multi-day stay," said Jakovljević.

He stated that a total of 1,300 overnight stays were registered in Bratunac last year, while in the first six months of this year, 850 overnight stays were recorded, for which a tourist tax was charged, which in this municipality amounts to BAM 1.5.

"We are trying to introduce more order and legality into the tourist area and to register all those who provide tourist accommodation services, because a large number of people continue to provide these services illegally, avoiding legal obligations," Jakovljević pointed out.

He believes that, after years of agony, tourism in Bratunac has revived, as evidenced by the increase in the number of tourists and traffic on Paradise Beach, as well as the number of registered overnight stays. That the Drina beckons with its beauty is confirmed by the construction of a large number of cottages next to this picturesque river, most of which are planned for rental to tourists.

"We are trying to register all these accommodation capacities and provide services in a legal manner, which guarantees greater safety and a more pleasant stay for users," Jakovljević pointed out.

Jakovljević expressed his satisfaction that a tourism project has been approved, which will be jointly implemented by tourism organizations from Bratunac and neighboring Ljubovija in Serbia, and which will be financed by the EU within the framework of the implementation of the Cross-Border Cooperation Program. Jakovljević is the director and the only employee of the Bratunac Tourism Organization. /to be continued/