In recent years, Bosnia and Herzegovina is trying to position as a tourist destination on a regional and European map, with record results in the number of arrivals and night tourists.
However, while official institutions praise the numbers and promote the country at fairs around the world, the position of tourist guides, one of the key segments of the tourist offer, remains unresolved and chaotic.
Licensed tourist guides, such as Sanel Silajdzic and Jane Branković, warn that the Guidance Service Sector in the Federation of BiH functions in the gray zone, without a clear competition, financial insecurity and resource services for tourists.
Unlay competition and black work
According to the applicable Law on Tourism of the FBiH, the activity of the tourist guide can only be performed by licensed guides who registered independent activities. However, the practice on the field is completely different.
– The city of Sarajevo and other destinations in the FBiH are full of illegal guides, both domestic and foreign. Domestic travel agencies themselves make their accreditations and thus breaking the law directly, while foreign guides work through their agencies without any permits – says Sanel Silajdžić for Biznisinfo.ba.
He emphasizes that because of this situation, licensed guides barely assemble the end, because they are almost impossible to compete with illegal guides and agencies offered by drivers, often without the necessary qualifications.
– The problem is further deepened because inspections do nothing. Neither federal nor cantonal inspections conduct supervision, and the situation has completely escaped control, “Silajdzic added.
High contributions and seasonal work
Licensed guides also face serious financial problems. The law ranks them into the category of independent activities, together with notaries and lawyers, which means that they pay about 850 km of contributions per month, no matter how much work.
– We are effectively working for about five months a year, and during the winter we have no income, but we must pay all yearlings – explains Jana Brankovic for Biznisinfo.ba.
She adds that the guides do not have the ability to use their own vehicles, such as vans, for the purpose of doing work, which puts them in an even more unfavorable position.
– The conditions are such that it is almost impossible to operate and earn us in a legal manner, and at the same time, dozens of illegal guides appear on the streets of Sarajevo, which no one controls – emphasizes.
The absence of institutional support
The problem further complicates the fact that institutions do not offer any specific assistance. Silajdzic states that he sent all the documentation in January to the Federal Ministry of Environment and Tourism, looking for a meeting to discuss the problems of the guide.
– She called me a dominister and promised a meeting that was never held. I also sent the documentation to the director of the federal inspection but I never received an answer. I even addressed the OHR, stating the violation of the law and the Constitution of the Federation of BiH, but the reaction was not – he says.
The documentation related to the ZHK was sent to these institutions because the canton and in addition to the legal conditions he meets do not approve of doing business.
The special problem is that certain cantons and municipalities issue solutions for additional activities, which is illegal in applicable law.
– Tourist guide can only work if it is the main activity, but some institutions are consciously violating the law and thus collect the market even more.
Jana Branković reminds the situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Federal Ministry awarded the help of only five guides throughout the FBiH.
– If we had only five guides who fulfilled all legal conditions, and today on the streets of Sarajevo we see dozens of them, it is clear how much is the problem of black work.
Lack of registry and quality control
They also warn the lack of a public register of licensed guides, which further complicates the situation.
– How do tourists know who is a licensed guide if there is no publicly available photo list, license number and contact information? Currently, such a register does not exist at the FBiH level, nor within the cantonal tourism communities – Silajdzic emphasizes.
The consequences are serious and for the destination itself.
– Foreign guides often give tourists inaccurate or distorted information on historical sites, which directly violates the IMIJE BiH as a tourist destination. Without quality supervision, the profession is collapsed, and tourists go with the wrong picture of our country – warns Brankovic.
The road to a solution
Tourist guides believe that the only way to solve the problem is the adoption of the new FBiH tourism, which would clearly regulate the work of the guide and enable stronger market control.
Without it, BiH will not be able to make a serious step in tourism. While the authorities are praised by the number of tourists, the fields of the Government Chaos, and those who should be the ambassadors of our country are forced to work in a completely unregulated system.
If I really want to be recognized as a tourist force, it must solve the issue of the status of tourist guides. The current situation is not only compromising the existence of licensed guides, but also the quality of the tourist offer and the country’s reputation on the international market. Without a systemic approach and compliance with the law, tourism will remain a sector with great potential, but also to huge internal problems, it is written Business info.
