Jajce is becoming an increasingly attractive tourist destination year after year, a fact confirmed by statistics. Jajce has had an above-average number of arrivals over the last 10 years, with the average for Bosnia and Herzegovina being 18, while Jajce reports an increase of 24 percent.
– Jajce remains at the top in 2024 as well, earning the title of one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the country. The summer tourist season of 2024 has shown to be the most successful ever for the Central Bosnia Canton, with Jajce leading above all and recording the highest number of tourist arrivals – says the mayor of the Municipality of Jajce, Edin Hozan, in an interview for the Magazine Visit BiH.
– Many tourists visited our municipality, and we had a significant increase compared to 2023. We achieved a higher number of overnight stays and visits, so we can say that 2024 was excellent and very successful. The fact that Jajce welcomed 14.2 percent more tourists in the first nine months compared to the same period in 2023 and recorded over 180,000 visits to monuments confirms that we succeeded, but it also motivates us to continue developing the tourism offer in Jajce.
Jajce is known as a municipality that organizes numerous events aimed at attracting tourists, especially during the summer period. Can you tell us which events took place last year and which attracted the most visitors?
– Jajce has always been a cornerstone of the cultural and historical diversity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We confirmed this in 2024 with a series of events that captivated visitors with their diversity and richness. We opened our gates to artists and travelers, justifying all of our previous titles. We kicked off the summer with the XVII Festival of Spiritual Poetry and Music “Plivske omahe 2024,” focused on Bosnian-Herzegovinian polyphony, followed by the Feast of St. John at Podmilačje, and subsequently a range of events ensued – the 43rd Theater Games of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Days of the Middle Ages, the 9th International Art Colony, and the 9th International Waterfall Diving Competition at Pliva, which attracted more than 3,000 visitors. Festivals were also held featuring the local brass band and Jajce’s cultural and artistic societies. Performances by local and regional music stars further spiced up the Summer in Jajce. Crvena Jabuka and Tomislav Bralić and Intrade band marked the Second Royal Festival of Entertainment held at the most attractive location in Jajce – the stage below Pliva Waterfall. Peđa Jovanović concuered the Jajce Fortress with his song as part of Jajce Summer Fest. The celebration of the Handball Club Jajce was enhanced by a concert, of Jajce-born singer Al Dino, held at the Fortress. The Fifth Desant Festival was held at two locations, with three festival nights showcasing significant music names. Jusuf Brkić Sevdah Trio performed a concert at the plateau of Catacombs. On the Waterfall stage, Bajaga and Instruktori, the tribute band Prava Stvar with hits from Zdravko Čolić, and Jala Brat & Buba Corelli also performed.
Jajce received various recognitions, awards and titles. Can you tell us more?
– When the name of a city appears twice in just a few months on popular travel websites in the category of places in the world and Europe that you must visit, it means that you have succeeded. The first recommendation to tourists around the world arrived in June 2024. The American portal Thrillist has compiled a list of the most beautiful small towns in the world that take your breath away with their beauty. Jajce was also on their list. The prestigious travel magazine Time Out ranked Jajce as the second most beautiful place in Europe. In the competition of 18 carefully selected locations, Jajce took a high, second position and was adorned with the epithet of a unique tourist destination in the heart of the Balkans. The Indikator.ba portal, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, awarded the “Best Move in Tourism in the Summer 2024 Season” to the Agency for Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage and Development of Tourism Potential of the City of Jajce. The award came to Jajce for the successful organization of six different cultural, recreational and traditional events organized by the Agency in cooperation with partners, and the Municipality of Jajce provides support for all events. So, there were various awards, and all of this contributes to additional promotion.
Is there perhaps a special program being prepared for Jajce Municipality Day?
– We will mark the day of the Municipality of Jajce with a series of interesting cultural and sports events. The central ceremony is the Formal Session of the Municipal Council, where we present appropriate awards to deserving individuals and collectives. This year, the 10th Jubilee Basketball Cup of the Royal City for boys will be held. Also, there is an International Chess Tournament that gathers more than 100 participants, among whom are ten FIDE and international masters and grandmasters, and it has a very high rating. The Table Tennis Cup of the town of Jajce will also be held on February 22, the Day of the Municipality of Jajce, which commemorates the first written mention of the town of Jajce in a charter from the Dubrovnik Archives in 1396.
Given that we are mid-winter season, and Jajce has the Ranča ski center, are you satisfied with the ski season and the visits of winter sports enthusiasts?
-Unfortunately, not really. Our mountain is not at a high altitude. The snow lasted for a very short time. We skied for two days and there were many of our citizens, but also foreigners. I am sure that if the season lasted that there would be many visits, because this center offers ideal conditions. Every year, when the weather allows, during the holidays, the Municipality of Jajce organizes a ski school for schoolchildren at this ski resort. This year it was not held precisely because of the weather.
Jajce leads the way in numerous budget support projects for all segments of society. Did you continue this practice in the previous year, and will there be any this year as well?
– In 2024, we added another one project that will be continued in 2025. Just last year, we introduced a complete novelty in our practice of developing new programs and directing funds to our citizens, namely energy efficiency with the aim of insulating individual residential buildings. Through a public call, we allocated funds in the amount of BAM 70,000 to citizens who fulfilled the conditions of our public call to insulate their houses with the aim of saving energy and protecting the environment. The maximum amount per user is BAM 5,000, or 30 percent of the amount of the performed works. We continued the Support Program of subsidizing the purchase of the first residential property for young people. Subsidies in the net amount of BAM 7,000 are available to persons up to 40 years of age who are buying or building their first residential property in the municipality. In the school year 2023/2024 scholarships were increased for certain years of study. For first-year students, the scholarship amount remained BAM 1,000. The scholarship for students in the second, third, fourth and fifth non-final years of study was increased and amounts BAM1,500, and for students in the fifth year of the final cycle of studies and the sixth year of study, the scholarship was increased by 100 percent and amounts BAM 2,000 for ten school months. We confirmed that we invest in knowledge in 2024 by awarding 110 scholarships with a total value of BAM 153,000. Through the Project for Co-financing Self-Employment in the Field of Agriculture and Crafts, 33 fellow citizens received grants worth around BAM 150,000 in two years. In 2024, 22 contracts were signed. The Municipality of Jajce allocated BAM 650,000 for incentives in agriculture and launched a series of projects aimed at protecting agricultural production…
Have you started preparations for the upcoming summer season, and do you have any new projects in the pipeline?
-Preparations are well underway. We have started implementing energy transition and environmental protection projects. We have built a charging station for electric vehicles along the M-5 highway (Jajce-Bihać) with the aim of reducing pollution, but also improving the tourist offer. We will try to keep all the events that we had in 2024, but there will also be surprises. I am thinking of the guest appearances of famous music stars in Jajce, but for now let it remain a secret. Let this be an opportunity for you to visit Jajce this summer and enjoy some of the attractions or some of the interesting content.
