The director of the Jahorina Olympic Center, Dejan Ljevnaić, assessed that this year’s ski season is the most successful one in the history of Jahorina, which is the driver of the economy of this region.
-This year, we record 6,000 skiers on our slopes almost every day. So far, more than 300,000 skiers have skied on Jahorina, and in the base year there were 32,000, i.e. an increase of almost 900 percent. For the sake of comparison, last season, which was the most successful in the history of Jahorina, we had about 265,000 skiers – said Ljevnaić.
He stated that Jahorina has so far been visited by at least 100,000 non-skiers who have had the opportunity to enjoy all the additional activities. Ljevnaić said that the fact that the price of a square meter in Jahorina has now reached 10,000 Bosnian marks speaks volumes about the success of the Olympic Center, as well as that all accommodation capacities in Pale, Sarajevo and East Sarajevo are filled completely.
-Our turnover has increased by more than 700 percent compared to the base season 2016/17 – said Ljevnaić.
He confirmed that he has launched educational profiles on social networks, an encyclopedia of skiing, with the aim of educating the youngest skiers and expanding skiing as a sport.
He reminded of the large investment projects implemented on Jahorina, which include the construction of the most modern snowmaking system, arrangement of ski slopes, new elevators and gondola, lighting, change of visual identity …
The goal of the management of the Olympic Center, he says, is to encourage the production of domestic products – cheese, honey, meat, tea, brandy, wine, which should be offered for sale to tourists on Jahorina.
– Jahorina is a synonym for a group of as many as 100 factories, considering that 3,500 people live and work from it alone, and it has the potential to employ all people from the region. Jahorina is the initiator of the economy of this region – said Ljevanić.
He says that this is evidenced by the huge interest of investors, citing the fact that more than 300,000 square meters are currently being built on Jahorina with an average price of 5,000, which is 1.5 billion Bosnian marks.
-Our next big step is the investment in Gondola Pale – Jahorina, with the idea to transfer all construction to Pale and to protect and relieve Jahorina – said Ljevnaić and added that the approach to work has completely changed and that guests notice huge progress thanks to education, training and specializations.