The summer tourist season at the Pannonian Lakes in Tuzla began on June 1. The official opening was marked by a fantastic concert by Hari Mata Hari, which attracted thousands of visitors. The season will last until the end of August, and if weather conditions permit, a continuation into September is planned.
-The previous season was one of the most successful to date. The Pannonica complex hosted over 534,000 visitors last summer, which is an outstanding result and confirms that Tuzla remains one of the most attractive summer destinations in the region. Considering the success of last season, the number of visitors in the first seven days of this season, as well as weather forecasts predicting a long and sunny summer, it is realistic to expect that we will achieve excellent results again this year – says Amra Jaganjac, Director of the Tuzla Tourism Organization, to the magazine Visit BiH.
Accommodation Capacities
According to her, the new season has begun with significant infrastructure and other improvements, which will contribute to making visitors feel even more comfortable.
– The arrangement of the salt waterfalls has been completed, including the adaptation of the staircase by the waterfalls, five overflow cascades, and two waterfall pools. Additionally, work has been carried out on reconstructing the sanitary facilities beside the waterfalls. Furthermore, the access staircase to the first large lake has been landscaped, the access road to the complex from its western side has been paved with new asphalt, as well as a section of the sidewalk within the complex itself. The area around all three lakes has been horticulturally landscaped, the children’s amusement park has been refreshed, new large and small fixed beach umbrellas with reed shading have been installed, beach benches have been renovated, new specialized rescue chairs have been placed, a video surveillance system covering the entire complex has been expanded, equipment for payment and control of entry and exit from the complex has been renewed… – says Jaganjac.
Apart from swimming, visitors will be offered additional content. As every year, numerous kinds of entertainment, cultural, and sports events will take place in Tuzla this summer season, enriching the tourist offer of Tuzla and making it an exceptionally attractive destination.
– We would highlight the Youth Art Festival “Kaleidoskop”, organized by the City of Tuzla since 2009, known for its free concerts held over three evenings in the park near the Music School. This year, the festival runs from 22 to 27 July and it will include the Kaleidoskop Art Market in the City Park, numerous workshops at the Peace Flame House, exhibitions at the “Ismet Mujezinović” Atelier, and the International Portrait Gallery. This summer, Tuzla will also have a taste of the Sarajevo Film Festival, as Bingo Summer Cinema will be organized at the Freedom Square. At the Pannonian Lakes, visitors can also expect evening concerts, weekly daytime after-beach parties, free tours of Sojeničko settlement and the Geological Exhibition, free use of the Children’s Amusement Park, daily dance workshops, aqua-zumba fun in the water, an open fitness center, water slides, a beach volleyball court, table tennis, basketball, and gastronomy offerings in hospitality venues – she emphasizes.
Last year, Tuzla had 15 hotels, six motels, five boarding houses, and 79 private accommodation units, totaling 105 lodging facilities.
– The indicators of increased registered private accommodation show the effectiveness of measures taken by the City of Tuzla and the Tourist Association, which aimed to bring private service providers into a legal framework, as well as activities by all tourism stakeholders that contributed to promoting Tuzla as a tourist destination and increasing its visibility in the tourism market – she notes.
Considering that entry prices have increased by an average of 20 to 30 percent, there has been a slight adjustment in the prices of tickets for the Pannonian Lakes. Compared to last year, prices are higher by only BAM 0.50, making the Pannonian Lakes still among the most affordable destinations. Significant attention at the Lakes is also given to safety conditions and water quality. Daily visits during July and August are around 8,000 guests, and the entire season is expected to see about 500,000 visitors.
– The safety and health of all our visitors are overseen by 38 lifeguards, as well as the Emergency Medical Team with a professional crew. The Tuzla Canton Institute of Public Health monitors the water quality and safety at the lakes, conducting six bacteriological and chemical analyses weekly, with results publicly posted on specially displayed boards within the lakes complex – she states.
Direct Flights
However, Tuzla is much more than just the Pannonian Lakes in terms of tourism. The city has a rich cultural and historical heritage. The Pannonian Lakes are the crown of the city’s tourist offer, and the entire story of tourism development in Tuzla is inevitably linked to the project of opening unique salt Pannonian Lakes. Nonetheless, with the accelerated development of tourism and the increase in tourist traffic, other city content has also grown, both in terms of hospitality establishments and their gastronomic and entertainment offer, as well as numerous events, festivals, and manifestations organized by the City of Tuzla, public cultural institutions, civil society organizations, and business entities involved in event organization. Today, Tuzla is a city that combines a rich industrial and cultural history with modern events.
– Cultural institutions and attractions that are appealing to visitors include the International Portrait Gallery, with extremely valuable collections of international importance; the “Ismet Mujezinović” Atelier, dedicated to the famous painter, with exhibitions and cultural events; the Museum of Eastern Bosnia, which showcases archaeological, ethnographic, and historical heritage of the region; the House of Literature, dedicated to prominent writers Meša Selimović and Deviš Sušić; the House of the Bosnian Language; the “House of Sports”; the old city core with the Salt Square and Freedom Square; the Salt Spa as a memorial park, promenade, and a memorial sight; as well as numerous religious sites that reflect the culture of community that Tuzla has nurtured for centuries.
Among the festivals and events that enrich the cultural and entertainment scene are the Kaleidoskop – Youth Art Festival, the Festival of Contemporary Women, Spring in Tuzla, the Tuzla Film Festival, the Coffee and Chocolate Fair, Summer in Tuzla, the Tuzla Beer Days, Bike Fest Pannonica, Literary Meetings Cum Grano Salis, the International Biennial Festival INTERBIFEP – a festival of portrait art, the Sevdalinka Festival “Sevdalinko, u srcu te nosim,” Winter in Tuzla, etc – says Jaganjac.
Last year, the Tuzla Tourist Association registered 21,485 domestic and 16,567 foreign tourists, with a total of 76,534 overnight stays. Jaganjac mentions that these figures are significantly higher in reality, but due to the large number of private renters who do not register guests, official statistics remain at this relatively low level. In the first four months of this year, there are reports with number as high as 10,126 tourists and 19,483 overnight stays.
The Wizz Air company will base two of its planes in Tuzla starting September, and a total of nine new routes to cities in Western Europe will be opened. From September, flights will operate to Hamburg, Paris, Cologne, Malmö, Gothenburg, Berlin, Brussels, and Frankfurt. Currently, travelers from Tuzla can fly with Wizz Air to Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg Airport, located at the tripoint of Switzerland, France, and Germany, as well as Memmingen and Dortmund. Turkish airlines AJet and Pegasus also operate flights from Tuzla to Istanbul.
– The increased number of direct flight routes significantly contributes to stronger tourist traffic, and moreover, our work in promoting Tuzla as a tourist destination in the European and global markets is greatly facilitated when we have good air connectivity – concludes Jaganjac.
