By Maja Tuljković – Sarajevo

Due to extremely high temperatures for this time of the year, characterized by sun and drought, this could be one of the warmest winters in the history of B&H. But considering that it is still winter, it is difficult to make such forecasts. What is certain is that the high temperatures, unusual during the winter period here, means a lack of snow, so the Olympic mountains in B&H are marking large losses and it is certain that this year’s winter tourist season will not be nearly as successful as last year’s.

By comparison, last year from 11 December to 20 January there were 40 ski days, and this year there were only around 15, and only in one part of the ski areas. Last year, there was a minimum of 100 ski days, and this year (even if it snows) it will not be even close to that number. Hotel Bistrica on Jahorina confirmed that the season did not start out well.

‘’Due to a lack of snow, a large number of guests have cancelled their trips here. 2.000 overnight stays have cancelled their reservations at Hotel Bistrica until the end o January’’, said the head of sales and marketing of the Olympic Center Jahorina Zorica Jovanović. She added that the current state of booking for February is quite well. They hoped that the establishment of regular flights between Sarajevo and Moscow would be tempting for tourists from Russia, but also a big step forward for tourism on Jahorina. Russian tour operators visited all hotels on Jahorina and know about their offers, so from 27 December until 10 January around 300 Russian tourists visited B&H.

When it comes to the Olympic Mountains Bjelašnica and Igman, there is also no snow. Yesterday it was raining and the temperature was in the plus. The skating rink ‘Medo’ was operating but due to rain, there were no visitors. The high temperatures prevented even the production of artificial snow. There are no conditions for skiing, snowboarding or sledding, so skiers are told to take hikes along hiking trails instead of taking part in their favorite winter sport.

‘’Unfortunately, we can say that this period failed, due to the fact that as of 15 December we barely had any skiing. Only one ski lift was in operation. The number of visitors was around 10.000 to 15.000 during the weekends and several thousand during the weekdays. This season, if we exclude around 10 days with one ski lift, thanks to the production of artificial snow, we did not work’’, said the spokesperson of KJKP ZOI’84 Muamera Šehić. Some guests, who planned to stay from 10 to 15 days at these two mountains, have already left after the New Year’s holidays.

According to weather forecasts, by the end of January there will be no snow in B&H. They say that February will be a ‘real winter month’. However, tourism employees agree that a good part of the season has failed, since January is the month in which most skiers visit the mountains, and students are on winter break.

While everyone in B&H is waiting for the predictions of meteorologists, and for snow to cover the mountains, the reassuring fact is that people have the habit already of going to the mountains throughout the course of the entire year. People like to get out of the fog and the smog, and to spend their free time in the fresh air. When the weather is nice, the cable cars work. Thus, despite the unfavorable weather conditions for skiing, there are still options for people who visit the mountains surrounding Sarajevo.