At the recently concluded UNWTO second Students’ League in Bosnia and Herzegovina, youth tourism took the centrestage as the winning solution highlighted support for rural development on the Via Dinarica in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The second national edition of the United Nations World Tourism Oragnisation (UNWTO) Students’ League successfully concluded in Bosnia and Herzegovina with a celebration of youth talent for tourism.

In a press statement, UNWTO says that the competition launched around two categories,  high school students and undergraduates, attracting applicants from leading educational institutions from across the country. The jury looked at the feasibility of the ideas presented by the teams through their social media campaigns as well as on their potential to contribute to the fulfillment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The statement says that eight teams made it to the finale, representing the Srednja stručna škola (Team AANSS Tourist), JU Turističko-ugostiteljska škola Tuzla (Team Champions), Mješovita srednja škola Travnik (Team RoseBrandis), JU Mješovita srednja škola “Bosanski Petrovac (Team StazeSrece), JU Centar srednjih škola (Team Tribuni), Faculty of Economics Pale (Team Tusists Economy), Visoka škola za turizam i menadžment Konjic (Team VS-TIM) and University of Business Studies (Team We Grow with Nature).

UNWTO says that the winning solutions from Team RoseBrandis from Mješovita srednja škola Travnik and Team Vs-Tim from Visoka škola za turizam i menadžment Konjic included social media campaigns to support rural development on the Via Dinarica in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Students also created synergies between the different teams by becoming film producers and created a video on traditional folk costumes in Rural areas.

Under the framework of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) ‘Building Relations for intercultural Dialogue (BRIDGE) Project’, the initiative is implemented and co-financed by the United Nations Development Programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNDP BiH) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH.

According to the participants, the Students League offered a unique chance to gain practical experience within the tourism sector while also benefitting from networking and mentorship opportunities.

“This project is a wonderful experience for young people who will be the bearers of tourism in the future, because they study tourism, ecology, economics, which are closely related to the sector,” says Team We Grow with Nature from the University of Business Studies in Bosnia & Herzegovina.

UNWTO says that the Students League Bosnia & Herzegovina has benefitted the support of leading international partners, including representatives from the UNWTO Best Tourism ViIlages Programme –  Cumeada and Krupa Na Vrbasu,  Visit Blidinje, Greenways Association, Verne Tourism Experts, Sismotur, Outdoor Bosnia and the City of Trebinje.

“By participating in this project, we learned a lot and discovered various hidden treasures both in our and in other countries. The project helped us get introduced to Instagram and how we can use it in business. Most importantly, we had fun and enjoyed participating in this project,” adds Team RoseBrandis, from Mješovita srednja škola Travnik in Bosnia & Herzegovina.