Rural households involved in tourism will need to go through a categorization process and be rated with stars, similar to hotels. This innovation is expected to be introduced by a new regulation by the end of the month. This task, along with the categorization of hostels, falls under the responsibility of local communities.
Primarily guardians of tradition, and then hospitality establishments, the ethno-village “Ljubačke doline” has been visited by thousands of guests from the entire region since 2015. It is quiet here in winter, as it operates on weekends or by appointment.
“We work with travel agencies from the region, especially Slovenia. We already have 20-30 buses reserved from the region,” says Nedejko Branković, host of the Ethno Village “Ljubačke doline.”
The host mentions they have already undergone categorization. For rural households, it was previously indicated by the number of apples, but now it will be stars. Regardless of the sign at the entrance, the experience they offer guests is hard to surpass, so they are not afraid of competition. However, they agree that order needs to be introduced in this area.
“We have traditional architecture, crafts, a church as a carrier of tradition through religious ceremonies, primarily Christmas and Easter. A stage where we perform programs, folklore, reconstruction of past events, a classic museum, traditional cuisine, workshops, primarily Zmijanje embroidery, weaving workshops, so we have no competition,” added Branković.
The increasing number of guests interested in staying in such households makes rural tourism one of the leading branches of the sector’s development. The relevant ministry states that this is why it is necessary to achieve certain standards and give a new quality to the offer.
“Our desire is to further enhance this area of tourist offer in the Republic, especially the part of rural households, and improve the quality of service in tourism itself,” says Denis Šulić, Minister of Trade and Tourism of the Republic of Srpska.
For the categorization of rural households, as well as hostels, according to the new regulation, local self-government units will be responsible. In the relevant department of Banja Luka’s City Administration, they say that with 481,000 guests, last year was record-breaking for the city on the Vrbas. In addition, they note an increase in the number of registered tourist capacities, by 183 just last year. Currently, 468 accommodation units are registered. How many there will be once rural households are also categorized remains to be seen.
“A new accommodation unit, capacity, has been identified, which is, as stated in the Law on Hospitality, a rural tourism facility. Until now, such a type of accommodation capacity was not recognized in the legal framework,” said Aleksandra Simić, from the Department of Economy and Local Economic Development of the Banja Luka City Administration.
The regulation is expected to come into effect by the end of the month, and then another area will be negotiated. Discussions with rafting camps and the development of a regulation defining that area are announced for March.
Source: RTRS
