In the past few years, Rama has suddenly become a popular tourist destination, attracting an increasing number of visitors from Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as other countries.
It all started with the coronavirus pandemic, when the more frequent arrival of tourists was noticeable. Even now, in the summer months, more beds are required.
Luka Markešić and his wife have been successfully managing family tourism in the Ram Lake area for five years.
The wife takes care of the apartments, renting and cleaning, while the retired Luka Markešić, as he says, is involved as an auxiliary worker.
“Tourists come primarily for the Ram lake. However, they know how to stay in apartments and then visit the mountains around the lake. There are also several marked bicycle paths that are often used by tourists. They even know how to stay here for ten days, and for one day they go to Jajce, Visoko, Kravice and the like. It is possible that the reason lies in the fact that accommodation here is cheaper compared to the Adriatic coast and other destinations” , said Feni Markešić.
He recalled the first year of their work in tourism when the coronavirus pandemic was in progress.
At that time, as he said, they were mostly visited by tourists from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the season was extremely successful, which no one expected.
“We arranged the apartments that year and we didn’t expect tourists because there was a pandemic. However, we were full that summer. Most often, citizens of BiH came, while now more foreign tourists come ,” he pointed out.
As Markešić adds, now more often tourists arrive from distant countries such as Japan, China and Sudan, and from European countries such as Slovenia, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Croatia and Serbia.
In the first years, tourists stayed for one day or would eventually come for an extended weekend, while now they stay up to ten days, and mostly old guests return.
Markešić notes that the tourist season in Rama starts at the beginning of May.
“In May and June, weekends are mostly full. At the end of the school year, that is, from mid-June to mid-September, everything is full. In August and September, especially if there is an event, and there are often, accommodation cannot be found”, he explained.
According to Markešić, there is certainly tourist capacity, but he emphasizes the need to improve the infrastructure, especially the sewage system.
Tourist center on Ram lake
Assistant to the head of Prozor-Rama, Josip Juričić, confirmed that the number of tourist arrivals has visibly increased in the past few years, especially last year when Lake Ram was full throughout the summer.
“Everything we do has a little impact on tourism. We have destinations that are in some way in use, and we have those that are potential and that we count on will be much more visited in the coming period” , he added.
As a potential destination, he particularly highlighted the archaeological site of Gradac, a destination that attracts the attention of historians and tourists alike.
Juričić notes that they did not promote this site much in order not to create a crowd due to further archaeological research, but they do not refuse visits.
The municipality’s commitment to the further development of tourism is also demonstrated by the Development Strategy, which includes, among other things, the construction of a tourist center on Lake Ramski, together with private partners.
“It is still in the idea phase, but we have come closer to realization. We think that our ideas will be achievable in the period until 2027, that is, until the time when our Strategy was created. Part of those efforts is publicity, and we do it very well through the media and social networks ,” explained Juričić.
With the increase in tourist arrivals, the problem of insufficient accommodation capacity also appeared, but the positive determination of the residents, especially those along Lake Ram, to participate in the tourist offer of this region is visible.
“There is a solid offer of apartments, holiday homes, log cabins and everything that attracts tourists for a long time. However, that is not enough. When manifestations come, such as religious ones, a place is sought after and difficult to find. Even when we have the Plum Days fair, which has also become a small tourist brand of our municipality, even then there is no accommodation in the surrounding towns” , he pointed out.
Juričić therefore emphasizes the need for regulation and registration of accommodation facilities in order to meet the needs of growing tourist interest.
Source: akta.ba
