Sarajevo, April 7, 2014 – The U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is pleased to announce that USAID is promoting tourism and natural resources in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), and the potential economic opportunities in this sector, through its April campaign, “Tourism in BiH: Get on board! The possibilities are endless.”

“BiH is a beautiful country, with magnificent vistas and other great natural resources. That’s a gift that should be shared. We want to make sure the world has access to it,” said USAID Mission Director David Barth.

BiH's natural beauty and resources also offer tremendous economic opportunities for BiH citizens to open their own businesses providing tourism services, such as new places to eat and drink, accommodations for overnight stays, or transportation to/from the airport. There are also opportunities for even smaller businesses, such as mountain guides services, bike rentals or souvenir stands. The possibilities are endless.

To highlight natural resources and tourism opportunities in BiH, USAID will organize a series of public events listed below. Media are invited to cover all events.

• April 7: Launch of USAID Facebook Photo Contest for the photos that best promote the natural beauty of BiH.
• April 11-13: Photo exhibition of Via Dinarica on display in the windows of Sarajevo Textile shops (Marlboro Classic, Playlife, Guess, Sisley, Yamamay and Benetton).
• April 15: Launch of a USAID-supported web portal, www.destinationsarajevo.com, to promote Sarajevo as a tourism destination, at Hotel Europe.
• April 23: Eleven Bascarsija traditional handicrafts will be certified (registered and protected) as intellectual property by the BiH Institute for Intellectual Property (location TBD).
• April 24: Promoting preservation of BiH natural resources through energy efficiency, an event organized by USAID at Hotel Termag on Mt. Jahorina.
• April 25: USAID and UNDP will promote the BiH portion of the Via Dinarica trail and small business opportunities in tourism (mountain location TBD).

To date, the U.S. Government, primarily through USAID, has provided more than $1.6 billion in assistance to support economic, democratic, and social progress in BiH.