Holiday Bosnia—immersive, philanthropic tours to post-war Bosnia

Photo: MOSTAR, BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - JULY 16, 2015: Old bridge in Mostar / Adnan Vejzovic / Shutterstock.com

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Holiday Bosnia is a UAE-based travel company that specializes in adventure trips to Bosnia and Herzegovina that combine tourism with philanthropy.  The company is Muslim-owned and leans towards accommodation of the needs of Muslim travelers, but it also caters to anyone interested in exploring Bosnia, non-Muslims included.

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

The company is values-driven, with a philanthropic mission at the center of all its activities. In light of this, CEO Kamraan Siddiqui counts the following as the company’s accomplishments:

1. The company has supported displaced families and helped them return to their homes. It also provides support to orphans and vulnerable young people.
2. The company has provided scholarships for talented students.
3. Holiday Bosnia was involved in a “peace camp” where young Muslims and Serbs were brought together to break down cultural barriers and stereotypes.

OPPORTUNITIES BEING ADDRESSED

Increasing interest of GCC tourists in Bosnia

Bosnia’s natural beauty makes it an attractive destination for GCC travelers, and Holiday Bosnia’s programs encourage interaction with the local communities. In recent years, Siddiqui has noted higher numbers of travelers from the GCC nations to Bosnia.

“Last year we saw at least 25,000 Emiratis visiting Bosnia,” he said. “Three years ago, charter flights started from Kuwait to Bosnia, bringing around 40,000 visitors. Then, in 2015, FlyDubai launched the first direct carrier flights from GCC. Now, on 18th March, I will be on the inaugural Air Arabia flight from Sharjah to Sarajevo. Air Arabia is eventually expected to run daily.”

The post-war Bosnian community’s need for charitable projects

Bosnia is a war-damaged country with a 58 percent youth unemployment rate in 2015, according to World Bank estimates.

“We chose Bosnia Herzegovina because it is a post-conflict country where the society is still trying to recover from a devastating war 20 years on,” Siddiqui explains. “In this country there is a long tradition of interfaith and intercultural tolerance that extremists tried to destroy but failed. At a time when the relationship between Islam and the West is hotly debated, we find that Bosnia is an ideal place for tourists of all backgrounds to come and learn about our common shared humanity.

The trend towards responsible tourism

People today are becoming more conscious of the impact they have on the communities they visit. “We have seen that holidays with a purpose are infinitely more rewarding and memorable to tourists of today,” Siddiqui explains. “There has emerged a great desire for ordinary people to get involved in helping make the world a better place and ‘giving something back’ to society.”

Visitors are introduced to a wide range of sustainable charitable projects that they may choose to be involved in. These range from rebuilding a village, supporting orphans, and sponsoring students, to peacebuilding initiatives and interfaith exchanges.

“We are currently helping some of our visitors to explore investing in opening hotels, farms, and in particular the organic food industry [that includes produce] such as walnuts and honey,” said Siddiqui.

Photo: Travelers exploring underground labyrinth in Visoko, Bosnia / Courtesy Holiday Bosnia

COMPANY STRATEGY

Focusing on an immersive experience

Visitors are not just taken on typical sightseeing tours but are provided with opportunities to interact with local communities. “Our guests can stay in a real Muslim village, meet local families, and learn about the different religions in the country,”  said Siddiqui.

Values-driven

The company started with the mission of bringing in Muslim tourists to Bosnia to help the country’s Muslim community. According to Siddiqui, “Holiday Bosnia is more of a social enterprise—it is not aimed at making big money, and a percentage of our profit goes into the community to develop the locals and [for] philanthropic projects.”  

The company aims to offer more than a “halal” holiday that only meets Muslims’ need for halal food and prayer spaces. The trips offered by Holiday Bosnia aim to cover three aspects of the Islamic lifestyle: the spiritual (seeing nature and reflecting on God’s creation, interfaith dialogue, and giving to charity), the physical (the halal environment, including food, prayer spaces, and a range of activities), and the social (meeting local communities and participating in charitable activities).

One of the community projects that the company is engaged in is training young Bosnians to work in the country’s rapidly growing tourism and hospitality industry. The company is also working in partnership with local companies on a range of initiatives to provide small business loans and training for young locals so they may generate income from the organic agriculture industry, particularly honey production.

Catering to both Muslims and non-Muslims

While the trips fully accommodate the needs of Muslim travelers, they welcome non-Muslims as well. The wider ethical values of Islam and Holiday Bosnia as well as the philanthropic pursuits and activities within the local communities appeal to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. 

Focusing on youth educational programs

A relatively new focus for the company has been implementing youth educational programs that combine education, activities involving nature, community work, and leadership development for youth in schools and universities from around the world. As part of the program, young visitors interact with youth groups and students from Bosnia.

Photo: Konjic in Bosnia / Courtesy Holiday Bosnia

CHALLENGES

One of the challenges Holiday Bosnia faces is providing proper customer service, from transportation drivers to hotel staff to restaurant waiters. This is not as well established as in other countries.

Another challenge comes from the recent boom in GCC tourism to Bosnia: many competitors—who may not have the same values as Holiday Bosnia—have emerged, and are even copying many of the company’s programs.

OPPORTUNITIES

Given the increased interest in Bosnia, the company has the opportunity to scale its offering within the country as well as replicate it in other European countries with sizable Muslim populations that have a similar need for community development.  

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