SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina — As most European nations impose new restrictions to curb the spread of the omicron variant, Bosnia is taking a relatively laissez-faire approach to soaring COVID-19 infections in the region, much to the delight of its winter tourism industry.
Last week, thousands of skiers from around the country, the Balkans and the European Union happily slalomed their way through fresh snow on Bosnia’s mountain slopes following the official Dec. 4 kickoff for the season. Most ski resorts in the Balkans opened over the past week as well, but with much stricter pandemic-induced capacity and access limits.
On the Jahorina and Bjelasnica mountains near Sarajevo, hosts of the 1984 Winter Olympics, long, tightly packed queues formed at ski lifts while local and international guests gathered at cafes both indoors and outdoors, with some even taking in a nightly music concert.
Travelers coming into Bosnia from the European Union, apart from Croatia, are required to have a negative pre-departure PCR test and proof of recent vaccination or recovery from COVID-19 to enter the country. Citizens of Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro are exempt from that rule.
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