Bosnia and Herzegovina - the next Swiss?

Bosnia is like the misunderstood and unattended little brother among the ex-Yugoslavian family. Despite its physical proximity to the increasingly tourist-welcomed Croatia, Bosnia largely remains a foreign name to most (at least to arrogant and ignorant honkies who know nothing beyond eating in Taipei in and shopping in Tokyo). I was awarded an envy look when I suggested that I am traveling to Croatia, yet all I got was a puzzled quizzical look on the name Bosnia - "why Bosnia? What's there on top of unending wars?"

Bosnia is the short form of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country declaring independence from Yugoslavia in 1992. It does not have the beautiful Croatian coast with a thousand outlying islands alongside, nor the characteristic Montenegrin black mountains, and of course not the dreamy Slovenian fairy tale, though its richness in culture and history definitely makes it a good starting point for many to glimpse the real Eastern Europe. Without all the income from tourist industry, it is significantly poorer than its neighbours, such as Montenegro which offers EUR800k apartment at a suburb near the Croatian/ Montenegrin border, or Dubrovnik where it is charging largely Western European prices.

Ironically, while most tourists are reluctant to visit Bosnia, very often they are forced to enter the country. In 1699, the Neum region signed the Treaty of Karlowitz with the Republic of Ragusa (i.e. Republic of Dubrovnik) to ensure that Neum would not border with the Venetian Republic, leaving it with the only Bosnian coast of 24.5km long. With such legacy issue in place, one must cross the border even traveling within the Southern Dalmatian region from Dubrovnik to Split on road. The volume of traffic does not make crossing the border easier - our tour guide claimed that while it usually takes less than 10 minutes to clear the border for a coach full of 50 European passport holders, the process might take up to 2 hours in bad days!

It is not all wrong to associate Bosnia with war, just as it is not an exaggeration to call Mostar "the city of pathos". At the forefront of the Bosnian War, the city was in a state of siege for 18 months since APR92. At the initial battle line on the high street, damages from bullets and cannon balls on buildings continue to displayed the whole world of the city's sad story even till today. The mix of utterly different ethnicity - Croats (the Catholic), Turks (the Orthodox) and Serbs (Muslim) - soundlessly tell the military history of the region, with each conqueror leaving traces of footprint with the modern Bosnia.

Bosnia claimed itself to be the next Switzerland. Our tour guide commented in her typical dark humour tone: "yes, but without the income!" It certainly has the right traits to prosper. It is merely waiting for the right timing. I am more inclined to agree with their claim, and I do hope that I am right.