By Vesna Besic and Talha Ozturk
SARAJEVO, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina is witnessing its most successful winter tourist season since the Bosnian War, officials said.
Heavy snow and a large number of tourists enriched the legendary Olympic mountains of Bjelasnica, Igman and Jahorina.
Happy skiers, kids on sleds and snowboarders came from 83 countries to the capital Sarajevo, where back in 1984, the Winter Olympic Games skiing competition was held.
Officials said that in January, more than 200,000 people visited the Olympic beauties near Sarajevo, Bjelasnica and Igman.
"We are satisfied with the 2014-2015 ski season,” Suad Jusic, director of the Olympic Bjelasnica–Igman center, said. "Our most loyal guests are Bosnian citizens, but a large number of tourists also come from Europe. The majority of guests are from Slovenia, Austria and Germany."
In total, 13,472 tourists who spoke German, Turkish, English and other languages visited the country, an 11.1 percent increase from 2014.
Analysts say the surge is partly due to National Geographic magazine recommending Bosnia and Herzegovina as one of the top destinations in its 2014 Best of the World list.
Ski lanes at the Olympic mountain had been completely demolished during the war. Today, visitors can enjoy skiing in the area where famous world champions skied in the 1980s.
