The first couple of weeks we spent almost all time in the field visiting places along the river Sana, making photos and in certain cases video documentation, putting down notes about relevant data and information. We visited up to 60 spots. We did not restrict the area of investigation to only Ključ-Ribnik region since there are few other highlights of natural beauty with tourist potential in the neighbouring municipality of Sanski Most as well. These spots should also be taken into consideration by a tourism development plan in the area. That is the reason why the research area was widened adding parts of the neighbouring municipality in the north.

Our findings have been compiled into three documents (Documentation I, II, III), which form the part of our final study report as well. Based on our findings and on maps of the region we have created three maps with the spots we investigated. We decided to give the first documentation a brochure-like outlay in order to make it useful as a tourist promotion material as well. Our host organization will be looking for the possibilities to have a certain amount of printouts also.

After one month of our stay besides the activities related to the documentation we started having meetings and interviews with relevant NGOs, networks, local government representatives, tourist agencies of the region (in Ključ, Ribnik, Sanski Most, Prijedor, Bihać, Jajce) about their activities and obstacles regarding promotion of the region, development of infrastructure, protection of environment, collection of garbage etc. For this purpose we have developed questionnaires too.

Based on the first documentation we have started to build this website as well, which could serve the same purpose of promotion of the region. There was in the year 2006 no possibility for interested people to access more detailed information about the region from abroad.

The findings of our study could be summarized in a few sentences: The potential for tourist activities in the near surrounding is enormous because landscape, nature etc. are extraordinary beautiful. But the local tourism infrastructure here in Bosnia and Herzegovina needs strong improvements. Ecological problems in the research area mainly consist of household garbage. Industrial pollution seemingly doesn’t play a part because all factories are closed since the war. But we didn’t have the equipment for chemical analyses to prove this in a scientific way. During our meetings with local NGOs we also saw great potential and positive examples for involvement of the civil sector in ecology and tourism.

Beneficiaries of the project:
According to our plans all the materials (documentations, the study report and photographs) we create will be distributed on CDs among those NGOs, individuals and the local authorities, which in one way or the other are dealing with tourism and/or ecology. They can freely use our materials for planning and carrying out activities. The main and immediate beneficiaries of our project are these stakeholders in our research area. In this way we hope to contribute to the initiation of a more strategic and coordinated way of operation in the fields of our project themes. By the website and other promotion materials we also target tourists, and by their visit local people engaged in tourism can also benefit from our project on the long run.

07.01.2007