The Slow and Resolute Resurrection of the Destination Sarajevo

Summary Between 1992 and 1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered a major armed conflict. This brought major disruption of the urban system to the capital, Sarajevo. This conflict caused a fracture inside the society and its urban identity. After the immediate reconstruction stage, a new process called post-conflict transition, event or disaster followed and required the collaboration of actors at multiple scales. This promoted the realization of new urban and societal projects. The tourism sector is one of these projects, creators, and carriers of new representations of the city, promoting the reconstruction of the tourist destination and the renewal of urban identity through a new tourism development of the city, which promotes the memory of the past conflict. These representations, modelled by the different urban actors (local and national, international, tourist and cultural policies), are transmitted to the tourist level through the urban space, bringing them to the attention of tourists, which can promote territorial attractiveness and economic benefits for local populations. However, following a conflict, the decision making actors of the city can make conflicting choices, particularly in the case of cities that have experienced internal conflicts. The case highlights the situation of Sarajevo between 2022 and 2024, increasingly embracing the European model of the cultural and sustainable tourist city, while preserving the memory of the past conflict, against a backdrop of political and identity crises. Information © The Author 2025