After several years of stagnation and lack of investments, this tourism project has brought freshness, optimism, and new tourism and economy sector-related ideas in Lopare and Majevica region.

The opening of OCTOPUS Swimming Pools in July 2019 was an important event for the Lopare municipality, which was covered by all-important media in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The pool complex includes a smaller pool for children and two large pools for adults as well as supporting recreational and hospitality structures. The swimming pools are equipped with state-of-art water treatment equipment, including pumps that continuously measure the presence of disinfectants and automatically regulate water cleanliness.

''This is the most important project for me!'', says Vlado with great enthusiasm. ''I started engaging in tourism, so that diaspora from Switzerland would spend more time in their home town. Around 60-70% of persons from Lopare live abroad. They used their vacation and children's holidays to spend time on the coast in Croatia, Montenegro, and elsewhere in Europe since they were unable to stay longer in Lopare, which had nothing special to offer. My own children would also get bored after two or three days and immediately ask that we go somewhere else. I, therefore, got the idea to build a structure dedicated to healthy sports and recreation, which would be used both by the local population and diaspora''.

After three years of intensive preparations and consultations with Lopare municipality, construction works started this spring and were completed in July. The opening day was unforgettable for Vlado: ''Nobody slept the night before, we thoroughly cleaned everything, prepared food, drinks, we took care of all details, because of the opening and the fact that first impressions matter more than all the rest. We tested the pumps all night long to check their capacity. We continuously wondered whether everything would function the way it should, whether we would make it, how many people would come… We also expected the media and under no circumstances could we make fools of ourselves. The aperitif for the guests ended by 13.00, everything went well, but then we had to see whether there would be any clients at the pool after the opening. There was nobody… What were we supposed to do, where were the swimmers?! There were no swimmers! Children started coming only around 13.30, and I was happy. I thought that at least children would come, learn sports swimming and enjoy themselves. Believe it or not, the pool was full by 14.15! The adults came as well! I was sitting there and observing the children, the happiness in their faces was incredible, their cries so full of joy… Because, you know, many of these children cannot go to the seaside. Now they can jump in the water, swim, socialize! We were all satisfied, both the representatives of the municipality and I!''

Support of Lopare municipality  

Lopare municipality-provided specific support to this project since the very beginning by ensuring free season tickets for children from primary and secondary schools. The intention of the municipality mayor, Rade Savić, was to motivate children and youth to engage in sports activities and socialize ''instead of spending their time at cafes and buying lotto and sports betting tickets at local bet shops'', explains Vlado.                  

A beginner swimming course for 50 persons, Dolphin, was launched immediately after the opening. However, additional swimming school courses for beginners and advanced swimmers are already planned for the next summer season. The swimming pools also dispose of qualified swimming teachers and lifeguards. There are also evening swimming sessions and various small cultural events, and entry tickets are not obligatory for visitors to the restaurant so that the swimming pools have very fast become a place where guests from the whole Majevica region gather and socialize during the summer season.

Vlado and his family invested 700,000 KM in the swimming pool project, with small assistance of the USAID program Diaspora Invest. His older son Dario, who graduated from a hospitality school in Switzerland and has been working in tourism for seven years, took unpaid leave and worked at the swimming pools all summer long, overseeing works and organizing all works.

Vlado arrived in Switzerland at the beginning of 1990, after he graduated from a technical school in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While he was learning the language, he worked at various restaurants. When he got a permanent stay and work permit, he started working at the railway company in his profession: ''I was not lazy, I wanted to learn so that I continued my education. Today, I have the task to ensure the safety of persons and buildings during the construction at the railway and am in charge of control protection and safety measures''. Vlado is in charge of safety at Rhätische Bahn, the largest narrow-gauge railway in Grisons, Switzerland, which is an important international tourist attraction. The fact that he lives in Landquart, Canton of Grisons, enables him to reach the Alps fast, so he can drive his motorbike, which is his favorite hobby.

New plans

Covering part of a swimming pool next year will make it possible for the swimming season to start as early as in May and to last until the end of September, and it is planned to build another pool for jumping into the water and a sand volleyball court. ''We already prepared the volleyball court for this summer, but it was impossible to buy the necessary equipment in Tuzla or Brčko and we were unable to find the place where such equipment is sold. Sometimes things are slow, but anything can be achieved with optimism and perseverance. Only perseverance and optimism!'', says Vlado. ''Then I have the intention to organize national volleyball competitions and attract more business partners, simply to do something in order to get things started in Lopare!''

The volleyball club from Lopare is competing in the premier league of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Lopare municipality has the intention to expand the sports hall for training and volleyball games since the existing sports hall does not meet premier league conditions.

''There are lots of athletes and children in Lopare, who would like to play volleyball on the sand during the summer so that there is no doubt that there will be persons interested in this sport'', says Vlado. 

During the construction of swimming pools, Vlado had no difficulties with the administration regarding the issuance of construction permits or project implementation. ''The whole municipality was helping me and providing support whenever it was necessary. They truly did everything they could to eliminate any obstacles, since this type of project is important for the whole municipality, not just for me as an individual. Shops already have a better turnover, purchases increased, the transport increased, and there are also interested business people. The municipality has understood that this project is a great opportunity for persons to stay over the summer in Lopare. This was also my intention when I started the whole project. I wanted it to be useful and to keep the diaspora, but also to keep my children here, to teach them to love this place, to want to stay here, to have fun and socialize with other children. It is important for me that children from the diaspora socialize with children from here, to learn from one another about life abroad and here, in Republika Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina. I hope that the political situation will improve, so that everything else will get better, too''.

When asked about potential difficulties during the swimming pool project implementation, Vlado says that they only slowed down the work and that there were no real obstacles: ''Once a group of workers went to work in Germany without announcing it and all the works stood still until we found new workers. Another time we needed a lot of time to make sure that a powerline is put in the ground since lots of additional permits were needed, but we were persistent, we called all the time and asked for meetings because it was necessary to do this. The administration does not have digitalized operations, but rather works in an old-fashioned way. However, everything functions, although sometimes it is a bit slow and fragmented. I do not have that many vacation days to spend half a year there. It was therefore important for me to finish all of it on time. I would spend seven days in Lopare, go back to work, and then go there again. Over the past three years, I spent all my vacation days and free days on this project and was in Lopare in order to finish everything on time. I am glad about it, I am not complaining about it. I am happy that it all worked out!''

Investment in the future

The main motivation for Vlado to continue developing his project in Lopare is ''the wish to do something, so that people do not leave the country so fast'', as he says. ''On the one hand, I would like to the local population to stay by offering them sports, recreation, and employment opportunities. On the other hand, I would like the diaspora to spend their vacations in Lopare in order for our municipality to come alive a bit and have a closer connection to their hometown''.

''I believe that I have already succeeded'', says Vlado with satisfaction, ''because people have already made plans for the next summer so that I have lots of plans and expectations for the next year. There are many persons living in the diaspora and there are many children among them. Our children are forgetting the language, our customs, where their parents were born, losing their identity and it is therefore important that children from the diaspora have nice summers and wish to come to Lopare. The exchange between the local children and children from the diaspora is extremely important and it is a great investment in the future''.  

Links:

Webpage: Swimming Pools OCTOPUS Lopare 

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