The National business
05
It was truly a fascinating time and I fell in love with the
business pace and the people I have met in the UAE
Armin Osmancevic, co-founder of Bonify
 profile
The owner
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HR
Dubai International
Financial Centre
30
8T
A love letter to his
‘heart-shaped land’
The Bosnian refugee Armin
Osmancevic, the co-founder of
Bonify, used his previous experience
in digital design to create an online
portal to help bring attention to his
native country. After being forced
to leave his home in Bosnia in 1993
at the age of 17, Mr Osmancevic
made his way to Sweden, and with
that move came a career in digital
marketing. Four years ago, he came
to Dubai as the creative
director of a
Emirates
Emirates
local advertising company.
Towers
Towers
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A Bosnian refugee wants nothing more than to help people visit his country. His
business has found a niche for itself in Dubai’s travel industry, LeAnne Graves writes
22
DS
Financial
Centre
Bosnia has not been
able to properly
harness its
tourism potential
as a result of
domestic issues
ĝĝ[email protected]
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AY
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different than other tour groups
is the integrated portal that HelloBosnia.com offers its customers.
The site offers a service that includes bookings and payments.
Mr Osmancevic says it is the only
site that offers comprehensive information about attractions and
activities in Bosnia and allows
Burj
users to instantly book and make
Khalifa
online payments.
The founder says he chose Dubai
as the home base to implement
online payments for the region
and bring Bosnia closer to the
company’s target market. Bonify
has a branch in Sarajevo and representatives in Stockholm and
Kuala Lumpur. “Soon we will have
a representative in Muscat joining
our team,” Mr Osmancevic says.
The country’s tourism sector
is still small, but it is picking up
pace. The country’s annual revenue from tourism increased by 17
per cent last year compared to the
previous year, according to statistics from the Central Bank of
Bosnia. The Tourism Association
of Bosnia shows tourism figures
nearly doubling last year to about
845,000 people compared to 10
years ago.
Some of the top destinations include Perucica, the oldest rainforest in Europe, and the continent’s
deepest river canyon, River Tara
Canyon, which offers rafting, hiking, horseback riding, mountain
biking, fly fishing and skiing.
“Bosnia holds many lessons for
UAE travellers interested in exploring and enjoying untouched
nature and fascinating history,”
Mr Osmancevic says.
HZ
ences of prospective clients in target markets,” says Mr Osmancevic.
He says that demand has increased for those bespoke packages. “This probably reflects the
family orientation and specific
needs of the GCC and Mena clientele,” Mr Osmancevic says.
The company plans to organise a family trip from the UAE for
late-September/early-October.
The trip will include media and
social bloggers as well as travel
agents. He says that Bonify has
also been in discussions with the
Bosnian government to create
content that captures the region’s
interest. “We have already made
arrangements with a couple of
major global airlines that see value in supporting our efforts to
propel Bosnian tourism to a new
level,” he says.
In addition to the personal connection that the owners have with
Bosnia, what makes the company
Dusit Thani
Dubai
EIK
says. This is where he met his Dubai business partner, and together with another friend in Bosnia
they created Dubai-based Bonify,
the company behind HelloBosnia.com. Bonify, which means “to
make good or better”, was established to make positive contributions, primarily to Bosnia.
The founder says that as a result
of domestic issues, Bosnia has
not been able to properly harness
its tourism potential. “The attractions have not been adequately
presented and marketed to the
global travel industry,” he says.
“In addition, local tour operators
are rather small and fragmented,
and often the quality of service
offered is not up to the expected
standards.”
And this is where HelloBosnia
comes in as a portal to “bridge
these various gaps and provide
quality service to the GCC and
wider markets, as well as work
with the local travel industry to
bring up the service levels”.
The site was launched in March
and so far 60 per cent of its website
traffic has come from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Mr Osmancevic
attributes those numbers to the
ease in flights and visas. FlyDubai
became the first UAE carrier to operate direct flights to Sarajevo in
December, and there are no visa
requirements for Emiratis.
There are a variety of packages,
ranging from three-day excursions for €285 (Dh1,175) up to
€2,055 for 14 days. In addition to
the variety of packages available
online, clients may request to
have a tour designed specifically
to suit their needs. “Schedules are
created based on specific prefer-
SH
For a country that was all but destroyed by a three-year civil war
from 1992-1995, Bosnia and Herzegovina is working to change its
image by enticing tourists to visit
the “heart-shaped land”.
With a population of just under 4 million people and more
than 6,000 refugees still present
in neighbouring Croatia and
worldwide, Bosnia is looking to
rebound economically.
And one refugee is looking to
help, with the newly launched
HelloBosnia.com website, hoping to introduce people to the
frontier lands.
After being forced to leave his
home in Bosnia in 1993 at the age
of 17, Armin Osmancevic made
his way to Sweden. With that
move came a career in digital marketing, but he couldn’t shake the
idea of bringing his expertise back
to his home.
“My mind has never settled in
thinking about various opportunities to make a difference to the
people back in Bosnia,” he says.
Mr Osmancevic has had a hand
in several Bosnian ventures, ranging from being a music video director for the country’s leading
pop stars to a Dubizzle-like site
that was less of a triumph. “Having rough beginnings, life has
taught me that what others perceive as a challenge is, in fact, an
opportunity if approached the
right way and with the right people,” he says.
Four years ago, he came to Dubai
as the creative director of a local
advertising company. “It was truly
a fascinating time and I fell in love
with the business pace and the
people I have met in the UAE,” he
Bonify
Emirates
Financial Towers
Shangri-La
Hotel Dubai
FIN
AN
CIA
LC
EN
TR
ER
D
The company
Bonify’s HelloBosnia.com offers a
gateway to bring awareness and
tourism to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
With 60 per cent of the website’s
traffic deriving from the UAE and
Saudi Arabia, the company decided
to base its operations out of Dubai.
It offers holiday packages for
individuals and families ranging from
€285 up to €2,055, with the option of
specific requests. Packages include
flights and transfers, accomodation,
meals, activities and tour guides.
Sarajevo’s Princip Bridge. Amel Emric / AP Photo
@ We are on the lookout for SME success stories. If you want to have your business profiled, contact us at [email protected]
Casper Hedberg for The National
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Sunday, June 14, 2015 www.thenational.ae