Taylor McConnell completed an MSc in International Development at the University of Edinburgh in 2015. Originally from Central Pennsylvania, Taylor traveled through the Balkans and developed a keen interest in the post-war history of Bosnia, particularly in reconciling national identity, memory and development policy, leading him to move to Sarajevo in May 2015.
Tourism agencies resumed operations in Sarajevo almost immediately after the end of the war. The first post-war tourists began arriving in the city in 1996, just months after the siege came to an end.