Soon a Regulation on Branding Croatian Restaurants

The Ministry of Tourism and the Guild of Caterers and Tourist Workers of the Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK) will soon begin drafting a regulation that will define what constitutes the Croatian indigenous eno-gastronomic offer, based on which interested catering establishments, if they wish and meet the conditions, will be able to obtain a certificate or national sign/brand that they offer exactly that.

This was emphasized at today’s press conference by the Minister of Tourism Damir Bajs and the President of the Guild of Caterers HOK Zlatko Puntijar, adding that this joint project can be completed within this year as there are enough quality restaurants and other catering establishments in Croatia that can already obtain the mentioned type of certificate.

Explaining that this is a form of branding Croatian catering establishments, Minister Bajs highlighted that this is also part of the new promotion of Croatia not only as a destination of sun and sea but also of good food and wine and new experiences. All of this is taking place as part of, as he said, the transformation of the overall tourist promotion that began this year and through which Croatia should gradually position itself as a high-value lifestyle destination in the international tourist market over the next few years. For such a ‘restructuring’ in promotion, approximately 4 to 5 million euros will be spent this year out of a total of 30 million euros allocated for the promotion of Croatian tourism, said Bajs.

Highlighting that they are also working with the Ministry of Tourism on some other projects, such as facilitating the introduction of the HACCP system in catering establishments and promoting catering professions, the President of the Guild of Caterers HOK Puntijar reported that from this year, representatives of HOK will also be included in the membership of the Tourist Council of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) and county tourist boards.

He believes that this will also help the interests of Croatian catering as an indispensable part of the tourist offer. He added that this year there has already been understanding and good cooperation with the Ministry on amendments and that the new adaptation to the so-called smoking law has “saved caterers in the winter period.” In response to a journalist’s inquiry about the high prices of food and wine in Croatian restaurants, Puntijar stated that compared to other countries, they are not expensive, that they have a diverse offer including both more expensive and cheaper options, and that the most important thing is that the price matches the quality. (H)