Croatia Received the Best Ratings in HIV Protection and Availability of Rent-a-Car Services

The main topic of today’s Government session was the Tourism Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia until 2020, which the Government has adopted and will soon be presented in parliamentary procedure.

Tourism Minister Veljko Ostojić presented the summarized guidelines and main development goals, with the primary development goal being Croatia’s entry into the top 20 tourist destinations based on competitiveness criteria. According to the global guide that tracks competitiveness in the travel industry, Croatia ranks 34th, which is not particularly alarming, but the fact that we are in a distant eighth place among nine Mediterranean countries is. Ostojić emphasized at the press conference that the international study contains about ten competitiveness criteria, among which Croatia has a low ranking in legislative frameworks for investors, labor legislation, parafiscal burdens, and overall business frameworks. We received the best ratings in two segments – HIV protection and the availability of foreign rent-a-car brands.
– One of the 26 measures to increase competitiveness that we outlined in the Strategy is the development of a Competitiveness Study in 2013, which will serve as a guide for identifying development barriers. The Study will yield specific tasks in the tourism sector and other activities. The establishment of an interdepartmental tourism team and a special team to monitor the implementation of activities from the Strategy is planned – announced Ostojić.

The expected effects of tourism by 2020 are seven billion euros in new investments, an additional 100,000 beds, an increase in the hotel share from 13% to 18%, 30,000 new jobs, 86 million overnight stays in commercial facilities (43% more than in 2011), and 14.3 billion euros in total tourist spending (six billion more than in 2011). 
– Unlike the previous two Strategies, this one is more precise, measurable, with mechanisms for implementation and clear messages to the public. None of the previous ones have been adopted by the Government and Parliament. In this document, hardware is less important; we have emphasized experiences, emotions, and authenticity – elements that will characterize Croatian tourism in the future – concluded Ostojić.