We Certainly Have Another Two Months of Tourist Traffic?

In Croatia, there are currently about 500 thousand tourists, and if the epidemiological situation remains stable and everyone adheres to the prescribed measures and recommendations, it can be safely expected that there will be another two months of tourist traffic this year, stated Kristjan Staničić, the director of HTZ, from Plitvice Lakes on Wednesday.

Staničić met at the Plitvice Lakes in the Jezero hotel with representatives of the tourist boards of the Lika-Senj and Karlovac counties, which was attended by the directors of these two boards, Ivan Radošević and Dina Begić, along with 17 representatives of the tourist boards of cities and municipalities from those two counties, as well as the director of NP Plitvička jezera, Tomislav Kovačević.

This is a so-called coordination meeting initiated by HTZ with the aim of presenting HTZ’s activities to representatives of tourist boards in Croatia, as well as familiarizing them with the situation on the ground and experiences in tourism during the pandemic, and exchanging information and expectations for the upcoming period.

The director of the Lika-Senj Tourist Board, Ivan Radošević, assessed the tourism situation in that county as very good compared to the initial forecasts, stating that “August brought an excellent approximately 67 percent of last year’s August results, and cumulatively from the beginning of the year until now about 54 percent of last year’s traffic.”

There are currently tourists in that county, mostly from Germany, Croatia, and Poland, similar to the Karlovac County, whose director, Dina Begić, reported that currently, 30 percent of last year’s tourist results are being achieved in that county.

She also highlighted the significant increase in the number of domestic tourists this year, whose share in the total traffic of that county is 30 percent.

HTZ director Staničić reminded at the meeting of the measures in the country from May until now that have enabled tourist traffic, including focused marketing and informational campaigns conducted in key European markets from which the highest tourist traffic was ultimately achieved.

Campaigns for the Off-Season, the Continent, and the Worthy Vacation Week

He also stated that considering everything, they are “extremely satisfied with the summer part of the tourist year, where only in August a level of 67 percent of last year’s traffic was recorded.”

He announced campaigns for the off-season with an emphasis on continental tourism, nautical tourism, as well as enogastronomy, focusing on markets in the immediate vicinity.

“In the domestic market in October, we plan to implement the project Worthy Vacation Week, and we are also preparing a plan for the next tourist year, which we know will be demanding and in which we will rely on enhanced marketing and PR activities in selected markets and especially on advertising through digital communication channels,” said Staničić.

At the meeting, as reported by HTZ, there was also discussion about adopting new subordinate legislation and regulations for improving and regulating tourism processes (regulations on underdeveloped areas and on associated tourist boards), as well as about the future of the tourist board system in the country considering the new circumstances caused by the pandemic and reduced revenues.

Staničić emphasized in a media statement after the meeting the great importance of communication within the tourist board system and with the tourism sector and others for future activities and results in tourism, especially in 2021 and after these “first, but important experiences of everyone during the pandemic.”