Tourism facing many challenges, conference hears

Labour, climate change, and the geopolitical situation are the biggest challenges for tourism worldwide, including in Croatia and the region, as well as the development of sustainable, year-round tourism adapted to new tourist demands and local residents, the Tourism 365 conference heard on Tuesday.

The eighth international conference, organised by the Julius Rose company, began yesterday and lasts until tomorrow. It drew several hundred local and international tourism professionals and officials from Austria, Slovenia, the European Travel Commission, and others, who are discussing current trends and opportunities for tourism cooperation.

Participants include representatives from Conde Nast Traveler and Lonely Planet, as well as many global travel agencies. They will hold around 600 meetings with domestic tourism companies and tour Croatia.

This is the right time to decide what kind of tourism we want, whether we will operate year-round, offering what the market demands with innovative products and offers, or just focus on the summer season, said conference organiser Ivana Kolar.

Croatian Tourism Minister Tonči Glavina said revenue from foreign travellers was annually 7.5% higher in the first half of this year and 4.3% higher in the second quarter, which he described as outstanding.

"We can be satisfied and happy because the data shows we are becoming a year-round destination. We expect good trends by the end of the year and this to be the most successful year for Croatian tourism. I'm especially pleased that we had summer numbers similar to last year, and we want to maintain that, but with a much stronger pre-season and post-season," he added.

He stressed the importance of a good balance between product price and quality, as well as the quality of life and benefits from tourism, which are being worked on.

"We are moving forward with a clear message that the policy of 'more accommodation, more services, more everything' is behind us, and we are entering an era of increasing turnover outside the summer season. If we don’t act now, in three to five years, we could face excess and dissatisfied residents, as seen in other countries," said Glavina.

This means preserving what we already have across all segments of accommodation and other products, as progress won’t be made if the market sees 30,000 to 40,000 new beds in private accommodation each year, which already had lower occupancy and revenue this year, he added.

He also said that a property tax will be imposed on foreigners who own property in Croatia.

Susanne Kraus-Winkler, state secretary for tourism at Austria's Economy Ministry, said Austria was also focused on sustainable tourism and that it had made great progress, though more work remains as they aim for equally successful summer and winter seasons.

Slovenia's Economy and Tourism Minister Matjaž Han said Austria, Croatia, and Slovenia could accomplish a lot for tourism by working together. "Together, we can more easily attract travellers from China, India, the U.S., and other distant countries."

Croatian National Tourist Board Director Kristjan Staničić said Croatia had an opportunity to develop year-round tourism. He added that, based on early data, September was slightly weaker than last year, partly due to bad weather, but overall, the annual growth continues.

The congress season is starting, and expectations are high, with strong forecasts for the entire post-season, he said.

(Hina/FaH)

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