FOS: Excellence in family accommodation as a prerequisite for competitive and sustainable tourism

The 7th Family Accommodation Forum (FOS), one of the most relevant gatherings for the preparation of private renters for the tourist season, was held on Saturday at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb.

This year's edition of the conference, which gathered participants from all over Croatia, was organized by Tourism sector of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with Croatian National Tourist Board.

Household facilities in the Croatian accommodation structure generate the highest tourist traffic, and this was also the case last year, in which almost 105 million of the total 47 million overnight stays were made in family accommodation.

"This is precisely why we expect a strong contribution of private renters to the overall results of Croatian tourism during this year, in which, in accordance with the announcements, we expect a full recovery of Croatian tourism and a return to pre-pandemic tourism results. In this context, the Family Accommodation Forum, which has become one of the key gathering places for dialogue, further improvement and development of family accommodation, for which the Croatian tourist community is additionally preparing a special promotion and branding program that will contribute to even greater and better visibility of this important part of the overall Croatian tourist offer", He said Kristjan Staničić, director of HTZ, emphasizing that continuous investment in raising the quality of accommodation units is key to even more successful operations.

We are pleased with the announcements of the participants of this year's Forum that this year's tourist season will reach the tourist results of 2019, said the director of the Tourism Sector of HGK Andreja Vukojevic.

"On the road to recovery, which lasted for three seasons, family accommodation had a great influence, which significantly helped Croatian tourism to survive and overcome the crisis period. As the number of accommodation units approaches pre-pandemic figures, it is increasingly clear that owners who invest both in their real estate and in education will stand out from the rest and be more competitive on the market. The goal of the Forum is to enable private renters to learn from relevant lecturers and educators about the principles of excellence in family accommodation as a prerequisite for competitive and sustainable tourism.", concluded Vukojević.

FOS once again updated the importance of improving the system of categorization and recategorization and encouraging the improvement of the quality of accommodation facilities and all other catering facilities.

It was also discussed the need to encourage the obtaining of quality marks and a stronger appreciation of the principles of environmentally friendly and socially responsible business as key components of the new sustainable tourism strategy. As part of this year's Forum, lectures, panel discussions, workshops and a B2B exhibition space were organized for networking with exhibitors of products and services relevant to family accommodation.

Photo: HGK