Happy New Year 2024

In 2024, the editors of the HrTurizam and Turističke piče portals wish you a lot of success and laughter, as well as that our tourism focuses on strategic and sustainable development.

It will mark the beginning of the New Year 2024 the new Law on Tourism. It will enter into force with fireworks, wherever there are, with the first seconds of January 2024, XNUMX. We are talking about the Law this year already discussed, so we will only say how it regulates the tourism system, managing the development of tourism in the direction of sustainability, ensuring sustainability, a sector-specific system for encouraging investment in tourism, protection and valorization of the resource base, and other issues of importance for tourism.

Therefore, the Law should regulate everything that modern trends in tourism emphasize. Special emphasis was placed on "excessive tourism", which is not a problem only in Croatia, and on investments in sustainable tourism.

Authenticity, sustainability and digitization

Our greatest value is our diversity and authenticity. All trends in tourism say the same thing, namely authenticity, sustainability and digitization. 

Honestly, authenticity has always been and will always be the main trend in tourism, because the very essence of tourism is exactly that – an authentic experience. Differentiation from others is exactly who we are - our way and culture of living. 

The motive of the trip is to get to know a new culture and way of life. Therefore, it is logical and natural for us to be who we are and "sell" our way and culture of living, and not be a copy.

Tourists from Vienna certainly do not want to eat "Vienna schnitzel", but they want to try and experience something new. We still figuratively sell French wine to the French, instead of ours. Otherwise why would people travel? If we are all a copy of Tuscany, then why should people travel? If someone wants to experience Tuscany, then they will go to the real Tuscany, not visit some copy or replica. The original has always had and will always have its own value and reason for coming, while the copy most certainly will not.

As far as sustainability and digitization are concerned, discussions are still ongoing, but we have a strategy. The focus must be on authenticity, not on mass tourism. The focus must be on the story and the experience, not just living off "rental" tourism through sun and sea. Such tourism is not planned, it happens by itself. The focus must be on people and the local economy, not on encouraging imports. The focus must be on local tomatoes and eggs. Feel free to continue down the line…

New year, new challenges, and the biggest challenge was and remains the change of "mindset". In order to truly be "the best in the world" we need good preparation and strategy, planning and infrastructure, analytics and digitalization... Success in the whole story will not come overnight, but is created smartly over many years. And with a lot of effort, sweat, attempts, pain, lucidity... 

We have a natural resource and a geostrategic position given to us. We did not create that comparative advantage. It is up to us to use this advantage in a quality and smart way, but also to think about the future. In order to make progress, we need business processes, strategic and planned development, everyone's synergy and to really start dealing with development, and not to wait unprepared for the peak of the tourist season.

In the end, we have everything and everything is up to us. Everyone is fighting for the same tourists in Europe, and those who are smarter, faster, more agile, more creative, more innovative and above all those who are strategically and sustainably involved in tourism development will win.