The Mediterranean as it used to be or the value-added tourism we must strive for

Article inspired by a LinkedIn post from Internova.

Internova was founded in 1991 as a small furniture trading company. With increasing requests for furniture customization, we decided to start our own production and, in addition to the furniture trade, produce custom-made furniture.

The company Internova creates and operates from Pazin, which means that it attracts high-quality personnel to Pazin, keeps people in Pazin and the surrounding area, and opens a new perspective. They currently employ around 50 people.

The post has nothing to do with the article, the company boasted of the work it had done for a domestic client from the tourism sector, but what is the inspiration for this article is the fact that the company lives indirectly from tourism. And it does not have accommodation or a restaurant, but creates and operates in Croatia and is an example of the added value of tourism that we must strive for. 

No, this is not a sponsored article, but a narrative that, as a country that is so dependent on tourism, really needs to discuss and think about.

It is the added value of tourism. Strengthening the local economy that relies on tourism. Not that tourism encourages imports. In fact, tourism must be a tool/resource for strengthening domestic companies, which will grow and develop and in turn export their services and products based on the reference of our tourism. 

As far as I can see on their website, the Cantine Saints Hills project is not the only domestic reference, in fact, they worked on large projects in the Croatian hotel industry, from Hotel Grand Brioni in Pula, Masina Resort on Hvar, Hotel Adriatic in Rovinj, and more and more are in the reference. and foreign partners such as The Leo Grand Hotel in Vienna and Tribe Hotel in Germany. 

Which is proof and confirmation of the above statements. Our tourism must rely on domestic capacities and knowledge. It is in the very DNA or essence of tourism. Otherwise, tourism makes no sense in the larger picture.

The added value of tourism lies in its ability to strengthen the local economy, preserve resources and culture, and contribute to the sustainable and balanced development of both local and national communities. This is only possible when tourism is planned and developed with the primary goal of benefiting local resources and the population. 

Because the use of local resources in tourism creates a chain of economic activity that includes local producers, artisans, service providers and other sectors. In this way, the money that tourists spend in the destination stays within the community, which leads to the growth of the local economy and improvement of living standards. When tourism is based on the valorization of local specificities, it contributes to the preservation of local identity, which is important for the long-term sustainability of the destination. 

This is "that" sustainable and high-quality tourism, value-added tourism and, ultimately, value-for-money tourism.

Then we can be authentic, and thus have a clear differentiator on the market. Turkey and Greece are not or should not be competitive in terms of tourism, because mass tourism cannot be of high quality and sustainable. Also, Croatia is not infrastructurally arranged for mass tourism, but exactly as our tourist slogan "Mediterranean as it once was" was. 

Tourism that relies on local resources, such as food, culture, crafts and natural beauty, contributes to sustainable and healthy development. Instead of importing resources or creating dependence on external factors, this kind of tourism encourages local production, raises the quality of life, reduces the ecological footprint and ensures long-term benefits for the local community. Primarily, people staying in Croatia. Especially on the example of Internova, which is not in Zagreb or Split but in Pazin. 

When tourism is an end in itself and its sole goal is to attract as many tourists as possible with low value for money, excessive development occurs that depletes local resources, increases the cost of living for the local population and impairs the quality of life. Needless to say, I won't go into deeper details now. 

Unfortunately, in our tourism development in the last 20 years, we have destroyed ourselves, but we still have the opportunity to build tourism according to our own standards. Our culture and way of life. WE are the narrators of our story. Either we will have as many companies as possible like Internova - in all fields, from micro, medium and large, or we will continue on the same path and wonder in 10 years where the Croats have disappeared. 

Internova was founded in 1991 as a small furniture trading company. With increasing requests for furniture customization, we decided to start our own production and, in addition to the furniture trade, produce custom-made furniture. The company Internova creates and operates from Pazin, which means that it attracts high-quality personnel to Pazin, retains people and opens a new perspective. They currently employ around 50 people.

We need many more positive examples and companies like this. This is the tourism that we must strive for and build bit by bit, and not encourage imports.  

PS I media must be sustainable in order to grow and strengthen the quality of content.