Invitation to pupils and students to apply for the project 'Get to know our stories'

An invitation has been published for students in the final grades of elementary schools, high schools, and students of business schools and tourism faculties to participate in the project "Get to know our stories" - through the promotion of professions and professional training to quality staff and sustainable tourism in unique luxury hotels - which is being implemented by the Association of Unique Croatian Hotel Stories.

As part of the project, by highlighting positive examples of the career development of hotel employees, the association tries to acquaint the public with career opportunities and different occupations in tourism, and to actively involve young people in the project in cooperation with educational institutions. 

At the end of the call, to will be selected 65 pupils and students who will be actively involved in the project and will be given the opportunity to visit one hotel member of the association and talk with employees and different hotel departments where they will receive individual advice for starting and developing a career in tourism.

The hotels gathered in the Association of Unique Croatian Hotels are an example of the sustainability of domestic tourism. Most of them are open throughout the year, they employ mostly local workforce, and through unique experiences and a rich gourmet experience, they encourage tourism with more added value and the development of local communities. 

"Recruiting local labor is extremely important to us in order to maintain the local identity and culture that are the backbone of our highly personalized service. We are glad that our project was recognized by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports and that in this way, in cooperation with our associated partners, we will contribute to the promotion of professions in tourism, interest young people in starting and developing a career in tourism, and introduce them to the advantages of working in tourism in Croatia through concrete experiences and examplesHe said Nenad Nizic, president of the Association of Unique Croatian Hotels and owner of the Vestibul Palace Hotel.  

The Ministry of Tourism and Sports continuously implements a series of activities that contribute to the strengthening of human potential in tourism and, among other things, this year also announced two public calls, Promotion of occupations and Scholarships, and one public competition for associations with the aim of motivating young people for hospitality and tourism occupations, raising standards education and the quality of personnel, and therefore the entire tourism sector, and a better connection of educational institutions and economic companies in tourism. 

"This is why we are extremely happy about projects like this one, Get to know our stories, which through education and employment of employees contributes to the promotion of the profession and encourages young people to develop a career in tourism, and introduces them to the advantages of working in tourism in Croatia through concrete experiences and examples", he emphasized Slavko Štefičar, director of the Directorate for Sustainable Development and Competitiveness of Tourist Destinations in the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.

One example of career development comes from the Palace Dimitri Lešić from Korčula, in whose restaurant LD Nikola Tomašić, a promising twenty-two-year-old young man, has been successfully building his career as a chef for five years. 

His story began after the chef of the LD restaurant, Marko Gajski, noticed Nikola's hidden potential during a guest lecture at the catering high school in Korčula and invited him to do an internship in his kitchen. 

Nikola readily accepted the invitation and did an internship, and today he is part of the successful team of Marko Gajsko's kitchen, behind which stands a Michelin star, and Nikola himself attended the award ceremony in 2022 for confirmation. 

In addition, this year he also won the Raise the Bar scholarship, which is awarded to gastronomic talents for training at the world's best universities. 

In addition to Nikola, his fellow pastry chef from the LD restaurant, Željka Bleuš, won the Raise the Bar scholarship, and both of them will use the award to further their education in Paris at the prestigious school Ecole Ducasse in March 2024. 

"Show enthusiasm, work, learn, ask and explore! I fell in love with the profession of chef in the lower grades of elementary school, as soon as I discovered that it is a professional job in which you can grow and improve every day. For this reason, I entered the catering school in Korčula, majoring in cooking, and after completing two classes, I was lucky enough to meet a man who showed me the depth and breadth of this job. It was my current chef, Marko Gajski, who introduced me and made me fall in love with the whole world of limitless possibilities, and he continues to guide and accompany me in my learning and further development.", he tells young people and future colleagues Nikola Tomasic, chef de partie at the LD restaurant.

The project is implemented with the support and co-financing of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. Associated partners in the project are: Faculty of Economics of the University of Split, Faculty of Management in Tourism and Hospitality, Stjepan Sulimanac Secondary School from Pitomača, School of Tourism, Hospitality and Trade Pula, School of Tourism and Hospitality Split, Zagreb School of Economics and Management. 

The Association of Unique Croatian Hotels was founded in 2018 and brings together carefully selected and unique luxury hotels and provides modern visitors with special, authentic and homely experiences. 

The hotels are located in special locations, whether they are the thousand-year-old cores of picturesque cities under the protection of UNESCO, the palaces of the Roman emperors or the luxurious noble castles of the former merchant lords. 

These are 4* and 5* hotels and high-category heritage hotels that provide highly personalized service and a special gourmet experience: San Rocco Heritage Hotel (Brtonigla), Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery (Bales), Isabella Valamar Collection Island Resort (Poreč), Hotel Adriatic (Rovinj), Hotel, Restaurant & Bar Beverage (Abbey), Bastion Heritage Hotel (Zadar), Palace vestibule (Split), Briig Boutique Hotel (Split), Martinis Marchi Heritage Hotel (Maslinica, Island of Šolta), Adriana Hvar Spa Hotel (Hvar, island of Hvar), Lesic Dimitri Palace (Korčula, island of Korčula), Kazbek Boutique Hotel (Dubrovnik) and The Pucic Palace (Dubrovnik). 

The call is open until February 1, 2024. and is also available on social networks. Through the promotion of professions and professional training, the aim is to reach quality staff and sustainable tourism in unique luxury hotels. 

Photo: Association of unique Croatian hotels