Ivana Kovačić, TZG Krk: From traditional presentation of heritage to innovations in tourism product promotion 

The city of Krk in commercial accommodation in the period from January to July this year achieved 747.740 nights, which is 49% more compared to the same period last year, and 7% more than in 2019. 

And the number of arrivals in the mentioned period exceeded the results from 2021 by 53%, and by 8% for the same period in 2019.  

This year's results are certainly due to numerous events that were organized during the year.

Thus, the decision to date proved to be excellent for attracting numerous domestic and foreign tourists combine two festivals, the musical Krk Music Fest and the gastronomic Food Truck Festival, because both festivals were well received and attended.  

Only during the duration of the Krk Music Fest and the Food Truck Festival, 60,000 overnight stays were achieved in the city of Krk, thus reaching a record tourist year, with Germans, Austrians, and Slovenians leading the way. Another proof that quality content always attracts an audience. 

Commenting on this year's results, Ivana Kovačić, director of the Tourist Board of the City of Krk said how they were i in the pandemic years, in 2020 and in 2021, achieved very good results, thanks to good preparation, training, involvement in the Safe Stay project, adherence to all prescribed epidemiological measures...

Because of all this, guests recognized the city of Krk as a safe destination and chose the city of Krk for their vacation even in uncertain pandemic circumstances. The fact that the island of Krk is great certainly contributed to this outdoor destination, which gives guests the opportunity to spend most of their time outdoors. However, we know that sun, sea and beautiful nature are not enough for modern tourists. There are a lot of conditions that tourists are looking for today, and that you have to meet in order to stay at the top of their choice."

How do you plan to surpass this year's results? 

"Success requires teamwork and the cooperation of stakeholders in tourism. For example, in the city of Krk, the winter operations of camps in 2020 turned out to be excellent during the pandemic because people felt safer that way and often chose the camps. Also, our local caterers gave have done their best to come up with new offers even in the pandemic. In the total realization last year, as many as 43% of overnight stays were realized in accommodation capacities of the high category 4* and 5*. Accommodation capacity with 3* in the total realization took a share of 41% and facilities with 2* and below, a share of 2%.In private accommodation, i.e. household facilities, further growth in demand for high-quality accommodation is expected, and certainly in the future the emphasis of our work will also be on activities outside the main summer tourist season.

During the pandemic, we tried to organize all our traditional events, which required a lot of adjustments in the epidemiological conditions. However, we also developed some new tourist products at the time, such as Camino Krk in cooperation with local tourist boards on the island of Krk, or completely new ones storytelling programs, and we used that time to renew the tourist signage of cultural landmarks from the area of ​​the city of Krk and places in our surroundings. 

This year, the Tourist Board of the City of Krk continued with the digitization of the tourist offer of the destination with a digital version of the information guide, and this is supported by the fact that new info-totems have been installed in the area of ​​the city of Krk, which are easy to use and, thanks to the interactive system, allow the user to touch or visually effective presentation to reach relevant information in the shortest way. The interactive system represents a set of equipment and multi-touch software platform, and is intended for information and presentation of the offer, but also for advertising, which has the potential to be extremely useful for informing guests and their hosts about numerous program contents.

Have the guests changed during the pandemic? 

"As far as the structure of the guests is concerned, our advantage was, of course, the markets closer to us, and the guests who could easily reach the island of Krk by car. As for the change in the people themselves, the guests still pay attention to the safety of the destination, hygienic conditions and takes care of the health of guests and hosts. That's why, of course, we pay attention to that and try to do everything to make them feel good and safe, but what we notice everywhere this summer is the satisfaction with the fact that the virus has weakened, that it is possible to travel again and to entertain."

What are guests looking for most now? 

"In addition to quality accommodation and gastronomy, a lot is also required outdoor activities because young tourists are eager for fun and sports and sightseeing, and we must not forget - scenery for social networks. Every person who travels today is also a travel writer, who shares it with his family and community. And through his sharing, we get future guests. 

By no means should we forget the gastronomic offer, because indigenous dishes, something different from what they have seen and tasted in other countries or cities, are an additional advantage. 

It might be a good example  Travel to Taste Krk, a gastronomic campaign and presentation of local dishes, which we launched during the pandemic and which was well received. We launched it in the fall of 2020, then repeated it in the spring and fall of last year, and in the spring of this year. An excellent example of how to attract guests during the pandemic, but also during the off-season.

We are satisfied with the response to our programs, which have proven to be very successful. All the time, we try, in fact, to combine tradition and modernity and thus give the guest the opportunity to enjoy both worlds. For example, at traditional events Krk Fair - Lovrečeva  and the Krčka jedra regatta which are held in August, include numerous historical contents, a presentation of our maritime heritage, educational contents, but also entertaining concerts, and on this occasion we will also present folklore groups, which preserve our heritage, as well as the activities of the Knezovi Krčki Frankopani association. This model has proven to be a successful recipe as guests respond equally well to both."

What will you focus on in the future? 

"The Tourist Board of the City of Krk will continue to systematically plan and implement activities for the additional positioning of the city of Krk as a significant destination for history, culture, and active vacation. The City of Krk can satisfy a wide range of visitor demands, and cultural and entertainment events can satisfy the needs of all visitors, who primarily see us as a summer, vacation and bathing destination.

The development of sustainable, responsible and high-quality tourism implies additional tourism segmentation, such as cultural tourism, religious tourism, outdoor, gastronomic tourism. Such tourism promotes all our resources, and even includes the preservation of heritage in all its forms. Proper management of tourism gains importance through events, and requires additional creativity and entrepreneurship.

The key to success is in well-managed projects. Various cultural, sports, entertainment, religious and other events, as well as thematic festivals, represent today's tourist attractions, and their organization and management is a complex job, so quality management of tourist events, along with the development of new tourist products and quality promotion, are also a key element of quality management of the tourist destination," she concluded Ivana Kovačić, director of the Tourist Board of the City of Krk.

PHOTO: Source: TZG Krka / Author: Borut Brozović (Studio B)