Gastronomy is one of the strong motives for coming to a destination. All relevant global research says so, and the latest TOMAS Croatia research supports this, which recorded a significant growth in gastronomy as one of the motives for coming. from 5% (in 2019) to as much as 22% in 2022/2023.
The Split-Dalmatia County has made a huge step forward in this field and positioned itself with the Dalmatian Brunch project, which brings traditional Dalmatian cuisine and gastronomic customs back to the forefront. It is a strategic project that aims to bring traditional Dalmatian dishes back into the restaurant offering, connect caterers and family farms, and promote authentic offerings.
I constantly emphasize that in our tourism strategy we must be who we are - Croatians, not bad copies of others. Authenticity is the very essence of tourism, because people travel to learn about new ways of life and cultures.
Guided by the fact that quality tourism does not and must not come at the expense of the quality of life, Ivana Vladović The director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board (TZ SDŽ) states that the goal of the brunch ritual was to faithfully portray the specificity of life in Dalmatia, a time when you stop, take a break, and truly enjoy good food and good company.
“The Dalmatian Brunch project does not only promote gastronomy, but also the authentic Dalmatian way of life. All its relaxation, temperament, emotion, color, chatter, and even lively discussion. And all this used to take place at the table during brunch. During a break from work, usually from 10 am to 13 pm, the working class, who had been on their feet since early morning, would sit down at the table to refresh themselves with simple, yet rich and extremely nutritious “spoon dishes”, states Vladović.
As it always should have been, but in our tourism development we have somehow lost ourselves. This is about the Dalmatian identity, the way and culture of living that we should not be ashamed of. On the contrary, it should be at the core of our tourism product.