Međimurje County is in a great development momentum in terms of tourism

The award for the most successful sustainable tourism destination is just one of the indicators of a successful tourist year 2022 for Međimurje County. However, the confirmation of quality, both by the market and by the profession, did not come overnight, but is the result of efforts made over the past ten years. 

"We use tourism in Međimurje as a tool, not in order to make some big profit, but in order to achieve the greatest possible satisfaction of our local community, our people who live and work here and invest their time and capital", pointed out the director of the Međimurje County Tourist Board Rudi Grula.

As one of the important achievements achieved in 2022, Grula pointed out the result of the legal changes that were implemented, which refer to the professionalization of the system of tourist boards.

"Međimurje County now has six tourist boards that have all the necessary conditions for work, and the cooperation between Međimurje County and all tourist boards is at the highest level, and the planned strategies and planned annual work programs are implemented in high coordination", Grula added.

When it comes to the results achieved last year, the numbers testify that the Međimurje County is in a great development momentum in terms of tourism. Tourism in Međimurje in 2022 has returned to the period before the coronavirus, which is confirmed by numerous indicators.

"During the past year, we recorded 208.871 overnight stays, of which 106.901 overnight stays were related to foreign guests. For comparison, in 2019, we achieved 200.928 thousand overnight stays, and our goal was to achieve more than 200 thousand overnight stays last year, but we achieved even 8 more overnight stays. Compared to 2021, 58 more overnight stays were recorded, and this is not only an increase of 38 or 36% in overnight stays or arrivals, but it is one of the biggest increases when looking at the counties, especially the continental ones.", said Prefect of Međimurje County Matija Posavec.

The largest number of arrivals and overnight stays in 2022 were achieved by tourists from Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Germany and Austria, and the average length of stay in days in 2022 was 2,37 days. 

"The biggest indicator of our success is the increase in accommodation facilities in Međimurje, by 77%. All this shows that our people have confidence in the direction of tourism development carried out by the County, and this obliges us to continue in this direction in which we have been going so far. Growth is above all, it refers to holiday homes, and their development is encouraged by the Međimurje County through measures for which up to thirty very high-quality projects are submitted to us annually., Grula said.

For this year, the renovation of the Zrinski Palace, the Feštetić Castle and the continuation of the Ecomuseum Međimurje malo project, which networks 30 heritage sites in Međimurje County, have been announced. Some locations are already under preparation, such as the Međimurje popevka palace in Donja Dubrava, the ceker center in Nedelišće, the world center of Pushipel and the center of St. Jeronim in Štrigova, then the center of goldsmithing in Donji Vidovac, the center for the interpretation of mining heritage in Murski Središće, the Center Halicanum Sv. Martin na Mura, the interpretation center of the Drava in Prelog, the necropolis under the tumuli in Goričan, the world center of Dr. Rudolf Steiner in Donji Kraljevac, along with many others that are in the development phase.

The last cycle of awards won in the field of tourism proves that the Međimurje County and its Tourist Board are on the right track: in addition to being recognized for the most successful sustainable tourism destination, the Museum of Intangible Heritage - The Međimurje Treasury was declared the best permanent museum exhibit in our country. It is the County's largest investment in culture, a story worth HRK 45 million about historical heritage and ethnographic treasures intertwined with the magic of legends. Last year, the project "Med dvemi vodami" won the second prize in the category related to the contribution to the local and regional community in the selection for the best county EU project.

"The restoration of the Old Town of Zrinski, the title of the European sports region and the capital investment, the viewpoint on Madjerkina breg have brought us new momentum in tourism. The new goal is to exceed last year's figure of 209 thousand overnight stays and in the coming years to record growth in tourist arrivals, and in this direct the activities of the Tourist Board of Međimurje County", concluded Prefect Posavec.

Source and photo: Međimurje County