Petra Bartulović, TZ Omiš: By respecting the principles of sustainability, we want to contribute to the quality of life

When looking at the Split-Dalmatia County, Omiš is the third destination in terms of tourist traffic, after Split and Makarska - annually they generate over a million commercial overnight stays, she revealed to us. Petra Bartulović, director of the Tourist Board of the City of Omiš.

The accommodation offer is mainly related to private accommodation, that is catering services in the household, but there is also an offer of hotel accommodation and campsites.

"Geographical location and easy accessibility are the comparative advantages of this destination, which are the reason for its recognition and success every yearBartulović states.

Omiš, as we know, is located in the heart of central Dalmatia, halfway between Split and Makarska. It is relatively easily accessible as far as air travelers are concerned, and the opening of the highway has also improved road connectivity.

There is a long tradition of tourism in this area - the offer of private accommodation and hotels has been developing for about 50 years, but there are also earlier records, even from before the Second World War.

Center of active and adventure tourism

"Apart from the geographical position, the comparative advantage is that Cetina flows into the sea here, so the fact that the sea, river and mountain meet in a small area. The city is surrounded by Mosor and Omiška Dinara", continues the director of TZ, adding that it is precisely the confluence of the sea, the river and the mountain that is the resource base that influenced the decision on branding and market positioning as the center of active and adventure tourism in Croatia.

"Of course, with maximum respect for the principle of sustainability, we also want to contribute to the quality of life as much as possible through the development of the tourist offer", he points out. 

Positioning as a center of active and adventure tourism in Croatia is possible because they already have a rich offer of various tourist experiences in such a small space. Thus, visitors can go rafting, kayaking, canoeing, zipline... They can dive or eat on a board... Indeed, there is already a rich offer in the adventure segment.

"Apart from the fact that Omiš is the third destination in terms of overnight stays in the county, it is also an excursion destination. Visitors from other parts of the county come on day trips to enjoy the content we offer them. These are guests from the Split and Makarska riviera, but also from nearby islands", reveals Bartulović.

The range of activities offered is diverse. Some are easier, others more demanding, but there is almost no activity at sea or in the hinterland that cannot be experienced here.

Recently, hiking has become quite attractive, there are several events that celebrate natural diversity, and they are an increasingly strong magnet for visitors.

In October, they hold three events: 24 hours of Imbera, Dalmacija Ultra Trail and Omiš Half Marathon. Due to the existing sports infrastructure - the new hall - they also have a camp for handball goalkeepers, basketball camps and more. 

"The tourist-attraction base attracts professional sportsmen and recreationists, but it is also an additional offer for guests who come to Omiš for vacation tourism - thus enriching their vacation. The adventure segment of the offer is certainly something that affects the extension of the seasonBartulović comments.

The trends are such that tourists are increasingly active, recreational sports enthusiasts are found in all age groups, he points out. These are people for whom preserved nature and organized and safe places for sports and recreation are high on the list of priorities.

All this sets high standards for the destination, therefore more is invested in the visitor infrastructure, in the security of the offered contents. The scale is raised every year.

We learn that the traditional markets are Poland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, but the number of active tourists from Great Britain, Slovenia, Austria, Italy and Scandinavia is growing. This year they had a significant increase in guests from the USA.

In line with trends

The Tourist Board of the City of Omiš is very open to cooperation with local stakeholders, they support local agencies during presentations for foreign markets, they maintain cooperation also in terms of heritage interpretation. True, it is difficult to measure how much this affects overnight stays and concrete earnings, but in any case it contributes to the promotion of the destination. 

"It is a process - creating awareness, stimulating desire. It is very difficult to give an estimate, especially when we are talking about daily visitors", says Bartulović.

When it comes to investment in infrastructure, it is always a partnership relationship because TZ is not entrusted with the management of any of the public infrastructure. They are also partners with local associations such as mountaineering societies.

Each year certain funds are invested in advertising the destination. The slogan is "You can do everything, you don't have to do anything” because they want to emphasize the uniqueness of the destination - a great offer for active guests, but also wonderful beaches for those who decide to just relax. That is why they say that Omiš is the center of active and adventurous holiday tourism in Croatia, because it combines these two tourist offers well.

The position of the city due to relief features makes it unique in Croatia. That relief is truly impressive and adventurism is certainly the direction in which it will go more strongly, increase investments.

"It's a trend. And active vacation, and being in nature, and taking care of nature... Taking care of physical and mental health, taking care of nutrition - these are all trends that the sports adventure product combines well", states Bartulović, who sees an opportunity in the future through stronger branding of this segment.

As for Croatia, he believes that almost all destinations try in some way to have experiences from this range of products in their offer. "But I don't think I'm being immodest if I say that no one in Croatia actually has the possibility for such a wide offer as we have", he adds sincerely.

The fact is that Omiš is located near the second largest Croatian city, which is also a strong tourist center. She sees this as a comparative advantage because many visitors to Split have the opportunity to enjoy what Omiš has to offer, and these are indeed numerous experiences.

Plans for the future

In the future, they plan to invest in the development of tourist products that will lead to an increase in the number of arrivals and overnight stays outside the main season, work to increase daily consumption through the improvement of existing and development of new facilities, rational use and preservation of natural and cultural heritage, because this type of tourist product is precisely it is the basis of the entire experience, to take care of the safety of the experiences themselves and more.

The general plan is to invest in visitor infrastructure through the arrangement of themed trails, equipping places in the canyon for visitors and the like.

"Now, by law, we are obliged to prepare a study of the load capacity of the destination and a management plan. In this process, the segment of adventure tourism will certainly be analyzed separately. Omiš is a spatially large destination, comprising four segments. In addition to the canyon of the river Cetina and the adventure segment, Omiš is also the old city center with recognizable fortresses, stories about pirates and klapa. There is also the Omiš Riviera with pebble and sandy beaches and Poljica, a group of villages with a rich history on the slopes of Mosor.", describes the director of TZ.

Their vision in the future is to disperse tourist activity to other areas within the destination. The canyon of the Cetina river is a protected landscape, he reminds, and in addition to the adventure part, there is also a picnic area and gastronomic offer. For those who are not adventurous, there are boat trips and other ways to get to know the surroundings.

The condition for further development is the establishment of an appropriate infrastructure, better interpretation and presentation, while paying attention to the load capacity so as not to endanger the heritage.

Finally, we should mention the award won for tourist film, and of which they are rightly proud. As a reminder, they won third place in the cities category. "It is a great recognition for the effort put in. huge funds were not invested, but the film was worked on with a lot of love and desire", says Petra Bartulović.

The promotional film of the Tourist Board of the City of Omiš is called "Operation 4" after the premiere, it attracted a large number of views from all over Croatia and beyond, due to the unique story in which two children go in search of their idol, Ivan Perišić, a native of Omiš and a famous football player. 

The film, which follows their "operation" to find a famous football player, achieved a huge number of views, positive comments, reactions and shares on social networks. Then followed positive reactions from different parts of the world, from the professional community of filmographers and tourism workers.

Uradak, directed by him Danijel Bolić, has so far won awards at as many as 5 festivals. A total of 2 awards were won at 5 domestic festivals, of which two at the Zagreb Tourfilm Festival 2024: first place for the best tourist video in Croatia in the category tourist destination - city and third place in the international selection in the category Tourist destination - city, while at the Festival of Tourist and ethno film TEF KRK 2024 won as many as three awards: for the best screenplay, for the best direction and the Grand Prix for the best film of the festival. 

International awards include: Terres Travel Festival - first place in the Tourist Product - Destination category, Japan World Tourism Film Festival - second place in the Tourist Destination - City category, ART & TUR - second place in the Tourist Destination - City category.

In the overall ranking of the International Association of Tourist Film Festivals CIFFT, the video won third place in the category tourist destination - city!

Photo: Goran Jovic