Sustainability, communication, trends and tax position of renters - the main topics of the 7th Family Accommodation Forum

A unique annual gathering of private landlords at the national level, 7. Family Accommodation Forum (FOS), will be held on Saturday, March 18th starting at 10:30 am at the Westin Hotel in Zagreb.

The seventh edition of FOS will offer landlords tools for some of the biggest challenges they face: increasing competition, legal and tax regulations and keeping up with fast-changing trends.

Competition in private accommodation in tourism is extremely high. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics for 2019, family and private accommodation make up 61% of the total offer of accommodation capacity in the country. The challenge for providers of family accommodation is to ensure occupancy in the off-season.

"At FOS, we will stimulate the conversion of family accommodation into innovative types of accommodation with added values ​​through investments in the quality of accommodation facilities, especially in the segment of small family hotels", explained the director of the Tourism Sector of HGK Andreja Vukojevic.

He will hold a lecture on achieving long-term sustainable family tourism Nedo Pinezić, Nikolina Novinić will present the important role of good communication with guests. At the end there will be a lecture Ljerke Markota on the tax position of providers of household accommodation.

Family accommodation renters have a special challenge in dealing with legal and tax regulations. Many do not understand the financial obligations they are required to fulfill. Legal and tax regulation in family accommodation is therefore the topic of the second of two panels at the FOS, after which the tax position of providers of household accommodation will be problematized by a tax advisor Ljerka Markota. They will offer concrete information and advice to renters to act in accordance with the prescribed frameworks.

NEDO PINEZIĆ: The host who socializes with tourists and guests, explains the way of life in the destination and advises them on exploring the environment.

"In order to develop sustainable tourism, it is necessary to involve local residents in the planning process, promote tourist activities that are in line with local values ​​and needs, and educate tourists about the importance of preserving natural and cultural heritage. In addition, it is important to promote tourist activities throughout in order to reduce the seasonality of tourism and develop infrastructure that supports sustainable tourism, including sustainable accommodation facilities", he stressed Nedo Pinezić, a consultant for the development of tourism based on the local community, who will guide renters with his lecture on one of the most current trends - sustainability.

Pinezić states that in his speech he will give a brief overview of all the frameworks in which the phrase sustainable tourism was created, and as he emphasizes, it is tourism that preserves resources and the environment, but also preserves the local community, its culture, customs, and demands from tourists to behave responsibly towards the environment and the community.

"That was exactly the top topic of the recently concluded ITB in Berlin; a new paradigm that says that the tourism we are talking about today can and should only be sustainable tourism. We hope that through this presentation and discussion on the panel, we will guide in the right way spotlights on the place where tourism takes place, which is the local community, those fragile, small eco-systems that we must preserve in order to be attractive to visitors, but also to ensure the future for future generations. Sustainable tourism is not a bogeyman, especially not in rural areas. The population of those areas traditionally applied many elements of sustainable tourism - by force of opportunity - for example through the use of natural materials in construction and furnishing, through short supply chains where food comes from the immediate environment and many other elements of sustainability.

On the other hand, there is the part that exists 'under the radar' - the host who socializes with tourists and guests, explains the way of life in the destination and advises them on exploring the environment. Our task is to raise these values ​​to the level of a brand in Croatia, and we call that tourism with a Croatian character. What we are recognized for in the world, what tourists especially value, as a society we should put in the foreground, and that is why this Forum is the place where we will try to encourage such action", Pinezić announced his lecture "Development of sustainable tourism based on the local community".

NIKOLINA NOVINIĆ: Communication is directly related to the authenticity we offer and which guests are looking for.

He will play the important role of good communication with guests at FOS through his lecture "Communication in tourism" present Nikolina Novinić.

"If we know that tourism implies experiences, experiences, emotions and stories, then for us this communication is the basis for every successful renter. We sell a holiday home, but primarily we sell the emotions that guests get through communication with the host. And technical details and all that tangible things are not what ultimately affects the guest's experience. Communication is a factor of authenticity, what will remain as an experience for the guest after leaving. This is something that should be taken for granted, but many landlords don't pay attention to it. Communication is directly related to the authenticity we offer and which guests are looking for. We are talking about new generations of guests, about new needs, we can also say trends that are here and will remain in the long term - the guest's desire to come to the local community, to get to know it and feel it. When choosing family accommodation or a holiday home, the guest wants exactly that experience and the possibility of getting to know the destination in that way.", explained Novinić, who, in addition to consultations, conducts education on the topic of all areas related to tourism - marketing in tourism, communication with guests, the rights and obligations of renters, and places great focus on storytelling, branding and marketing, which is directly related to the way the landlord communicates his story to the guest.

"This is exactly what is being demanded more and more, because people have become aware that this is the final step and just a drop in the sea of ​​investments that they previously had in terms of building or renovating the building. And through education, it is evident that this moment is being recognized more and more. It is also part of the development strategy, where everything is no longer focused on large-scale, strategic development, but on the development of small and micro-entrepreneurship, and through which landlords and entrepreneurs in tourism are supported, who in principle are the ones who give recognition to a destination. they carry small stories - OPGs, houses for rent - and it is by empowering them that we build the destination the way it should look: by getting the moment that is the guest's first association and that should carry the destination", summarized Nikolina Novinić.

The family accommodation forum will once again highlight the importance of improving the system of categorization and recategorization and encouraging the improvement of the quality of accommodation facilities and all other catering facilities. The need to encourage the obtaining of quality marks and a stronger appreciation of the principles of environmentally friendly and socially responsible business will be emphasized.

Two events will be organized at FOS to help monitor trends Booking.com workshops: "Discover how to adapt to travel trends" i "Join us on the way to achieving sustainable travel".

FOS is organized by the Tourism Sector of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with the Croatian Tourist Board. The family accommodation forum has been held since 2014 and represents a unique annual gathering of representatives of family accommodation at the national level. So far, it has been held in Opatija, Poreč, Zadar, Zagreb, Split and Pazin.

More information and the FOS program are available on the HGK website.