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HR
On Friday, December 8, 2023, in the Zonar Hotel in Zagreb, organized by the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) and the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA), the 8th National DMK Forum dedicated to the premium tourist offer in the Republic of Croatia was held.
At this year's edition of the forum, the participants i online to the attendants from the ranks of domestic destination management companies, tourist boards and all other relevant stakeholders of the tourism industry, examples of good practice from the operations of destination management companies and organizations from Croatia, Finland, Portugal i SAD-and.
As part of the opening of the forum, Robert Pende, director of the Directorate for Entrepreneurship Development, Investments and Competitiveness of the Tourism Economy in the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Kristjan Staničić, director of HTZ, and Tomislav Fain, president of UHPA, addressed the participants.
"Tourism is a resilient activity - from the period of the war until today, the offer of Croatian tourism has been transformed, it has a new, recognizable profile. This is partly the result of policies and strategies, documents and programs of the state that responded to market demands, thoughtfully and boldly. This Forum comes at a time when we are adopting the first umbrella law on tourism, which gives local tourism communities strong instruments for better management of destinations and for concrete action - travel agencies are a key stakeholder in the processes that this law will initiate. We must together curb the negative effects of seasonality and mass tourism, and this Forum is a step towards the bright future of Croatian tourism and an opportunity to exchange good practices and ideas. Only through synergy can we achieve our strategic goals and be better", said Robert Pende at the opening of the Forum.
The forum brought together a large number of representatives who had the opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences, to which the panel discussion contributed.The premium offer is a trump card for the development of sustainable tourism in the Republic of Croatia" with panelists from the private and public sector. Robert Pende (Ministry of Tourism and Sports), Darija Tödtling (Croatian Tourist Board), Snježana Boranić Živoder (Institute for Tourism Zagreb), Tilda Grossel Bogdanović (Dubrovnik partner doo), Rudolf Štefan (Pelegrini - tavern) participated in the debate moderated by Izabela Vrtar. & wine shop) and the president of UHPA, Tomislav Fain.
"Destination management companies play a significant role in the development of Croatian tourism, especially in the context of extending the season and increasing tourist traffic outside the summer months. In this context, the DMK Forum is also important, which represents a meeting place for representatives of agencies and other entities from tourism so that everyone can work together even better to achieve common goals. I would like to remind you that in the current part of the year, about 107 million overnight stays have been realized in Croatia, of which more than 26 million were realized through agencies, that is, about 25 percent of the total overnight stays were realized by travel agencies, which is a strong contribution to the overall results of Croatian tourism., said Kristjan Staničić, adding that the sustainability of destinations is a basic prerequisite for the resilience of tourism and long-term business.
The participants of the panel discussion emphasized that a high-quality and sustainable destination is the basis of the resilience of tourism and a kind of trump card of the modern tourist offer, and a premium offer and a sustainable high-quality tourist experience are the basis of the experience sought by guests with high spending power.
"Aware of the importance and role of DMK travel agencies, creators of a unique base of programs and travel ideas aligned with the guidelines of the Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy until 2030, which aim to position Croatia as a competitive, innovative and safe country with a recognizable identity and culture, a country of preserved resources, quality living conditions and equal opportunities for everyone, I believe that this expert meeting, where travel agencies and tourist boards shared their experiences in partnership, can be an additional incentive to achieve this common goal" said Tomislav Fain.
The 8th National DMK Forum could also be followed via the web platform, and the recording is available in the attachment.
