September the 2nd, 2022 - The Vinodol municipality, which was neither here nor there in terms of Croatian tourism when compared to many other coastal destinations, has made quite a name for itself this year.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, up until relatively recently, the Vinodol municipality was almost anonymous in terms of tourism, but it has experienced quite the tourism boom this year, with almost 20 percent better results than the pre-pandemic, record year of 2019.

Rural holiday homes that experienced a real tourist boom in the two pandemic-dominated years are still being especially sought after, and when he heard about the villas of the Vinodol municipality, Englishman John decided to take a risk by paying the areas a visit, and he didn't regret it. He was left speechless when seeing the area's natural beauty, and the high criteria of the accommodation he wanted for his family were also met with no issues, writes HRT.

"The whole house was so luxurious, five rooms with bathrooms, a beautiful pool, what can I say, I can't imagine a better place. Bribir is a quiet town and the people are so kind," said this tourist from England enthusiastically.

Indoor and outdoor swimming pools, jacuzzis, saunas, taverns, gardens, luxury spaces and, in case of business needs, a conference hall and a helipad are available. ''Guests are more than willing to pay, there is no problem for them when it comes to paying, you just have to actually provide what the guest is asking for, and not take their money and send them home," pointed out Vlado Lancic, the owner of a rural holiday home in Bribir.

This is precisely the Vinodol municipality tourism vision. For years, what was considered a disadvantage of this destination, which is the distance from the coastline, which is mostly more than five kilometres, is actually an advantage in this type of rural tourism. Thanks to a well-thought-out tourism offer that offers hunting trips in the surrounding forests, fishing on Lake Tribalj, hiking, hang-gliding, cycling, and the chance to enjoy the charms of the sparkling Adriatic Sea just a few minutes' drive away - there are no free beds.

"The whole area is just beautiful, but what delights us and what we need is peace. A holiday spent in a green valley at the foot of the mountains, with a divine view of the sea," stated Christian, a tourist from Germany.

"This is absolute relaxation for people, people absolutely adore the peace and quiet here, I think that's what suits them the most," believes Gordana Vlastelic, another owner of a holiday home in Bribir.

Gordana started out working in tourism with one house, and now she rents three of them out. In the Vinodol municipality, more than 300 luxuriously furnished villas of this type are available for rent, which are occupied more than 120 days a year.

"People invest a lot and buy a lot of properties in the Vinodol municipality, most of them try to renovate these old rural houses in the same way and condition as they found them,'' explained Alenka Spoja, director of the Tourist Board of the Vinodol municipality.

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