April 5, 2020 - The Lika Destination Cluster wants you to stay at home now so you can enjoy the region later.  

March, when spring travel or defining details for summer holidays usually takes place, has suddenly turned into the toughest month, much like all of this year.

The coronavirus pandemic currently affects all sectors of business and the livelihoods of people around the world, especially in the tourism sector.

Just because there is no tourist activity now does not mean that you should stop communicating on social networks. The focus should be on daydreaming, exploring, and planning your travel for later on.

Thus, HRTurizam reports that the most active tourist cluster in Croatia, the Lika Destination Cluster, is sending a message to all travelers: Stay home and plan a vacation to the Lika destination.

"We believe that when all this is over, the desire to discover new magical places will be greater than ever, and thus the experiences will be even more valuable. Excess free time is well-used for travel planning, and Lika is an indispensable dream vacation that offers a unique blend of land and sea where you have the opportunity to change as many as three climates and experience a unique contrast phenomenon,” the Lika Destination Cluster points out.

Lika Destination points out that the region is abundant in natural phenomena at all levels of protection, and as much as 60% of the ​​Lika area is located in the NATURA 2000 ecological network and is extremely attractive for all forms of green tourism. ”In Lika, there are three of eight Croatian national parks (Plitvice Lakes, Paklenica and Northern Velebit) worth visiting at any time of the year. The destination also houses the birthplace of Nikola Tesla, the birthplace of Dr. Ante Starcevic, Europe's first printing press, and rich cultural heritage. Also, it is definitely recommended to visit protected natural areas,” the Cluster points out.

In addition to the natural resources, Lika has also been developing content for an active holiday from adrenaline activities such as ziplines, horseback riding, buggy rides, kayaking, and hiking.

When talking about Lika, we should definitely emphasize the authentic gastronomic offer, and especially the gastronomic delicacies with local ingredients from Lika Quality.

Currently, there are 169 products in the system from 59 manufacturers from the Lika area, which covers the area of ​​Lika-Senj, Zadar and Karlovac counties.

Products under the Lika Quality label are available at the Lika Quality product point of sale at Plitvice Lakes National Park, where small local producers for the first time had the opportunity to sell their products under a common brand in one of the most visited places in Croatia. Soon the products will also be on sale in the Northern Velebit National Park, Paklenica National Park, and Velebit National Park and other protected areas in Lika.

"You can already dream of being warmed by the sun as you stroll through the Velebit meadows, feel the water drops from the powerful waterfalls of Plitvice Lakes and enjoy the flavors of traditional Lika dishes," concluded the Lika Destination Cluster.

Although the Cluster does not yet have its own webshop, they have joined the Facebook group Likca Placa where you can find information on products and manufacturers from Lika Destination, among which are manufacturers whose products bear the Lika Quality label.

Lika is a destination, and within the Lika Cluster, the destinations within the region are actively working on a variety of promotional activities, from a joint Lika destination ticket to 3 and 7-day ready-made tourist arrangements.

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February 2, 2020 - Last year, the implementation of the IQM Destination Lika or Lika Integrated Quality Management project began, aiming to improve the overall quality of the destination by connecting the entities in the destination to provide the best service to the guests.

HRTurizam reports that in 2019, Lika gathered as many as 96 partners from 7 categories (attractions, hotels, caterers, camps, local products, private accommodation and travel agencies) to join the project. And now it's time for everyone else to get involved.

Due to the great interest of the public, the Lika Destination Cluster, Plitvice Lakes National Park and Feel IQM are inviting all interested tourist entities to contribute to the development and quality of tourism in Lika this year to apply for the project.

All interested parties can submit their applications by Monday, March 2, 2020. You can find out more about the project here.

The project to brand Lika as a unique tourist destination was started in 2015 through the INTEGRA LIKA 2020 project. Through this process, Lika developed a system of regional quality labels for locally produced food, beverages and souvenirs called Lika Quality, which already has 169 certified Lika Quality products in its system, with 62 manufacturers.

The destination of Lika includes the coastal and inland part of the County of Lika-Senj, the Municipality of Gracac in Zadar County and the Municipalities of Rakovica, Saborsko and Plaški in Karlovac County. The project aims to connect the subjects and encourage excellence to improve the overall quality of the destination.

As part of the project, in 2019, a series of educational workshops were held, which will continue in 2020, to encourage mutual networking, synergy and raising the quality level of each of the entities involved and the overall tourist product of Lika.

The whole story from beginning to development is more than impressive, especially in the context of development in the underdeveloped tourist area, regardless of the importance of Plitvice Lakes National Park.

The story of the development of the Lika Destination cluster is a great example of how to develop a tourist destination in a quality and sustainable way, using the most EU funds. An excellent positive and concrete case study will be presented at the first conference of the HrTurizam.hr portal - One Day Or Day One, which will be held on 02.04.2020. in Zagreb.

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