March 9, 2023 - Medimurje County was awarded a prominent award for sustainability in tourism this week in Berlin. On the stage of the leading global tourist expo "ITB Berlin," the "silver of a golden glow" award, as they call it in Medimurje, was awarded to Prefect Matija Posavac and Director of the Tourist Board of Medimurje County Rudi Grula.

As Poslovni writes, the Green Destinations Certification Committee's official decision, which has so far certified hundreds of destinations worldwide, signed by president Dr. Albert Salman, has been ready for a few days. However, in Medimurje, they were meticulously preparing for the big award ceremony in the German metropolis.

"This great recognition came as a result of the effort, work, and commitment of all residents of Medimurje. This is a reward for all those who tirelessly and devotedly take care of the orderliness of their homeland, environmental protection, and preservation of natural and cultural values. Medimurje is the green cradle of Croatian sustainable tourism; all our tourism development strategies are aimed at sustainability, promotion of rich natural values between Mura and Drava, revitalization of cultural heritage, our history, quality of enogastronomy and local products, and everything that carries the strong identity of Medimurje. With this valuable award, our efforts have been recognized by profession at the world level", said the Prefect of Medimurje County, Matija Posavec, while receiving the award in Berlin.

The director of the tourist board of Medimurje, Rudi Grula, who has been managing the destination for 20 years, points out that this is the culmination of the work of the past year in cooperation with the county and the company Tourism Lab, the official representative of Green Destinations in Croatia. He also emphasizes that "we do not perceive sustainability in Medimurje only as a tourist trend, and we do not carry out activities related to sustainability because it is "in fashion." We want to achieve long-term sustainable development through numerous segments, which is a source of attractiveness and quality."

From Green Destinations, they reveal that Medimurje is the first destination in this part of Europe that, as a region, has passed the certification process and thus joined the remaining three tourist regions in the world, while there are over 200 individual certified destinations in the world, which speaks of the complexity and importance of this process for positioning and establishing destinations in the world. During the next two years, Medimurje County has the right to use the acquired marks, after which the reevaluation process awaits it again.

Medimurje achieved the highest marks in the segments of destination management, nurturing culture and tradition, social well-being, and maintenance of nature and landscape, while in the categories of environment and climate, they continue to develop, which will be significantly helped by a report that recommends in detail further development steps in the destination. By the way, Green Destinations is present in more than 80 countries worldwide, developing sustainable and responsible tourism.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Travel section.

August the 15th, 2022 - Dubrovnik and Porec sustainable tourism is resulting in some excellent numbers this summer tourist season, as both cities, but particularly Dubrovnik, desperately needed a more sustainable strategy than the mass tourism they've become (in)famous for.

As Morski writes, Dubrovnik's deputy mayor Jelka Tepsic has stated that since the beginning of this year, Croatia's southernmost city is at 80 percent of the overnight stays and 70 percent of the arrivals realised back in the pre-pandemic, record year of 2019.

''Currently, 26,000 guests are staying in the City of Dubrovnik and this is a real indicator of the success of this summer season, but also of the good management of the destination, because through our ''Respect the city" project, we want to provide a high quality of stay to our visitors, but also boost the quality of life of our fellow citizens,'' said Jelka Tepsic.

Porec has also achieved two million overnight stays on the same day as it did back in 2019, and Porec sustainable tourism is the new way in which this gorgeous Istrian city is leaning.

''We've reached two million overnight stays, we're also happy that we've managed to reach that number of overnight stays we have at the time we have, even when we have 700 less beds in the city due to the reconstruction of two hotels. We extended our summer tourist season, the pre-season was also good, as even before Easter we had 40 percent more visitors staying in Porec than we did back during the record year of 2019. All this is happening because we combined what's private and what's public, sport and tourism, and in doing so we brought a large number of tourists to the city,'' said the mayor of Porec, Loris Persuric.

One of the key goals for Dubrovnik is the creation of sustainable tourism. Jelka Tepsic explained what this specifically refers to:

''Five years ago, Dubrovnik was highly prominent among European destinations as a city that is actually in danger of being crippled beyond return due to too many tourists. We were almost on the blacklist for many people, so we made a management decision to change with the desire to achieve a balance between the quality of the stay for our visitors and the quality of life of our fellow citizens,'' she stated, emphasising that they managed to introduce rules and restrictions for cruise ships, so now they have a limit of 4,000 guests in one part of the day, or just two cruisers. So this year, she said, we're witnessing the full application of these new rules in Croatia's tourist Mecca. They can now limit traffic around the historic core, have a surveillance system, have improved parking conditions, and the list goes on.

''Sustainable development is also important in Porec, as is Porec sustainable tourism,'' said Mayor Persuric. The basis of everything, he explained, is the spatial plan of the local self-government unit, which, in addition to accommodation capacities, also develops the city's complete infrastructure. They are ready, he says, for a large number of apartments and accommodation capacities to spring up, and although they definitely do have some unfortunate examples of illegal construction, that number is thankfully not that large.

For more on Dubrovnik and Porec sustainable tourism, not to mention that of other Croatian cities and destinations, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

July the 24th, 2022 - The Government is set to come up with a sustainable Croatian tourism strategy which would hopefully see the country escape from the chains of ''sea and sunshine'' which tend to see little more than three months of the limelight each year, and have a far less damaging effect in general.

As Morski writes, due to ongoing global challenges and rising energy prices as a result of continued inflation, the green and digital transition is becoming imperative in the tourism business, Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac pointed out. The number of tourists currently staying here in Croatia recently exceeded one million, and that was a week earlier than it was last year. There are currently 1.012 million guests from around the world visiting the country and the rush down on the coast is quite similar to the best tourist years.

In order for everything to be exactly how it was back during the pre-pandemic, record year of 2019, there are still a little under thirty thousand tourists missing, but an excellent August and a very good September are expected, so by the end of 2022, Croatia could witness a repeat of the best tourist year so far.

Tourism as a lifestyle

One issue which is frequently alluded to is the fact that the country's many foreign guests themselves enjoy things less when confronted with endless waiting and crowds, owing to which they don't really have much of a chance to experience the typical everyday life of the real Croatian lifestyle, that is, the lifestyle that makes each country recognisable and attractive and which, ultimately, largely "sells" its tourism offer. It is more or less clear to everyone working in Croatian tourism that something needs to change, and the current tourism authorities imagine the future quite differently.

According to the vision from the Ministry of Tourism, by the year 2030 there should be a strong shift towards socially, environmentally and economically sustainable year-round tourism, which valorises the natural and cultural heritage and unique identity of each individual region of this hugely naturally diverse country.

The key feature of tomorrow's tourism, which leans much more closely into sustainable Croatian tourism, should be authenticity, which, in addition to the diversity of the country's regions and rich natural and cultural heritage, is also evoked by hospitable, open and warm-hearted people. Such tourism is more than entrepreneurship, the aforementioned ministry pointed out, it is practically a way of life. All of this is outlined in the proposal of the Strategy for the Development of Sustainable Tourism until 2030.

The priority is to protect and present Croatia's multitude of tourist resources in an even better manner, to gradually put a stop to burdensome seasonality and the excessive overcrowding of spaces, and to preserve the welcoming spirit of local hosts. The focus for the sustainable Croatian tourism strategy is primarily on quality and innovation, and priority should be given to investments that will encourage harmonious economic development and equal progress of all regions. On the basis of the Strategy, the National Plan for the Development of Sustainable Tourism until 2027 is also being prepared, which will elaborate concrete measures, and will be adopted in parallel. The turn towards this new, more substantial, more fair form of tourism will certainly be facilitated by the financial resources available to the Republic of Croatia as a member of the EU, and the current global situation could speed up the transition.

The current summer tourist season is somehow still running with a deficit of about 5,000 workers in the hotel industry and a deficit of as many as 10,000 in the catering and hospitality industry, writes Vecernji list. This new Strategy which is aiming for more sustainable Croatian tourism may well indirectly alleviate this problem in the long term, but the Croatian Tourism Association has warned repeatedly that this problem shouldn't be ignored.

''We expect the Croatian Government to define some concrete measures for the stronger activation of the potential of the domestic labour force, the better retention of seasonal workers and the simplification and acceleration of the process of importing foreign labour as soon as possible,'' said Veljko Ostojic, the director of the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT), who also noted that the accommodation structure remains one of the the biggest challenges of Croatian tourism.

The number of beds in household/private facilities has now reached 620 thousand, and there are another 610 thousand beds in non-commercial accommodation. There are only 180,000 hotel beds, which represents a drop in the total number of registered beds. HUT says that such a structure in terms of accommodation capacities is primarily a consequence of the current tax system and that thanks to these "excessive" beds, Croatia is suffering enormous pressure on its infrastructure, and on the other hand, it is failing to achieve optimal tourism results.

For more on sustainable Croatian tourism, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

June the 27th, 2022 - Krka National Park is now richer for electric boats which will work to transport passengers who are visiting this wildly popular national park along the Krka river.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/PD i VL native tim writes, a DNV GL study shows how changes in the use of different marine vessels can contribute to achieving CO2 reduction targets. This will require the use of zero-emission options, such as electricity and biofuels.

Croatia's much loved Krka National Park is heading in this direction and has been constantly working to reduce any pollution produced there. In addition to the Krka National Park administration presenting a new ordinance according to which swimming is prohibited in almost the entire area of ​​the park, at the beginning of last year, they also ordered two hybrid electric boats. This is another step towards sustainability. The capacity of the ships is 50 people, and the vessels are equipped with quality solar PV panels and batteries.

Everything actually works in a fairly simple way with these vessels, when the sun is shining, the solar cells power the drive, and when the sun disappears - the drive is powered by a battery. This means that working conditions will be met at any time of the year regardless of the amount of sunshine hours in the day. Krka National Park's new electric boats operate reliably without producing any emissions, and can withstand a cycle of 8 hours when using the battery and 12 hours when using the energy obtained through the solar panels. The service speed is 5 knots and the maximum is 9 knots.

The boats were ordered with Danfoss technology, whose employees listened carefully to all of the wishes expressed and solved the technical challenges they faced on the way throughout the process, from desire to final realisation. As explained by Danfoss, the technical challenge with these electric boats was to achieve proper functioning between the solar PV panels and the battery within the powertrain system. Nevertheless, they managed to design and deliver the ideal solution in the end.

In doing so, they took into account the understanding of the needs of the ordered ships and the ability to handle advanced technology.

They also cooperated with the system integrator Inmel, providing all the necessary hardware and software for the green hybrid solution, and the ships were built at the Dalmont shipyard in Kraljevica.

A kind of precedent was set with the vessels, ans as such, for the first time, the MPPT software upgrade was transferred to the DC / DC software with the support of the system integrator and successfully tested. They provided maximum power point detection (MPPT) software implemented in DC / DC software. Such cooperation between Danfoss and Inmel enabled higher voltage on the solar panels, using only the highest voltage point, resulting in more energy on a common DC bus.

Krka National Park has thus shown that choosing the right partners is one of the most important moments in achieving sustainability goals.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

7 February 2022 - During 2021, Croatia was visited by 208 foreign cruise ships, which is considerably more than in 2020 when a mere 26 foreign cruise ships were registered in the Croatian Adriatic seaports, and markedly fewer than in 2019 where there were as many as 726 foreign cruise ships.

According to the data provided by the national statistical office, as many as 194,000 guests were on those 208 ships that visited Croatia last year.

In 2020, a mere 4,000 guests cruised the Croatian Adriatic Sea.

In 2019, as many as 1.1 million passengers were registered on foreign cruise ships visiting Croatia, according to the data of the DZS.

In 2021, the first foreign cruise ships arrived in Croatia in June and in that month, 15 such vessels were registered.

In July 2021, there were 34 foreign cruise ships, two more, that is 36, were in August, whereas 49 foreign cruise ships were recorded in September and 50 in October, while 21 were in November, and three in December.

For the sake of comparison, October 2019 saw as many as 105 cruise ships under foreign flags.

In 2021, nearly two thirds, that is 63% of cruise ships, visited the ports in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, while the seaports in Split-Dalmatia County accounted for 27.4% of visits, and the remaining destinations were in the rest of Croatia's coast. 

December 21, 2021 - As part of this year's International Award for Sustainable Tourism (Skål International Sustainable Tourism Awards), the project Camino Krk was awarded the International Prize for Sustainable Tourism.

The Camino Krk project, in competition with ten other initiatives from different parts of the world, in the category of Rural / Rural Areas and Biodiversity (Countryside and Biodiversity), as one of the nine set categories, is positioned in third place, reports HrTurizam.hr.

This year, the evaluation of projects received in the public call was conducted by three independent judges, giving them grades that are then added up, so the initiative with the highest score wins in its category. Although Camino Krk did not win, it was highly rated, which is a great success, according to the Tourist Board of the City of Krk, adding that they will be reminded of the certificate received in recognition of commitment to sustainable practices and implementation of environmentally friendly business model.

"First of all, I must point out that all island tourist boards have made a significant contribution to the development of the Camino Krk project in terms of a new and innovative tourist product. In uncertain pandemic circumstances, after we defined the project in cooperation with the Brotherhood of St. Jacob, we decided to invest significantly in its further development. Therefore, this year Camino Krk was the focus of all tourist boards, which means that significant funds were invested in marking the entire route, involving stakeholders, creating promotional materials, and strong digital promotion," said Ivana Kovačić, director of the Tourist Board of Krk.

Photo: www.experiencekrk.com

The explanation of the evaluation states, among other things, that the activities related to Camino Krk have little impact on the environment and that the project itself encourages the dispersion of tourists to rural areas and the interior of the island, thus spreading economic benefits and moving away from established sun-sea concepts.

If the activities of tourists, as is the case with this project, do not adversely affect the environment, as a next step and a kind of upgrade, it is proposed that all its stakeholders, at all levels, accept the principles of sustainability in both environmental and economic terms.

"This year there was a significant interest of our guests for active holidays, staying in nature and getting to know the natural, cultural and historical heritage, and Camino Krk met their expectations by adding warmth and spiritual component to this potential-filled tourist story. In further efforts, we will certainly pay significant attention to the comments and suggestions of tourism experts received based on the application to the public call of Skål International and try to further strengthen the cooperation of all project partners," adds Kovačić.

Recall, the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. Jacob's pilgrimage route is about 800 kilometers long and is walked by more than three hundred thousand pilgrims a year. In 1987, the Council of Europe awarded it the title of Main Street of Europe, and in 1993, UNESCO included the Spanish and French parts of the route to the Galician capital, Santiago de Compostela, on the World Heritage List. Road network of St. Jacob leading to one of the world's three leading pilgrimage centers that inherit the relics of St. James the Apostle is spread all over Europe and is most often marked with a stylized shell - James' cap, as the (primary) saint's attribute.

Photo: www.experiencekrk.com

The celebration of the Krk part of the Croatian Camino route took place between 2019 and 2021. Camino Krk is defined as an (all) island circular route, with a total length of more than 150 kilometers, which follows the infrastructure of existing hiking trails. Its starting point is in the island center - the town of Krk, ie the Krk Cathedral, and the final one in the village of Kornić, in the parish church dedicated to the Apostle St. James.

The tour of the Krk route is divided into seven pilgrimage chapters, more precisely seven days needed to truly experience the island's historical, cultural, and especially sacred heritage immersed in impressive natural environments and unique urban units. For easier navigation on the island of Camino, Krk is marked with recognizable, blue-yellow signs, and in addition to signalization, there is also an interactive digital map that allows tracking the route using a smartphone.

Photo: www.otok-krk.org

This project, since its launch, has attracted significant interest from both domestic and foreign pilgrims, walkers, and other recreationists, mostly Slovenes, Italians, and Austrians, which has intensified in periods affected by strict epidemiological measures.

The Skål International Sustainable Tourism Awards are presented each year to companies, institutions, agencies, and other private and public associations related to tourism.

It is a recognition that, evaluating the effects of sustainable and responsible tourism, contributes to the global visibility of applicants and registered initiatives. By entering the competition, the applicant presents its products and services to globally known experts in the tourism industry, while ensuring significant media visibility.

Skål International unites all branches of the tourism industry and operates through more than 340 clubs with almost 14,000 members in more than 100 countries, while its mission is to promote the development of responsible, sustainable, and universally accessible tourism.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated travel section.

December the 20th, 2021 - Could sustainable Croatian tourism branding be the key to encouraging more luxury tourism? As all things renewable become more and more mainstream, it seems that new opportunities lie in way for the country so well known for damaging mass tourism and counting overnight stays.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, renewable energy sources, energy and water savings, green procurement, local food, food waste reduction, sorting and recycling, hazardous chemicals-free business operations… There are many criteria that are entering the fast-growing trend of sustainable tourism, and they're more or less applied worldwide.

Along with national governments and public institutions, sustainability has become the goal of every serious company that plans to increase its competitiveness in the coming period. In parallel with the introduction of sustainable solutions, more and more attention is being paid to branding sustainable products and services, which will bring them better recognition and market positioning, and many Croatian players have woken up and are very much involved in this race in addition to global enterprises.

Sustainable Croatian tourism branding could finally result in year-round work and less seasonal influences on the domestic economy.

''Eco green hotels'' is the name of a new brand launched back in November by the National Association of Family and Small Hotels, with the aim of responding to the growing needs of modern travellers for environmentally friendly accommodation. This is a hotel segment that already meets sustainability goals in part because most facilities decide to work all year round.

Depending on the level of implementation of green and sustainable solutions, hotels will receive a silver, gold or platinum label, and the first step in this ambitious task is to educate more than 200 members of the association that has already started.

''After the training session, there will be a cycle of investments that will last at least two years, so Croatia could have the first eco-green family and small hotels as early as 2023. Green business has become a necessity not only because of our conscious guests' demands for environmentally friendly accommodation, but for savings for hoteliers themselves. What is also extremely important is that in this way, we'll be able to give our contribution to the decarbonisation of the planet,'' pointed out Sime Klaric, President of the National Association of Family and Small Hotels.

Among large Croatian hotel companies, Valamar Riviera was the first to make a more serious investment in its first eco resort in beautiful Stari Grad on the Central Dalmatian island of Hvar, with the creation of a totally new brand - Nature resort. Nature resort is the new Valamar concept of a fully sustainable eco-resort positioned primarily for family holidays. The construction of the resort will be achieved by respecting the highest standards of green building, which includes using only environmentally friendly materials with minimal impact on the environment, the use of renewable energy sources and a high level of energy efficiency.

The Valamar Nature resort on the island of Hvar is the first tourist project that will use prefabricated buildings and modular construction designed according to Valamar accommodation quality standards. The concept is inspired by nature and sustainable design, meaning that the architecture of the resort will fit well into the natural environment of the island in terms of the the design of the buildings, while the interior design is being dealt with by signed by local designers and artists using local traditions, looks and materials.

Construction will be carried out in in two phases

Felled trees will be used in landscaping, and each felled tree will be replaced with newly planted ones. Great emphasis will be placed on the offer of local food and groceries produced right there on the island, while digitalisation will eliminate the use of paper throughout the hotel. The project is planned to be built in two phases throughout 2022 and 2023, and in order to realise all of these green initiatives to their absolute full potential and realise all aspects of sustainable resort development, there is a plan in place to apply for green EU funds for the project.

Helios Faros' business development plan assumes investments in the total amount of around 800 million kuna in sustainable high value-added tourism that will have a positive impact on the economic growth of the island. By the year 2025, the reconstruction and construction of three hotels and resorts of categories 4 * and 5 * with a total capacity of 700 accommodation units is planned.

Quartz Inn Hotels, a new European hotel brand for independent sustainable hotels that recently presented itself at the WTM fair in London, is also seriously counting on Croatian facilities in its future portfolio, and their plan is to expand to at least 100 hotels across Europe. Quartz Inn Hotels Ltd was founded by Spaniard Ignacio Merino and Dutchman Alexander Zawadzki, who both have extensive experience in the hotel industry as well as in online travel agencies and travel startups under their belts. Sustainable Croatian tourism branding could be very possible with such an initiative taking hold in the country.

“We're the first sustainable hotel brand for stand-alone hotels in Europe, and our goal is to connect sustainable accommodation from across all European countries, while preserving the authenticity of each facility. We focus on sustainability, we help hotels become more ''green'' and in that way we're working to create a more sustainable tourism industry. By joining our brand, hotels gain more visibility internationally, which leads to higher revenue and more direct bookings,'' said Ignacio Merino when explaining the basic principles of the business idea created in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which came about partly as a result of the crisis itself.

"Independent hotels have been the hardest hit by the pandemic and they simply don't have the same means as larger chains have at their disposal to try to overcome the situation. We talked to many of them and decided to form a community that will support them. Through our partners, we provide them with the latest technology to manage things for them, covering all commercial areas, such as OTA distribution, connectivity, marketing, online reputation, online signups, resales, booking and revenue management, to optimise their hotel prices and maximise their benefits,'' he explained. In addition, they offer their members a free hotel academy for hoteliers and staff. In addition to hotels, guesthouses and holiday villas are also welcome.

They currently have dozens of contracts signed across Europe, and plan to conclude next year with at least 100 facilities within the chain. Their main goals are to reduce energy and water consumption and eliminate disposable plastic in rooms, while encouraging sustainable eating habits and contributing to the preservation of the local culture and economy.

Sustainable Croatian tourism branding could lead to a far better situation each and every year when it comes to arrivals from across the globe. Currently trapped by the ''sunshine and sea'' label which expires after about three months annually despite multiple attempts to extend the tourist season and expand what the country can offer. The coronavirus pandemic might just be the reset button for sustainable Croatian tourism branding and lead to a far better way of doing things than simply sitting back, counting the overnight stays on the eVisitor platform and rubbing our hands.

For more, check out our travel section.

December the 5th, 2021 - Sustainable Croatian tourism is a goal that the vast majority of actors in this most important economic branch are busy aiming for as mass tourism continues to bring as many issues as it does kuna into the country. Valamar is making concrete moves in this direction.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, following on from the finalisation of the second phase of the capital increase in Imperial Riviera worth a massive 690 million kuna, the Supervisory Boards of the Valamar Group companies approved the transfer of three hotels down in Dubrovnik from Valamar Riviera to Imperial Riviera, a joint venture for Valamar and Allianz ZB for the management of mandatory and voluntary pension funds.

This capital increase and the transfer of the hotel to Imperial aims to accelerate significant investments in the reconstruction and further construction of resorts in the destinations of Dubrovnik, Makarska and Rab, for which Imperial has planned 2.1 billion kuna over a five-year period. Soon enough, the Valamar Group will launch investments totaling 500 million kuna in hotel and tourist facilities and facilities managed by Valamar.

Sustainable Croatian tourism, more precisely ''green'' tourism, and digital transformation, as well as investments in the premium segment, will form the backbone of the development of Valamar's portfolio in the coming period. In order to implement investments and transform their business, the management of the Valamar Group will be reorganised, for which the top management was given a mandate until 2026.

President of the Management Board Zeljko Kukurin and member of the Management Board Marko Cizmek have been reappointed for a new five-year term, while former Vice President Ivana Budin Arhanic has been appointed to the Valamar Riviera Management Board with a focus on further internationalisation, sustainable Croatian tourism and business digitalisation.

Alen Benkovic has been appointed President of the Management Board of Imperial, and is set to become Senior Vice President of the Valamar Investment Group. Davor Brenko has been appointed Senior Vice President of the Valamar Sales and Marketing Group with a focus on product development and increasing direct sales. David Poropat will take over the position of Senior Vice President of Operations with a focus on strategic partnerships and service management.

Sebastian Palma has been appointed to a new term as a member of the Board of Finance for Imperial Riviera and becomes Vice President of the Strategic Controlling Group. Ines Damjanic Sturman has been appointed Vice President for Human Resources Development as a strategic function in Valamar's business, and Tomislav Dumancic is becoming Vice President for Dubrovnik and Dalmatia, where significant investments are planned in the coming period. Vlado Mis, the current President of the Management Board of Imperial Riviera, will become an Advisor to the Management Board and Director of the destination of Rab.

Croatian sustainable tourism is something that will allow the country to escape from the binds of the classic ''three months of sea and sunshine'' that it has been embedded in ever since tourism took off here following independence. Given that this little country has so much to offer and diversity like few others, making this move could place it firmly on the year-round tourism map and allow for a far more stable economy.

For more, check out our dedicated business section.

November the 23rd, 2021 - The Republic of Croatia is a key market for the new Quartz Inn hotel chain, and the move could finally kickstart Croatia's more sustainable ambitions as a tourist destination, as this chain places an emphasis precisely on that.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, after the recent official presentation at the London Tourism Fair WTM, a new European hotel brand will be launched in around one month, the new Quartz Inn Hotel chain for independent sustainable hotels, and one of the main markets they plan to expand to is Croatia, where they're already negotiating with facility owners.

The was confirmed to the above-linked publication by Ignacio Merino, the co-founder and director of the Quartz Inn Hotel chain, revealing details of the expansion to at least 100 hotels across Europe. Quartz Inn Hotels Ltd. was founded by Spaniard Merino and Dutchman Alexander Zawadzki, both of the men have extensive experience in the hotel industry, as well as with online travel agencies and travel startups.

“We're the first sustainable hotel brand for independent hotels in Europe, our goal is to connect sustainable accommodation from all European countries, while preserving the authenticity of each facility. We're helping hotels become ''green'' and creating a more sustainable tourism industry. By joining our brand, hotels gain greater international visibility, which leads to higher revenue and more direct bookings,'' explained Ignacio Merino of the business idea that came to him in the midst of a global pandemic, partly as a result of the crisis it caused.

"Independent hotels have been hit hardest and don't have the same resources as larger chains do in order to properly overcome this situation. We talked to many people and decided to form a community that will support them. Through our partners, we provide them with the latest technology to manage things for them, covering all commercial areas, such as OTA distribution, connectivity, marketing, online reputation, online sign-up, additional sales, reservations and revenue management, to optimise hotel prices and maximise benefits,'' he explained.

They also offer members a free academy for hotel owners and their staff. It will focus in particular on direct bookings to bypass online platforms and expensive commissions, ensuring more revenue for hotels and a better deal for guests. Hotel owners aren't charged a fee to enter the Quartz Inn Hotel brand and they promise the lowest commission on the market, depending on the services the hotel wants to provide. In addition, the goal is for each property they're associated with to become a brand shareholder.

“Hotels make up our brand, so they deserve to own part of the Quartz Inn Hotel chain itself. Depending on the number of shares and the length of the cooperation agreement, we will determine the amount of shares that we'll assign to each owner,'' said the co-owner of the brand whose name is inspired by the mineral quartz, which has is very hard and is claimed to purify energy.

In addition to hotels, guesthouses and holiday villas are also welcome to join the chain. So far, they have dozens of contracts signed across Europe, and in 2022 they plan to conclude with at least 100 facilities in the Quartz Inn Hotel chain. Although they say their focus is primarily on sustainability, the propositions for members don't seem too strict, the main goals sound rather generic - to reduce energy and water consumption and eliminate the use of disposable plastic in rooms, all while encouraging sustainable healthier eating habits and contributing to local culture and economy.

That said, if a certain facility doesn’t meet the criteria, they can still work with them, and they'll be helped and provided with technology to grow and aid them in becoming much more sustainable. Once they reach the sustainability standards of the Quartz Inn Hotel chain, they incorporate them into their portfolio. Chain members get keep their names, but are free to add a brand name to it should they so wish. They're completely focused on Europe, and Croatia is one of their main markets, they consider it an attractive coastal destination and a paradise for nature lovers.

“I visited Zagreb for the first time back in 2009, and learned more about Croatia while working in a hotel in Munich with several Croatian colleagues who were proud of their country and recommended many places to me. Since then, I've visited not only places on the coast, but also many national and nature parks. We want to offer our guests a wide selection of conscious and sustainable accommodation. We're currently in talks with several hotels from Istria and Dalmatia and I sincerely hope that Croatia will soon become part of our hotel family,'' concluded Ignacio Merino.

For more, check out our business section.

October the 12th, 2021 - The Croatian mass tourism model (if you can even call it a model) could finally be sent to the history books as the country has a historic chance before it to bin this method and become more sustainable than simply counting the number of arrivals.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, no matter how successful they considered this tourist season to be due to the sheer volume of overnight stays and income, it was incidental. Many things which occur in Croatia end up being totally accidental, and this season we had a favourable epidemiological picture to thank more than pretty much anything else. While this summer was fantastic for the domestic economy, finally pumping what it desperately needed back into it after a lean 2020, we actually ended up with what we were declaratively running away from, Croatian mass tourism, which is far from sustainable.

Therefore, in 2022, but also every following year, Croatian tourism should build itself on everything that has been learned throughout the coronavirus pandemic, and that is that guests are looking for quality, premium product and are willing to pay more for it, and that the primary interest is sustainability. Getting excited over rising numbers on the eVisitor system is dying of death, and Croatian mass tourism has done far more harm than good if one dares to glance outside of the state budget's purse strings.

More cooperation in the EU

In addition to the above, this country's tourism sector needs to communicate more and set some proper models for building common strategies, and the European Union and its member states all need to work more together to maximise passenger mobility and strengthen people's confidence in travel safety following this unprecedented public health crisis in which faith in airlines and travel companies was lost.

Some of this was pointed out by the participants in the conference on year-round tourism "Tourism 365" held on Friday in Tuheljske toplice in continental Croatia, with the participation of various ministers and state secretaries in charge of the tourism sector from four European Union countries, and the Prime Ministers of Croatia and Slovenia Andrej Plenkovic and Janez Jansa.

"Our goal is not to stick to counting tourists and arrivals and thinking about how to break records. The goal is sustainable tourism, to have a distributed number of tourists throughout the year. Therefore, the Month of Croatian Tourism project, which is ongoing, is also important to us,'' Croatian Tourism Minister Nikola Brnjac stated.

Slovenian Minister of Economy and Technology Development Zdravko Pocivalsek pointed out that even before the coronavirus crisis, Slovenia had begun developing its own model for sustainable tourism, and during the pandemic, they invested more than a billion euros in aid to the tourism sector, including vouchers for residents of Slovenia, which strengthened domestic tourism.

Fernando Valdes Verelst, Spanish Secretary of State for Tourism, stressed the importance of strengthening co-operation between EU countries in the future, in order to stabilise tourist flows.

"There was cooperation this year as well, but it could have been stronger. We also need cooperation in terms of marketing, and the stronger advertising of Europe as a destination towards distant markets, whose opening is expected,'' said Verelst. The extention of the tourist season is part of the policy of sustainable tourism, and in the pandemic, Croatia got a historic chance to develop a sustainable product,'' said Ivana Budin Arhanic from Valamar, adding that this year tourists showed great interest in quality and premium products.

Kristian Sustar from the Uniline agency warned that we shouldn't brag too much about this year's season, so that it doesn't somehow end up becoming an example of good practice. "We had a fantastic result, but it must be seen for what it was, incidental. In reality, we had three months of work and Croatian mass tourism, and that isn't what we say we want,'' concluded Sustar.

For more on sustainable tourism, check out our travel section.