April 30, 2019 - Putting Croatian adventure tourism on the map, with the biggest welcome in the world. Day 38 of this incredible 2011 adrenaline trip covering 2,500 km along the Croatian coast. 

The World's Biggest Welcome, an ambitious adventure tourism project in 2011 in Croatia enters Day 38 of this 2019 appreciation of one of the finest tourism promotion projects ever in Croatia.  

The plan? To showcase the diversity and fabulous offer of adventure tourism in Croatia by following a GPS route the length of the Croatian coast in the shape of the word 'Welcome' - thereby creating the biggest welcome in the world from a hospitable tourism country. 

Day 38 moved from Trogir to Trilj.

72 kilometres for the day: 15 km kayak from Trogir to Split, followed by a 2 km climb to the top of Marjan hill, and a 55 km bike ride from Split to Trilj to complete forming the ‘O’ in ‘Welcome’.

Day 38 started in the UNESCO town of Trogir. 

Lacko setting off towards Slatine on Ciovo.

Lacko crossing the bridge to Ciovo.

The ride couldn't go far without brandy at a local bar.

Slatine and Lacko by the Bura Line boat to Split. Will Lacko make it through?

Indeed he did.

From Slatine to Marjan.

Lacko meets the team at Marjan.

And he begins the climb to the top.

From Marjan to Klis.

And Klis Fortress in all of its glory. 

It was an experience best washed down with a beer.

Jagoda joined Lacko from Sinj to Trilj.

A key part of the project was promoting tourism, and the official website has details of the key places visited during the day. 

Trogir.

You can see the entire project on the Welcome website, as well as much more of Luka Tambaca's stunning photography on the Welcome Facebook page. 

Tune in tomorrow for Day 39, as Lacko moves from Trilj to Omiš.

To follow the whole project from the start, follow the dedicated TCN page. 

April 29, 2019 - Putting Croatian adventure tourism on the map, with the biggest welcome in the world. Day 37 of this incredible 2011 adrenaline trip covering 2,500 km along the Croatian coast. 

The World's Biggest Welcome, an ambitious adventure tourism project in 2011 in Croatia enters Day 37 of this 2019 appreciation of one of the finest tourism promotion projects ever in Croatia.  

The plan? To showcase the diversity and fabulous offer of adventure tourism in Croatia by following a GPS route the length of the Croatian coast in the shape of the word 'Welcome' - thereby creating the biggest welcome in the world from a hospitable tourism country. 

Day 37 moved from Primošten to Trogir.

40 kilometres for the day: And really, just a smooth kayak ride from Primošten to Trogir to continue forming the ‘O’ in ‘Welcome’. 

Day 37 kicked off from the coastal town of Primošten, which lies between the cities of Šibenik and Trogir. 

The vineyards of Primošten.

And then onto Rogoznica and the Dragon's Eye.

Lacko continued making his way to Trogir by kayak.

Though the strong wind made it difficult. 

Lacko and his kayak. 

Arrival in the UNESCO-protected town of Trogir with a great view of Kamerlengo castle. 

The bridge to Čiovo

Spotted: Lacko and his kayak at the Trogir marina.

Lacko is pretty happy to be here. 

And it's no wonder why.

A key part of the project was promoting tourism, and the official website has details of the key places visited during the day. 

Trogir.

You can see the entire project on the Welcome website, as well as much more of Luka Tambaca's stunning photography on the Welcome Facebook page. 

Tune in tomorrow for Day 38, as Lacko moves from Trogir to Trilj by kayaking, climbing, and cycling.

To follow the whole project from the start, follow the dedicated TCN page. 

What do Croatian and international travellers think of their hosts when staying in private accommodation? How do they rate them, how much interaction is too much and are privacy and inside information the key?

As Lea Balenovic/Novac writes on the 9th of April, 2019, almost two thirds of Croats believe that the host is a key factor when staying in an accommodation facility, and those who are the best rated in the Republic of Croatia, both from domestic and foreign guests, can be found in in Rakovica, Osijek, Bibinje, Korenica, Kaštela, Makarska, Brela, Senj, Trogir and Podstrana.

They are the results of research conducted by the world's leading rental company, Booking.com, on a sample of 21,500 travellers worldwide. As the survey showed, 63 percent of international travellers and 62 percent of Croatian travellers think that their stay was better because of their engagement of the host who did everything they could to make it a better stay for them.

Most travellers want to feel "at home," as they have indicated in such surveys. For 62 percent of international travellers, the main advantage of non-hotel accommodation is the ability to take advantage of the knowledge and information available from the host and decide to stay in a property owned by someone who actually comes from the region in which the property is located. The same goes for 48 percent of Croatian travellers.

Nearly half of the international travellers who partook in the survey, or more specifically 45 percent of them, and 59 percent of Croatian travellers consider the local knowledge and information at their disposal from their host important for their overall budget because they hope to be given insider advice that will help them save some cash and avoid potential tourist traps.

However, while it seems that all travellers who took part in this survey generally consider the same things to be significant, each traveller is looking for a different type of engagement from their host. Therefore, some travellers are satisfied with a simple warm welcome, while others have slightly higher expectations from their hosts.

For example, 52 percent of international passengers and 40 percent of Croatian travellers believe that their host should only be seen once during their stay in order to make them feel welcome, and more than a third of international travellers and almost the same number of Croatian travellers expect their hosts to contact them only during their arrival, registration, and then again when they eventually check out and leave the premises.

What is often even more challenging to hosts is the fact that many travellers also expect them to have some sort of sixth sense and know just how much of a personal touch is needed for each traveller. 69 percent believe that hosts should intuitively know the right amount of time they should be spending with their guests, and that is also what 73 percent of Croatian travellers think. For four out of five international travellers and the same number of travellers from Croatia that means respecting their need for personal space, which means that the feeling of privacy is key.

The hosts also agree. Namely, nearly 80 percent of Croatian hosts think that the most important thing for guests is to be able to properly ensure their privacy.

"Our research reveals that it's very important for the owners and managers of accommodation facilities to find a balance which ensures the best experience, regardless of whether guests are staying in a vacation home, an apartment, in accommodation with their hosts or any other type of facility," explained Olivier Grémillon, the vice president of Booking.com, adding the fact thatt "what is crystal clear is that there is nothing like the ability of ordinary people to turn something into an unforgettable experience."

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more.

Click here for the original article by Lea Balenovic for Novac/Jutarnji

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