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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September 15, 2019 -'The Routes of the Frankopans' is a cultural and tourist route that includes 17 castles, fortified towns and palaces, and three sacred complexes.

HRTurizam writes that the Frankopan princes of Krk left a deep mark on Kvarner, and because of their exceptional international influence, many consider them the most significant family in Croatian history - and true diplomats.

The history of the Frankopan princes of Krk lasted more than five and a half centuries: the members of this great family were the bearers of political, social, economic and cultural development in their territories, primarily in the present-day Croatian region of Kvarner.

The noble family, whose origin is linked to the island of Krk, extended their influence to the Kvarner region, part of Lika and part of the interior of Croatia. Thus, because of the historical heritage and the importance of the Frankopan family for the whole of Kvarner, and because many castles and palaces were left behind, a project for the development and revitalization of the cultural and tourist route 'The Routes of the Frankopans' has been launched 

The cultural and tourist route includes 17 castles, fortified towns and palaces, and three sacred complexes. The route is divided into four territorial units that emphasize the diversity of the landscape of the Kvarner region, namely the island of Krk, Gorski Kotar, Rijeka with its surroundings and Vinodol.

The project aims to develop a cultural and tourism product whose content will attract more visitors to the locations of the castles, which were not at the forefront of the tourist offer of the Kvarner region, and thus revive the less developed parts of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The project protects the Frankopan family's cultural heritage in the Kvarner region and creates new socio-economic value through its tourist valorization.

The project is developed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and its partners are the cities of Rijeka, Kraljevica, Bakar and Čabar, the municipalities of Čavle, Lokve and Vinodol and the Diocese of Krk, the Rijeka Museum of Natural History, the City of Krk Cultural Center, the Rijeka Tourist Board and the Kvarner Tourist Board. The total value of the project is HRK 64,116,001.04, while the EU grant amounts to HRK 47,306,235.33.

The first phase of the project took place between 2005 and 2008 when an investment was made in ten Frankopan castles in the Vinodol Valley. The second phase of the project lasted from 2013 to 2016, within the framework of the EU project HERA from the IPA program of the Adriatic Cross-border Cooperation, when the reconstruction project was extended to Rijeka, Krk and Gorski Kotar, or a total of twenty objects, with the intention of creating cultural-tourist routes that will permanently integrate objects into the cultural life of the wider community. The third phase began in 2015 when the project was submitted to the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds competition. A total of HRK 47.3 million in grants from EU Structural Funds has been approved for the renovation of facilities, their arrangement, promotion and creation of new tourist products that will revive the island of Krk, the Vinodol region and Gorski Kotar throughout the year. The total value of the project is HRK 61 million. 

The project will be completed at the end of 2019 and the 'The Routes of the Frankopans' will give new added value to the Rijeka - European Capital of Culture 2020 project.

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