Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli officially visited Split-Dalmatia County at the invitation of Mayor Zlatko Ževrnja. The meeting was held in Imotski, given the real tourist boom in recent years to the destination.
"With little direct revenues but a lot of good will and motivation, and help from the public sector, we have informed and motivated local people to restore old houses and build new villas with swimming pools which helps them in attracting grants. Imotski has withdrawn 10 percent of the total approved grant for the construction of swimming pools from the program ‘Competitiveness of the Tourism Cconomy’ by the Ministry of tourism,” said Mayor Ževrnja on HRTurizam on January 31, 2017.
The Ministry of Tourism has invested more than 1.5 million kuna in Imotski in the last two years (2015 and 2016). The competition for the program ‘Competitiveness of the Tourism Economy' - in which there is a measure for private renters to build swimming pools which will be advertised until the end of February - should expect a good turnout this year.
"Compared to 2006, the number of overnight stays in this part of the county has literally doubled, which means that it is a well-managed tourist product. The Ministry of Tourism will certainly help in the further development of destinations through grants, but also through the necessary education to adapt to modern trends, which are rapidly changing in the tourism industry,” said Cappelli.
On this occasion, the minister and the mayor signed an agreement on co-financing additional medical teams to the tourist destination in 2017, which in its territory is organized by county due to the increased number of tourists during the tourist season. Support from the Ministry of Tourism amounts to 306,600.00 kuna.
"The safety of tourists in our country is extremely important to us and it is for this reason that Croatia is perceived as a safe country to foreign markets. In addition to medical assistance teams, we finance the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service and the Red Cross, and in the future that amount will be even more generous,” said Minister Cappelli upon signing the contract.
In Split-Dalmatia County, the Ministry of Tourism in 2016 invested nearly 9 million kuna through the Fund for the Development of Tourism, over 3.6 million kuna for projects in the public sector, and nearly 4.5 million through the 'Competitiveness of the Tourism Economy' for private sector projects. Professional associations, the promotion of tourist interests through scholarships to students, and additional medical teams are also funded.
