The Kvarner gem is getting ready for the largest business event in the island's history
According to Dalibor Cvitković, the director of the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board, the town is more than ready for the Days of Croatian Tourism (DHT), a manifestation that will take place on Lošinj island on October 25 and 26.
DHT is an annual gathering of the Croatian tourism sector; this year, more than 1.500 participants are expected at the event organised by the Ministry of Tourism, the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Croatian Chamber of Economy. It's also worth noting that DHT 2017 will be the largest business manifestation ever held on Lošinj island.
"Lošinj hosted a couple of large-scale sports events and other various manifestations that have seen a considerable number of participants, but this is the first time we're the host of a major business gathering, one that we hope will contribute to the island's potential for development of congress tourism. We are aware it would be good if we had an operating airport and multiple large congress halls apart from the ones located in hotels, as they would certainly attract a bigger number of business events than we've seen so far", said Cvitković. He considers the manifestation will positively affect the post-season, as the entire hotel capacity on the island is expected to be booked out for DHT, along with a good part of private accommodation facilities. They prepared multiple excursions for the participants, including a visit to the world-renowned Museum of Apoxyomenos.
Even after DHT is through, at least one major hotel on Lošinj will remain open, along with an array of smaller accommodation facilities and two camps – a rare occurrence in Croatia. The island disposes of at least 1.000 beds throughout the year. In total, there are 22.000 beds in all types of accommodation facilities combined; there are 9.000 in camps, 6.000 in privately owned apartments, around 3.000 in hotels, and the rest can be found in other types of facilities.
"It was in September that we reached last year's entire number of overnight stays; in the first six months of this year, we've recorded an increase in overnight stays of 20%, meaning that we've worked effectively and used the pre-season to its fullest potential", said the Tourist Board director.
Cvitković also disclosed their plans for winter: in a month, Mali Lošinj Tourist Board will come out with a revamped website, featuring information on the tourist offer throughout the year. A special programme is getting prepared for the Christmas season, one that will feature an even more diverse offer than in recent years and hopefully attract a large number of tourists in the weeks leading up to the New Year's Eve.
"We are preparing a new marketing campaign for next year, we will be using digital campaigns and new technologies more frequently, including AR (augmented reality)", stated Cvitković, explaining they have adopted an approach in line with sustainable development of tourism, and have been using 130 relevant indicators to measure said development for years now.
Source: Morski.hr
