As Braco Cosic/Novac writes on the 13th of June, 2019, Imotski locals are definitely entering the core of tourism with their hearts and souls. They've combined their traditional hospitality with a beautiful setting and well-equipped holiday homes, as well as a range of more excellent offers and adaptations for guests visiting this part of the Dalmatian hinterland.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the reviews made by international guests are so good for Imotski, nor is it odd that Imotski locals who rent out properties to tourists already have many, many weeks reserved.
Not even Istria can boast of what Imotski can at the moment. This twenty percent higher number of overnight stays achieved in the first five months of 2019 compared to the same period last year finally confirms that the Imotski region has become a recognisable tourist destination in this part of Croatia, Slobodna Dalmacija writes.
And now, the owners of about three hundred or so holiday homes in the Imotski area, most of them located in very quiet, more rural areas, are finding all possible ways of combining all they can in terms of tourism, surprising their international guests. They feel that within what Imotski already offers, which is peace and a quiet environment, beautiful scenery and landscapes, cycling and hiking trails, kids' playgrounds... there must be something else to add into the mix, too.
And that's exactly what's been being talked about for a long time now, and that's the offer of local Imotski cuisine. Collaboration with small family farms is one of the most serious and obvious options to take this idea to the next level in terms of tourism, but Imotski locals have found yet another solution.
A great example was found in Runovići. In September last year, Marijan Puljiz decided to join the respectable group of private renters in Imotski. Activating all of his hard-earned savings in decorating his new home, and this summer, he's begun to rent out his four star star "Đikano" to tourists for the first time. But he didn't just stop there, Marijan went a step further.
"I wanted to offer sport and recreation and healthy homemade food to guests, and all of that is within reach. Simply said, about thirty meters from the house is a sort of ''self-service''. The house has finely decorated rooms, fireplaces, and kitchens. There's no imported material. The stone and wood is from Imotski, and the environment around the house is full of greenery. The swimming pool is also lined with domestic material. There's a gym, and all of the most important content that you'd see on the Azur coast. The tennis court is Olympic sized, and its quality is such that the state championship could be held on it.
And what's special is what I offer them [guests] for free, without any charge. Around the house, they have a whole green ''self-service''. In the gardens I own, there are orchards, I give vineyards, homemade, clean food and fruit and vegetables without any artificial fertilisers or pesticides,''
This Imotski local who is taking his tourism game up a notch also has other gardens boasting peppers, cucumbers, beets, potatoes, carrots, salads, rocula, blitva, spinach and more. Not to mention grapes.
''Practically since mid-June to the end of October they have a self-service full of home grown products. The guests are free to take as much as they like, and thank God, the gardens are full,'' noted Marijan.
If a guest wants some homemade cheese, prosciutto, bread with homemade flour, or domestic chicken meat or some other meat in cooperation with my friends who are healthy food producers, I'm ready to bring them all of that,'' added Marijan.
"I want all of my offer to be domestic from Imotski, because we have that and we can do it,'' is Marijan's main message.
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