December 14, 2019 - Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli expects another positive year in Croatian tourism. A look at what's in store for 2020.
T.portal reports that the next year for tourism and the overall economy will be special thanks to a series of international presentations and events, from the Croatian Presidency of the EU Council and Rijeka as the European Capital of Culture to the EXPO Dubai World Exhibition. The positive tourism trends are expected to continue, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said.
"In 2020, numerous international events that Croatia will participate in and those organized in the country are a great opportunity to present everything we have to offer, and tourism will certainly be one of the carriers because of the promotional opportunities and brand strength of the tourist destination," Cappelli said. He also pointed out that we are also entering 2020 with positive trends in terms of revenue, investment and tourism.
He recalled that this year, tourism figures for the first time exceeded 20 million arrivals and one billion euro of announced investments in one year, and believes that this year should be a record year in terms of revenue generated.
"The tourism announcements for 2020 are also good at the moment, and we are entering the tourist 'race'. Changes in tourism trends with an increasing share of individual arrivals and subsequent bookings make the entire tourism system in the world much more dynamic. Therefore, the fight for tourists lasts throughout the 12 months of the year. But I am sure that our guests will recognize the efforts in the form of improving quality and new offerings as they did in the previous years,” stressed the Minister.
Of particular importance is Croatia's presidency of the EU Council, which it plans to make the most of to promote Croatia in Europe and the world at all levels - from trade cooperation and attracting investments to, of course, promoting Croatia as a tourist destination.
"We are planning enhanced promotional activities of the Croatian National Tourist Board in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, especially in the area of the congress offer, but more broadly, by further strengthening the recognition of Croatia as a safe and quality tourist destination. In addition to the promotional component, during the presidency, the Tourism Ministry also plans to continue holding meetings of the Working Group on Competitiveness and Growth in the tourism format,” Cappelli reveals.
In addition, the Ministry plans to organize two events in Croatia - a meeting of experts in March 2020 in Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, and a ministerial conference from April 27-28, 2020, in Dubrovnik, which plans to include EU Member States and OECD Member States participating in the work of the OECD Committee on Tourism.
"During the Presidency, we also plan to draw up a document calling on the Member States and the European Commission to work together and cooperate to promote sustainable and responsible tourism development and to emphasize the importance of partnerships of all stakeholders in achieving the goals of sustainable and responsible development of Europe," stressed the Minister of Tourism.
Responding to the question if the sector is ready for the numerous legal changes that come into force on January 1, the Minister emphasized that 2020 will be specific to all other politically and economically important events due to legal changes that otherwise regulate the tourist board system and promotion of Croatian tourism, paying tourist membership fees and tourist taxes, categorization, VAT rate and more.
"The whole tourism system will actually change its image next year due to a series of legal changes. After adopting the package of tourist laws in the Croatian Parliament, this year, we also held numerous workshops and meetings with the stakeholders of tourism, especially with the representatives of the sector. It is essential for everyone to be as aware of all the changes and their tasks as possible," Cappelli said.
In all this, the Ministry of Tourism will always be available to everyone for the tourism system to function in the best possible way early in the next year and be ready to develop new quality, innovative, development and promotional projects.
When asked about a new strategy for Croatian tourism, the Minister replied that the tender documentation is currently being prepared for the next period, which he will announce during 2020.
"At the same time, the National Development Strategy for 2030 is being prepared, which will cover all economic segments, including tourism, and these two strategic documents will be the backbone and guidelines for the future development of tourism. Therefore, harmonization in their adoption is critical,” Cappelli said.
Considering that the role of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) is changing as of next year due to the new Law on Tourist Boards, Cappelli, who is the president of the Croatian National Tourist Board, emphasized that its tasks will be focused on strengthening the Croatian tourism brand, marketing at the national level, implementing strategic marketing projects and others.
"To better adapt to modern tourism trends and innovative ways of promoting tourist destinations, the new Law on Tourist Boards defines that HTZ will not deal with the supervision of tourist boards, but will be performed primarily by the members of the tourist board through the assembly. If necessary, the Ministry of Tourism will get involved if it is not able to solve a problem. This will contribute to reducing the level of centralization under the Croatian Government's program,” Cappelli said.
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