April the 14th, 2022 - The only European rural tourism congress that currently exists is set to be held in the southernmost Croatian town of Cavtat at the end of this month, firmly placing this already popular holiday destination on the map, but this time quite a different one.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes, just how far the digitalisation process of rural Croatian villages has come, whether the global coronavirus crisis was an opportunity for rural tourism or actually caused losses, how family farms can be branded and what Croatian rural tourism is like compared to the same sector in other countries, are just several of the topics which will be discussed during the 5th International Congress on Rural Tourism, being held from the 27th to the 30th of April in Cavtat.
The gathering organised by the Croatian Association for Tourism and Rural Development will see the coming together of the Village Club with the support of educational institutions from across Croatia and the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts, more than 300 participants from the state sector, tourist boards, family farms and others from the wider tourism sector.
A special feature of the upcoming European Rural Tourism Congress is that it is the only one of its kind in the whole of Europe, which is why experts from 10 countries will head to Cavtat to talk more about their projects.
"This year's slogan is Rural Tourism: Quality, Sustainability, Inclusion, and the main topic is competitiveness and the positioning of rural tourism after the crisis experienced by the tourism sector caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The European Rural Tourism Congress enables a continuous exchange of experiences and knowledge, with the connection of science and profession also involved. The competitiveness of a tourist offer is only strengthened by an increased level of awareness and education about rural tourist destinations, and thus improves the way services are provided,'' the organisers pointed out.
For the ninth year in a row, the Sunflower Rural Tourism Award of Croatia, ie the Sunflower Award, will be awarded (in 8 different categories) at this April's European Rural Tourism Congress, with 138 projects from 19 counties competing.
For more, check out our travel section.
