The 3rd "Lika destination day" conference was held
The online conference "Lika destination day" was held this morning, organized by the Lika Destination Cluster and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The conference was held as part of the implementation of the project Destination Lika: a sustainable tourist destination.
The conference started at 10:00 a.m., and at the very beginning of the conference, the president of the Lika Destination Cluster, Mrs. Petra Kovačević, greeted everyone present and gave a brief overview of the cluster's past work and success: "...For two years, the Lika destination has been on the Top 100 list green sustainable destinations of the world and was nominated for the same for the third year. Then, the Lika Quality system was presented among the 15 best examples of sustainable development in the world, and as one of only two Croatian examples, it was included in the Manual on promoting sustainable tourism practices published by the European Travel Commission (ETC). 160 certified products, 200 networked tourism stakeholders, a joint ticket for the Lika destination and over 15 successfully implemented projects are just some of the results of the cluster so far, which show the success, persistence and quality of our work...". She especially pointed out that in its five years of operation, the cluster has achieved recognition and trust among local producers and holders of tourist offers, and is recognized in the destination as a driver of tourism development.
Then, in front of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the head of the department for cultural, cycle and rural tourism and other special forms of tourism, Mrs. Elizabeta Dolenec, greeted all those present, who pointed out that tourists still prefer to choose safer destinations, but she also pointed out that at the county level from this tourist season o expects a growth of 10 to 20%, which is why tour operators predict a good tourist season.
The emphasis at this year's conference "Lika destination day" was placed on the challenges that the pandemic triggered and the new tourism products and services that came out as a positive consequence of the pandemic. Therefore, after the welcome speeches, three successful examples from the Lika destination were presented to all participants.
The first of them was Mrs. Antonija Milković from Gospić, who told how the pandemic made it impossible for her to operate her own travel agency and how this encouraged her to start a new idea, namely to open her own souvenir shop "Zera", which in a short time gained exceptional popularity.
Then Mrs. Helena Bogdanić from Otočac, who grows various herbs and fruits on her family farm, from which she produces fruit products, liqueurs, syrups, but also energy bars, and whose products deservedly carry the "Lika Quality" label, introduced herself to all the participants. During the pandemic, Mrs. Helena expanded her offer; she organized several workshops on herbs, growing herbs, production of herbal products and the like, which took place right on her family farm.
The last to introduce himself was Mr. Krešimir Budiša, the owner of the adrenaline estate - Lički sokol from Gračac. Their story began as an escape from a busy and stressful lifestyle. In addition to offering various adrenalin activities, they also grow apples and dogwood on their adrenalin property and are currently in the process of building an accommodation facility and expanding their offer.
The conference was attended by almost 70 participants who, at the very end of the conference, asked the participants questions and expressed their comments, problems, opinions and praise. The conference ended with the conclusion that challenges and difficult moments are sometimes the key to progress and business development because they stimulate creativity, open up new perspectives and give us some new strength. It was also concluded that conferences of this type are extremely important because this way of communication and presentation achieves an even more effective synergy of the holders of tourist offers and a better development of the local community in general.
