The Croatian ensemble “Lado” is a rarity in Poland. During its tour of Central Europe, it visited Budapest, Prague, Wrocław and Bolesławiec. It concluded its performances in Kraków. We owe the ensemble’s exceptional concert in our town to the efforts of Józef Burniak.
The “Lado” performance, held in Bolesławiec on 22 April, was an initiative promoting Croatia. “A small country for a great holiday” is the slogan of the Croatian Tourist Board, encouraging people to spend their holidays in this country so close to Poles. As Ivan Del Vechio, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia, told us, our nations share a love of good fun, good food and excellent drinks. That is why nowhere will Poles feel as good on holiday as they do in Croatia.
Bojan Baketa, director of the Croatian National Tourist Information Office, said that 60% of advertising funds are allocated to online promotion. He is not afraid that the offer will reach only young people. As an example, he cites his 70-year-old father, who surfs the Internet freely. The office does not invest in brochures and leaflets because nowadays most consumers buy holidays online.
Croatia is focusing not only on historic monuments, sunshine and the sea, but above all on cultural events. Customers are becoming increasingly demanding; they no longer want merely to see a medieval church or old townhouses. They want to take part in another culture, get to know it, taste new dishes, sing songs, dance a traditional dance or attend a festival. That is why the Croatian Tourist Board promotes cultural and tourism events, recommending several hundred such events in 2009. Each of the attractions listed has its own website, most often translated into three other languages (Italian, German and English).
We have selected the following proposals from among the many attractions to illustrate the richness of the offer:
- Dalmatia: Dubrovnik. The Dubrovnik Summer Festival (Dubrovački ljetni festival) is one of the largest festivals in Europe. It is held between the end of June and the end of August. A celebration of folklore, music, opera and theatre.
www.dubrovnik-festival.hr - Istria: Fažana. The Small Sardine Fishing Academy runs from May to September. Here, visitors can learn more than one hundred ways of preparing sardines and, of course, taste them.
www.istria-fazana.com - Kvarner: Kastav. The Cultural Summer in Kastav takes place in July and August. Numerous high-quality cultural events are held in the small town. The festival offers theatre performances, exhibitions and concerts.
www.kkl.hr - Dalmatia: Split. Ten Days of Diocletian takes place in August. For ten days, Split returns to ancient history. People in togas and tunics walk through the streets, Emperor Diocletian’s procession travels along the promenade, and the ruler himself addresses the city’s residents as in days gone by.
www.visitsplit.com - Slavonia: Županja. Harvesting and harvest festivals in the past took place at the turn of June and July. Tourists are encouraged to visit not only by the costumes, customs and distinctive performance, but also by the food and drinks that can be sampled during the harvest.
www.tz-zupanja.hr
This is only a small part of what Croatia has to offer besides sunshine and magnificent coasts. A country promoted in this way will undoubtedly become a leading player in the tourism market. The friendly people of Croatia can be a source of knowledge and information for us about developing domestic tourism.
(GH/KG information)