Croatia has great potential for luxury tourism, conference hears

Croatia has a great opportunity to develop luxury tourism, notably in destinations with luxury hotels, villas, marinas and high quality restaurants, Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said at a conference in the northern Adriatic resort of Opatija on Monday.

Addressing the conference, entitled "Potential for luxury tourism in Kvarner", Brnjac said Croatia had ten Michelin star restaurants, stressing that gastronomy was an important segment of the tourism industry.

"This season we were one of the most successful tourism countries in the Mediterranean and luxury tourism helped us achieve that, with guest safety having an important role," Brnjac said.

She said a positive example was Stories, an association of unique luxury hotels in Croatia that encompasses 18 select hotels. Each of these hotels inspires an authentic and thoughtful experience that acquaints their guests with the legacy, heritage and warm hospitality of the Croatian Adriatic. Most of the hotels are open year round.

Croatian Tourism Board director Kristjan Staničić said Croatia can have both luxury and mass tourism at same destinations, with smart destination management. In that context Staničić mentioned Dubrovnik, saying that the southern Adriatic city has restricted access to the old town so as to enable guests staying there, too, to tour the town with less pressure from cruise ship passengers.

(Hina)

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