Dear Honoured Visitors,
Rural
tourism in the Republic of Croatia started developing operatively
and in an organized fashion back in 1996, even though first specialized
articles were published twenty years ago. The basis for this is
the adoption of Regulations on Providing Hospitality Services
in Village Households that same year, which created the legal
framework for this type of tourism. The Regulations have been
amended considerably in order to adjust them to the acquis communautaire
and to improve the services and simplify doing business while
raising quality. The development of rural tourism had started
much earlier in the current European Union member states, while
positive trends have been witnessed in the several past years
in the countries in the region. In addition to the Ministry of
Tourism, rural tourism directly or indirectly involves the following
ministries: Agriculture and Rural Development, Environmental Protection,
Culture, Construction, Regional Development, Economy and Entrepreneurship,
Finance and many others.
In fifteen years, rural tourism in Croatia has become the most
recognizable special form of tourism, given great significance
in view of the complexity of services and the development of rural
areas, i.e. the implementation of tourism in areas where it is
still not sufficiently developed.
The significance of rural tourism is, above all, reflected in
the essential interaction of agricultural
production,
the production of traditional products, presenting traditions,
traditional foods and tourist services - in other words, the use
of the available resources. Rural tourism development is based
on sustainable development. This is reflected in the revitalization
of the existing, traditional buildings which are assigned a new
use – one of tourism. At a time when the upper threshold of tourism
facility construction is much discussed and written about, when
there is great pressure on space due to new capacity construction,
rural tourism attempts to integrate, renew and organize space
in a completely different manner. Rural tourism does not require
the construction of new facilities. On the contrary, it faces
the challenge of using the existing facilities in the best manner
possible.
In the development process, rural tourism stakeholders have encountered
and keep encountering difficulties - administrative, bureaucratic,
organizational, financial ones and others. Difficulties are reflected
in the fully undefined category of rural tourism as an activity
and the large number of regulations and ordinances which stand
in the way of quicker growth and prosperity and greater investment
cycles in this segment.
The aforementioned gave rise to the need to organize the
First
Croatian Rural Tourism Congress, held on Hvar n October,
2007 and the
Second Croatian Congress
with International Participation, held in Mali Lošinj in April
2012. From a scientific and expert perspective, they considered
fall past activities, detected all difficulties, set new challenges
through concrete implementation conclusions, thus providing a
satisfactory framework and simplifying procedures for further
development.
Conclusions
of the First Congress and Conclusion Conclusion
of the Second Congress contributed to solving various rural
tourism prerequisites and stimulated collaboration on all levels.
Thus in April 2008, the
Rural Tourism Declaration
was signed, while in June of that same year
three Croatian
parliamentary committees held a joint thematic session
entitled: „The current situation, possibilities and prerequisites
of rural tourism development in the Republic of Croatia with guidelines
for that development“.
Collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism first and foremost,
but with the ministries of agriculture, regional development,
environmental protection, culture, economy and entrepreneurship,
as well as regional and local self-government units and various
institutions, has become more intense, leading to a joint objective
of
strategically defining rural tourism development.
The great challenge ahead of village households and rural tourism
entrepreneurs presented by the Croatian accession to the EU and
the adjustment to the Community norms must also be considered.
In view of the aforementioned and the conclusions of the First
and Second Congress, we started organizing the
Third International
Rural Tourism Congress, which will be held May 23 - 26
of this year in Osijek. Through introductory presentations, specialized
topics, good practice examples and the
"Quo Vadis,
European Rural Tourism?" round table,
we will join forces and make great progress. Many local and foreign
institutions, as well as scientists and experts from all over
Europe and beyond are involved in the organization of the Congress.
The
congress is held immediately after the Republic of Croatia signed
the Agreement on the Accession to the European Union, so it follows
logically that many international organizations from all over
Europe are involved in its organisation.
We hope that with all your help we will hold a useful, top-quality
Congress, which will for the third time gather all relevant stakeholders
who have something to say about rural tourism and offer new guidelines
streamlining development and business.
ORGANISERS:
Hrvatski farmer d.d.
Klub članova “Selo”
