A tourism boom in Karlovac County
Just like in the past few years, Karlovac County has had the best tourism indicator in 2017, as well as the biggest tourist fluctuation of all the continental counties, Lokalni.hr reports on August 29, 2017. Next is Krapina-Zagorje County, with guests spending more than a day or two there thanks to the county’s many health spas, but with a lower overall number of visitors.
Plitvice is a must-see
“We ended 2016 with 474,000 overnights, and this year there were more than 350,000 by August. Considering the fact that we have had a 28% increase in the number of overnight stays this year, which is 5% more than the country’s average, I believe that we will have our half-millionth visitor in the final quarter of the year, which we haven’t had in quite some time now. With half a million visitors, we will be the most successful continental county,” Karlovac County Tourist Board President Dina Begić said.
Rakovica Municipality traditionally has the highest number of overnight stays, so 60% of the 350,000 overnights refers to Rakovica, with its Korana auto-camp and nearby Plitvice as the main attractions.
“Tourists visit Rastoke, and the number of overnight stays has also increased due to Memento Demento Festival, with 700 visitors and overnight stays this year. Many tourists stay at Slapić auto-camp in Duga Resa, and Robinson Crusoe-style campsites next to the Mrežnica River are becoming more and more popular. Visitors also go to Karlovac, whose tourist offer keeps getting better, with river beaches and many events. The increase in the number of overnight stays has also sparked interest among private businesses as well, so the number of accommodation facilities keeps growing and we currently have 7,600 units,” Ms Begić adds.
Ozalj, whose popularity has grown due to ŠtrudlaFest, wine road, and Zeleno srce Hrvatske (Croatia’s Green Heart) destination has also recorded an increase in visitors. HŽ’s Summer in Ozalj project taking passengers from Zagreb and Karlovac to Ozalj has had more than 100 passengers each weekend.
“Ozalj lacks accommodation facilities, there are too few, but we hope that private business owners will be encouraged by the demand and they will venture into renovating apartments or hostels,” Dina Begić added.
Karlovac, where 20,244 visitors and 22,417 overnight stays have been recorded in the first seven months of 2017, got 149 extra beds by repurposing the student dorm into Badem Hostel over summer. Karlovac normally has a little under 500 beds, and there are plans for building two new hotels, renovating the Central Hotel and extending the Europa Hotel, so the number should increase in the future. A married couple from Korea, owners of a shop at Tušilović, has also announced a possibility of building a 60-room hotel in the suburban area.
Karlovac County Tourist Board has published a 120-page guidebook in order to introduce visitors with the many tourist attractions that the county has to offer, from historic roads, gastro locations, cycling and wine roads, to Nordic walking locations and beaches. There is also information on hunting and fishing options, rafting, family vacation spots, and all the myths and legends tied to canyons, castles and caves in the area.
Translated from Lokalni.hr.
