Quality communication is key when it comes to tourist season preparations, and the Mali Losinj Tourist Board is one positive example you’ll find in Croatia. You may recall them in the spotlight last year for their FERRY FREE campaign and “insurance policy” for guests in case of self-isolation.
Thus, this year as well, the Mali Losinj Tourist Board has additionally strengthened communication in the field, as well as with education through webinars. In a conversation with Dalibor Cvitković, director of the Mali Losinj Tourist Board, Goran Rihelj of HRTurizam learned how they are preparing for this year’s season on Losinj and how they, as a tourist office, communicate with tourism stakeholders.
Although education on Losinj is not foreign to you, during the COVID-19 crisis, you intensified communication with webinars. How do you communicate as a tourist office?
“Yes, I have always advocated open communication with all stakeholders in tourism; given the impossibility of holding forums and workshops, we decided to communicate through webinars with stakeholders, especially with a group of renters.
Before starting the webinar, we conducted a survey among renters with the question of which topics they would like us to cover in the webinars. So we formed topics and lecturers following their suggestions. So far, we have done three webinars, the first to emphasize storytelling in tourism and digital apartments (advertising on the web and social networks), then a webinar “How to be a good host during COVID,” with an emphasis on apartments and business. In the third webinar, in cooperation with our representative offices’ directors in the main markets of Italy, Austria, Slovenia, and Germany, we tried to answer “What to expect from the season?”.
Of course, at each webinar, we present the current information at our disposal and the legal obligations of landlords in terms of tourist tax, membership fees, flat income tax, recategorization, etc., but also the opportunities that the Mali Losinj Tourist Board has in cooperation with landlords from co-financing marketing activities, cards for renters with discounts, loyalty programs for long-term guests, distribution of seedlings – Lošinjski cvijet, to the year-round promotion of family accommodation through all sales channels and free use of photo and video materials of the Mali Losinj Tourist Board.
We do ‘hybrid’ webinars so that part of the landlords can attend in our office (up to 10 people), and the rest through Zoom, and so far, we have had an attendance of 50 – 70 participants who have the opportunity to ask questions to our lecturers and us personally.
The next webinar is on Wednesday, March 17, to present the Safe Stay project in Croatia. Mr. Edvin Jurin, a well-known marketing expert, and a consultant, will present the topic “Renters – Newly different,” where we will answer questions about the new different era of renting, how to create a map of the tourist experience, and how future destinations will look.”
Also, open and quality communication is a tool to raise all participants’ quality, including entire destinations directly?
“Of course, our goal is to raise the quality of service in all tourist offerings in the destination and work on networking all stakeholders in the destination so that Losinj as a destination gets additional recognition.
By measuring the indicators of the European System of Indicators for Sustainable Destinations – ETIS, we strive to monitor, manage and strengthen the sustainability of the tourist destination. In addition to ETIS, we are working on the Study of Sustainability of Tourism Development and Reception Capacity of Mali Losinj. Together with the island of Cres, we have adopted a tourism development strategy for Mali Losinj and Cres with defined operational development strategies from tourism products, tourism infrastructure projects, accommodation strategies, competitiveness programs, and tourism marketing.
With the vision that Mali Losinj and Cres, with their quality and uniqueness of the tourist offer, represent one of the leading sustainable, lifestyle, and wellbeing island destinations in the Mediterranean.”
This year we are much smarter and more prepared for the challenges tourism brings in the age of coronavirus. Last year, you had the FERRY FREE campaign and the “insurance policy” for guests in case of self-isolation. What will you do this year?
“Through open communication with stakeholders last year, we noticed the numerous inquiries we have when a guest arrives during the COVID-19 crisis. Here, we jointly developed behavioral protocols at the destination level, sent clear instructions to all accommodation facilities in several languages , from the code of conduct to the survey questionnaire in case of suspected COVID-19 infection. We also took financial responsibility to reimburse renters and guests that because of the coronavirus, they have to extend their stay, or the landlord could not rent it for the sake of the guest who was supposed to remain in self-isolation. We will have an “insurance policy” this year to provide security for guests and owners of accommodation facilities.
Other marketing activities such as “Ferry free” last year will depend primarily on the border crossing protocol and the conditions that countries from our main markets will put as an obligation to return to the same, here we are talking about “Covid passports” or the obligation for the guest to have a negative PCR or antigen test.
We are in coordination with all stakeholders in the destination. We will be ready if necessary to ensure easier and faster testing in the destination area or participate in participating in their costs, monitor the situation, have more scenarios, and be ready to respond.”
To conclude, the Mali Losinj Tourist Board website clearly communicates where the tests are performed (swabs, rapid antigen test, serological tests), at what price, and where to report.
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