I was asked an interesting question by an international journalist at the weekend, the latest one I am helping arrange a trip to Hvar (big articles in The Sunday Times and Travel and Leisure are already done and will be coming out later this year):
“Can you send me a link to the official Hvar Tourist Board promo video?”
Hmmm. An official Hvar Tourist Board video. I have seen thousands of videos about Hvar in the last four years, but an official one from one of the five Hvar tourist boards? I began to ask myself if such a thing has ever existed. Apart from the ones produced by the Central Dalmatia Tourist Board (Dynamic Hvar Postcard etc) I can’t recall ever seeing an official Hvar Tourist Board promo video. And the more I thought, the more I found myself asking the same question.
Why not?
As followers of Total Split will know, we have been speaking to a few experts on what makes a good promotional video, and the research showed up some interesting things. Here was one of the highlights:
“66% of travellers watch online videos when they’re thinking of taking a trip and 65% watch videos when they’re choosing which destination to visit (source 2015 Google Travel Study).”
Wow! And so, if you are Croatia’s premier island with a history of tourism dating back 148 years, the oldest organised tourism in Europe (note to the tourism chiefs – in two years, that will be 150, which could be a nice thing to celebrate – perhaps start planning now?), would it be too much to expect a three minute video celebrating the fact that Hvar is one of the world’s most beautiful islands, the only one with four UNESCO heritage sites etc etc etc?
It can’t be a matter of cost, more priorities, and perhaps an unwillingness to move from the current strategy of “Tourism happens because we live on a beautiful sunny island.”
To put the cost in perspective, the new Split Tourist Board video cost 30,000 kuna. Hvar Town spent 50,000 euro to bring the entertainers for their New Year concert. It would seem to be a question of priorities, something which is even more obvious when you learn (but I am not at liberty to reveal) what percentage of Jelsa’s tourism budget was spent on two (very nice) concerts last year, while the English language version of the official events page remained telepathy white and empty, so that no tourist could actually find out they were taking place.
And if cost is the issue, why not share the burden? There are five tourist boards on Hvar. Why not combine to make one breathtaking video to show the world it is Croatia’s premier island, and why it is considered to be one of the world’s ten most beautiful.
Better still, have one headline video, then a series of shorter themed ones – Hvar, the island of wine, Hvar the UNESCO island, Adrenaline Hvar, Hvar Beach Heaven etc etc.
With the right concept and professionals, imagine what the end product could be of a 3-minute video which embraced the following:
UNESCO heritage, oldest public theatre in Europe, 2400 year wine story (and Stari Grad birthday), beaches, activity paradise, nature, sunniest islnad in Europe, Pakleni Islands, yoga, traditions, gastronomy and so much more.
It could be the best video business card in Croatia, for all the ingredients – including the money – are there. All that is missing is the decision to implement what must surely be the most obvious priority for promoting tourism on Hvar. With new directors for Jelsa and Hvar due to be appointed shortly, perhaps they will be the catalyst for change to give the island an external promotion which reflects the magic contained therein.
