A new idea in pre-season for an island divided into five tourist boards
The story going around tourism the last few years is the pre- and post-season. Lots of ideas and suggestions; some are great, some are not, but that’s how it goes. What everyone agrees on, the season has to be extended. We envisioned the Cycling G.E.T. Tour 3-4 years ago, meaning smaller cycling events aimed to introduce cyclists to local farms, wineries, oileries, konobas and similar destinations. A product made for pre-season. The fact the cyclists are top spenders must be considered, Get4u.hr reports on June 1, 2016.
The idea is here – now it needs to become reality. After a few individual routes, we needed to check how it will function on destination level. The location choice was quite logical when the G.E.T. Report is in question – Korčula island. As the island is divided into five tourist boards, we decided not to make one event, but three, or as we called it, cycling-weekend. Friday is spent in the area of Vela Luka and Blato, with Brna and Smokvica on Saturday and Sunday for Korčula and Lumbarda. Naturally, we need the cooperation of all five tourist boards. Many have said we don’t stand a chance of uniting them… Well we do! We did it and proved it can be done and I am thankful to them. You we’re wonderful partners and we will get even better!
It didn’t go smoothly, of course. The state keeps talking of the pre and post-season and we did unite the island and the story is great and it takes place in preseason… We didn’t receive any help from the County as budgets are being cut. They are of course just an extension of Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) so I can’t blame them, but the HTZ and Ministry… That’s another story. We decided to do it with or without any additional help.
It must be said the story is great. Not many participants, just enough to see how the first year goes – to mark mistakes and rectify them. An important thing – mostly foreigners were interested and there was a small group from Zagreb… So tourists for whom this was meant, as the Cyclo G.E.T. Tour is primarily a touristic product. Also important is the fact that participants bought something everywhere we stopped, having it delivered later. Looking back, I believe we made and excellent touristic product; tourist got a detailed tour of the island, especially the gastro offer and locals got introduced to buyers with a deeper wallet at their homes. As good as it gets.
It is now up to local tourist boards to make these cyclo-gastro tours a regular thing and make them profitable and we are, naturally, at their service. If the dates stay the same, work should start already for next year; making a recognisable “Korčula Cycling Weekend” brand and next year will see a bus load or more people coming to Korčula due to the Cycling G.E.T. Tour.
