Located in Gorski kotar, the Kupa valley represents an amazing destination with untapped potential for tourism. Even though it’s popular with visitors for its numerous options for active vacation, the prospect for tourism growth still heavily exceeds the current offer. One just needs to look at the campsite ratio on both sides of the river – Slovenia: 30, Croatia: 0.
A panel on tourism was held at Hotel Mance in Brod na Kupi yesterday, May 11th, Novi list reports. Conveniently titled “Tourism and sports tourism in the Kupa valley – where we are and how to proceed”, the round table was organised by the Kupa Association for Sports, Recreation and Tourism to discuss multiple issues regarding the problem of stagnation in development of the area. Unsurprisingly, the main obstacle turns out to be the lack of financial resources required to implement any future projects.
The president of “Kupa” Davorin Klobučar reminded the participants that tourism has been one of the industries crucial for the population of the Kupa valley, dating back to the interwar period when two bathing resorts and a camp used to operate in Brod na Kupi alone. ‘”The camp continued to operate even after World War II, but has been closed for 43 years. After Croatia declared independence, Hotel Mance was renovated and opened for business, giving the impression that tourism is starting to get off the ground. Association Kupa contributed to tourism development by organising numerous events, but it’s obvious we hit a wall in spite of all our efforts. Nothing proves it more than the fact that the Croatian side of the river Kupa doesn’t dispose of a single campsite, while two large camps and around 30 smaller campsites are currently operating on the Slovenian side.” said Klobučar. He added he pleaded both the former and the current mayor to visit the neighbouring country and translate their model to our side of the border, but to no avail.
Hotel Mance has been the focal point of tourism development in the area in the last twenty years. Owner Božidar Mance sees the lack of cooperation between all parties interested in tourism as the main cause of stagnation. “Gorski kotar wasn’t named Croatian Switzerland for no reason, and we have plenty of attractive natural resources. Alas, there’s no understanding for local entrepreneurs on the national level: we’re treated the same as those who do business in Poreč or Zagreb, and we have the same financial obligations even though we don’t get as much traffic in tourism as Poreč and Zagreb do.” he said.
Director of the Tourism Board of Delnice Petar Hrg stated that the board is aware of the opportunities Kupa valley can provide, noting they all wish for an increase in the number of visitors and overnight stays, but the city budget doesn’t allow for substantial projects in tourism.
