A new departure in the career of Croatia’s leading boutique winemaker, who is seeking to revitalise the tourism fortunes of his native Jelsa.
In a potentially significant development in the development of one of Croatia’s sleeping tourism giant’s, the country’s leading boutique winemaker Ivo Dubokovic was appointed as the new touist board director in Jelsa on the island of Hvar on January 18, 2016, beating six other applicants to the position.
Dubokovic, whose range of 11 wines from 25,000 bottles has achieved national and international acclaim, is one of Croatia’s most innovative winemakers, and he adheres to wine production from the indigenous grapes of his native island. A marketing expert, his wines are highly prized in the best restaurants in the capital Zagreb, and his Medvid is one of the most highly rated wines in Croatia.
If Dubokovic can apply the same marketing magic to tourism in Jelsa, it will be a more than welcome achievement by the local population. Voted the top destination in the former Yugoslavia in 1983 and home to the first ever disco club in former Yugoslavia, the fortunes of the pretty harbour town on the northern shores of Croatia’s premier island have fallen into alarming decline in recent years, and while Hvar Town 25 kilometres away enjoys bumper tourism seasons, the tourism experience in Jelsa these days is much more muted.
Things are changing, and the appointment of Dubokovic offers a certain synergy with Jelsa’s strengths. A respected name on the island and in Zagreb, Dubokovic has the name and connections to develop Jelsa’s wine and gourmet tourism. Once a major exporter of wine, Jelsa and the surrounding villages are home to national names such as Andro Tomic, Ivo Caric, the Svirce Cooperative and Zlatan Otok. The potential to develop the destination as a sailing and gourmet destination is plain to see, but little progress has been made so far.
Ambitious infrastructure changes are also timely. Jelsa was the recipient of the first seaplane flight in modern European aviation history in August 2014, and the town now connects from Dubrovnik to Italy by seaplane all year round via Split. New roads and an expansion of the harbour are also important additions to the town’s development, but it is the ability to put Jelsa once more back on the international challenge which will be the biggest priority, and one which may prove a little more challenging for Dubokovic than producing excellent wine.
