Tourism increasing on the island of Pasman, aided by cyclists.
“Although we still cannot talk about a tourist season which would last the whole year, the fact is that even in late autumn tourists have still not completely left the island of Pašman. It is likely that the primary reason is good weather during October and November, but our efforts and investments in the promotion of the island have certainly contributed to that as well”, said Pašman Municipality Mayor Andro Magić, who together with Deputy Mayor Krešimir Ćosić and the local Tourist Board is preparing a tourist strategy for the next year, reports Zadarski List on November 29, 2015.
“This year, we have been visited by 22,149 tourists, who have made 234,197 overnight stays, which is about 16,000 overnight stays more than last year. The greatest number of tourists came from Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and Germany. The first tourists in the early spring are cyclists, who come to explore the island, and they are also the ones who are the last to go at the very end of the tourist season. Therefore, we have decided to make a detailed bicycle map of the island. It will be accompanied by a GPS application that will be available for free download. The map shows all important and attractive points on the island”, Ćosić said and noted that it also includes 57.7 kilometres of bike trails. All the bike trails have been signposted as well, with more than 50 information boards. “We also wanted to free the main road through the central part of the island, because large groups of cyclists sometimes create traffic jams, which is a safety risk for all road users”, Ćosić added.
In addition to the new cycling map, a new four-language brochure will be prepared for the next season which will include all points of interest, and will be accompanied by a short documentary which will be uploaded to the website of the Municipality of Pašman. Among the plans for the upcoming tourist season, Magić and Ćosić are particularly proud of the four island caves which will be adapted for tourists. So far, they have been largely known only to the local population.
“On the island of Pašman, there are some 20 caves and we decided to open to tourists the four largest ones: Marinšćica in Pašman, Bobić in Soline, Vela Špilja in Neviđane and a cave in the Mrljane area. The Paklenica Mountaineering Club is working on the project. Its members have explored the terrain and made drawings and plans not only how to get to the caves, but also how to protect them. For this project, we expect to receive financial support from the Ministry of Tourism”, Magić concluded.
