The Split Tourist Board ended this year after a festive session of the Assembly. While we didn’t think the year could get any better for the city, all travel records were broken – making for an exciting future in 2017.
Dalmatinski Portal reports on 15 December 2016 that members of the Assembly addressed the Assistant Director of Airports, Pero Bilas, who announced connecting flights with Israel, Romania and Estonia, along with the 27 existing countries. He emphasized the good relationship with Scandinavian countries, and traditionally a good job done with London.
“This year we had 2.3 million passengers, which is an increase of 17 percent. For the fifth consecutive year, we have had double-digit growth. While the next season will be challenging because the reconstruction of the airport starts in January, we still expect an increase of 10 percent,” said Bilas.
As President of the Assembly, Mayor Ivo Baldasar pointed out the many efforts Split has to be proud of.
“This year through September we had 509,000 arrivals and in less than ten years we have reached the level of the Makarska Riviera. For the overnights we lack hotels, but Villa Rosina will soon go into reconstruction, and Hotel Ambassador is also done every day. What I like as the Mayor is one of the most intriguing projects that is the hotel Marjan. With good information, the negotiations could be in the final stage. It (Split) is really the most beautiful city in the world and Split tourism deserves to be the crown,” said a pleased Baldasar.
Baldasar also said that Split has made a big step forward in tourism, adding that those who say that we should not live off tourism sends a negative message.
“Tourism is a very democratic branch of industry that allows anyone to find themselves in it. No one wants to live solely from anything in terms of monopoly and of course we do not want to live on tourism, but it keeps us up to still live decently while other branches are not so great. It needs to be supported and nurtured,” he said.
Director of the Tourist Board Alijana Vuksic noted that Split ended the first nine months with a 26 percent increase in arrivals and a 33 percent increase in overnight stays.
“The plans for next year are optimistic, and it will be difficult to maintain such good results, but all tourism professionals will contribute to making another successful season in Split,” said Vuksic.
The new flights will, she added, certainly contribute to increasing the number of guests in the pre and post season and the work program of the Tourist Board for the next year is based on the implementation of the marketing activities of promotion and development of year-round tourism products.
“We will strengthen the system of destination experiences by linking the different development actors by private and public sector. By reversing their travel records, Split has stood alongside the world’s most popular tourist destinations,” concluded Vuksic.
