Holidays in inland villages on Croatian islands are an absolute hit this year.
Even though rural tourism is one of the most perspective tourism niches in Croatia, it is still quite underdeveloped, especially when it comes to islands around Kvarner. According to global experts, rural and agro-tourism now make up for 1/5 of total annual travel so things are expected to move up here too, but only after some serious investments and adequate promotion.
Thanks to Novi List, on June 14, 2016, we take you to the small village of Kras on island Krk, one of the best examples of how small, rural island villages can be turned into peaceful tourism oasis without disrupting the environment and everyday life of its residents. This little village with just over 200 inhabitants is full of tourists during summer months thanks to 30 traditional villas with swimming pools, all luxuriously equipped with modern amenities. The fact that the villas are far away from the everyday hustle and bustle of tourist centres and yet close enough to enjoy the sun and sea seems to be an absolute hit among the middle and upper class from all over Europe.
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Director of the Tourist office of Dobrinj municipality tourist board Boris Latinovic describes this relatively new offer on island Krk: “Municipality of Dobrinj has a certain advantage over other parts of this island in this particular segment because we encompass 20 villages out of which only 4 are by the sea. Because we don’t have any hotels in this area, rural tourism has become the tourism generator. With the refurbishment of old village houses and the construction of new “typical” villas has made us the leaders in this area and we now have more than 30 fully equipped villas with swimming pools”.
Given that Dobrinjstina area registered 585 guests, mostly foreign ones, during the recent Corpus Christi public holiday, we can certainly say this kind of accommodation is extremely popular, and their season is considerably longer than in the case of some classic private accommodation objects located by the sea.
– This kind of tourism is extremely important to us because it brings life back into the rural areas, in villages that have no other form of economic activity. I am happy to see the number of guests increasing each year. More people are turning to this form of tourism, and one of the reasons is our annual event ‘Days of open private accommodation” during which all interested future private accommodation owners can come and learn from the best.
So what kind of guests are spending their holidays in Kras? According to Zlatko Heric who now owns two villas in Kras, His guests insists on peace and tranquility, and they want to be as far away from neighbouring houses as possible. Considering all land plots in Kras are very large, it is easy to fulfill these requests. “Many people think this is easy money, you just buy a piece of land, build an object and it will pay itself off. This business really is worthwhile if you are realistic and go into it for the long run. The best way to go about it is if you own the object and you just have to refurbish it. These houses are not used for wild parties, they are mostly occupied by middle to upper-class people with families that want to spend some quality time away from the big tourist centres, and yet still close enough to the beach to enjoy some sun and sea. Competition is growing every year so we have to expand our offer, but that keeps us on our toes and ensures we always provide our guests with the highest level of quality.” Mr. Hrelic stated adding that the average occupancy of these villas is 100 days a year.
Even though the number of villas is still far from those you will find in Istria, it is great to see our islands turning towards this particular type of tourism, widening their offer and expanding their tourist season, attracting guests of higher spending power than those that opt for conventional rooms and apartments.
Photos by Novasol and Home Away
