“By building marinas and holding various events in our marinas, we can attract guests, but in order for them to come and stay, it is necessary that the destination itself has something to offer.”
The 10th international tourism fair PLACE2GO was held last weekend in Arena Zagreb, and the panel “Nautics 240+ – Shifting the boundaries of seasonality” found its place among the panels and lectures related to travel, tourism, and especially current and upcoming tourism trends. hosted Dr. sc. Juraj Bukša, Director of the Nautical Department ACI d.d. On that occasion, at a B2B gathering intended for tourism professionals, business people and government officials present, the topics of sustainability and green transition in tourism, artificial intelligence and its applications, and novelties expected to be implemented in the tourism of the future were presented. Nautical tourism was presented as a key tool for extending the tourist season, and it was ACI that stood out as a potential leader of a season that lasts the whole year.
Nautical tourism as a key link in extending the season
The panel “Nautics 240+ – Shifting the boundaries of seasonality” moderated by Selma Čmelik brought together relevant local speakers who, through their own experience in the field of nautical tourism, presented the peculiarities, potentials and opportunities of this branch of tourism to the people gathered in the Zagreb Arena. In addition to Mr. Bukša, who represented ACI, the panel included Luka Kalember, Ban Tours, Marija Vukelić, Danijela Podhraški, Danyelle Yachting and Maja Ban, MYS Yachting. The conclusion of the panel is that nautical tourism has proven to be one of the most effective players in the tourism sector, extending the season, and achieving better results in recent years. Prominent representatives of domestic nautical are of the opinion that thanks to numerous activities, sports events and infrastructural modifications and innovations, the nautical season will approach the desired number of 365 days.
The season is extended by the facilities, and the destination itself must progress with the marina
“The destination must follow the development of nautical. By building marinas and holding various events in our marinas, we can attract guests, but in order for them to come and stay, it is necessary that the destination itself has something to offer. Boaters are guests whose daily consumption is twice that of average tourists. However, whether we are talking about top gastronomy restaurants, tourist and cultural facilities or something else, we have to offer them some facilities in a wider area, i.e. outside our concession area. What prolongs the season is primarily the contents, which means that the entire destination must follow the development of the marina”, emphasized Dr. sc. Juraj Bukša. Finally, in addition to the largest investment in the history of nautical tourism, the one in the ACI Marina Rijeka, the ACI Sail project was also presented, which represents nautical excellence and the crown of ACI’s 40-year sailing tradition. “The mentioned project puts the Republic of Croatia alongside the world’s elite, or rather positions Croatia among the most elite regatta destinations on the world map,” concludes Mr. Bukša.
Over the course of three days, around 20 lectures and panels were held, and the fair was attended by more than 200 exhibitors from all over the world, as well as numerous high-ranking guests. Algeria was the partner country of this year’s tenth jubilee edition of the PLACE2GO fair.
Photos: PLACE2GO