A conference organized by ACI and Zadarski List on the development of luxury nautical tourism in Zadar County was held in Zadar
A conference was held in Zadar, organized by ACI and Zadarski List, under the auspices of the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, where the leaders of Croatian tourism and the nautical and maritime sector spoke about the development of luxury nautical tourism in Zadar County. The great potential of Zadar County was spoken by Oleg Butković, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Josip Bilaver, State Secretary for the Sea and EU Funds at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Development, Božidar Longin, Prefect of Zadar County, Branko Dukić, Mayor of the city Zadar, Mihaela Kadija, director of the Tourist Board of Zadar County, Ankica Kruljac, president of the Board of Novi list, Kristijan Pavić, president of the Board of ACI d.d., and Josip Klišmanić, director of Zadar Airport.
Nautical tourism is the backbone of tourism on the Adriatic
Nautical tourism is one of the backbones of tourism on the Adriatic, we saw all its advantages during the pandemic when it led the entire tourism sector towards recovery. From its beginnings until today, it has been continuously developing and growing, and one of the fastest growing and most potent segments is certainly luxury nautical tourism. This type of tourism implies significant investments, and a high level of offer and service, but it also brings guests with higher paying power, and these were the topics of today’s conference.
“Ports are the gateway to the world, the driver of economic development and an important pillar of traffic connectivity, their contribution to the nautical industry, which continuously records better results, is unavoidable. Our national chain of marinas – ACI, which manages 22 marinas from Umag to Dubrovnik, knows this best, and the construction of the 23rd marina in Porto Baroš in Rijeka is currently being prepared. ACI manages the Šimuni marina on Pag in Zadar County. The amount that ACI invested in its marinas, just last year, is almost HRK 44 million. It is these continuous investments in infrastructure, but also in the entire offer, along with the indented coast that Croatia has, that give these excellent results and place nautical in the position of one of the leading sectors in overall tourism results”, said the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butkovic.
Zadar is an ideal destination for the development of luxury nautical tourism
Mayor Božidar Longin rated the Zadar coast as one of the most important and valuable resources available to the county. However, he also drew attention to sustainability, namely that the coast is a sensitive ecosystem that we must protect and preserve. At the same time, Mayor Branko Dukić pointed out that preconditions should be created. The local population should be considered more than ever, given the large number of guests and crowds during the season.
Zadar is an ideal destination for the development of luxury nautical tourism. Moreover, the president of the ACI Management Board, Kristijan Pavić, said that behind every luxury marina there must also be a destination that is attractive to a clientele with higher paying power and greater demands, and Zadar is certainly one of those destinations. There can and should be a luxury marina in Zadar, because the offer in the city and its surroundings are complementary to this type of marina, and vice versa.
The development of nautical in recent years has defined a new direction to go, and all those present agreed to continue to direct the sails in that direction, towards nautical tourism at an even higher level, but in synergy with the other facilities and tourist offer that the city already has.
Photos: Vedran Karuza, Novi list