Beus Richembergh: It is not enough that tourism is one of the strongest branches of the economy

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Crikvenica, 4th of February 2014 – "Despite the fact that tourism is one of the most important branches of Croatia's economy, despite the fact that tourism has been on a quality rise for years I would like to remind that the state in Croatia's tourism is pretty bad", said Goran Beus Richembergh, president of the parliamentary Committee for tourism and CPP's parliamentary representative on a press conference about Croatia's tourism.

In the continuation he explained how and in what way the parliamentary Committee for tourism works as a work body of the highest legislative body in the Republic of Croatia and highlighted that an analysis of the state up to now has been made.

"In the process of creating a strategy of development of Croatia's tourism, which was brought about last year by Croatia's parliament, a great, I would say, best up-to-date analysis of the state was done in this branch of the economy. The analysis showed a whole series of structural mistakes and shortcomings in tourism which isn't just a sector. Tourism is an intersectorial space which goes into questions of regional development, especially rural development, into questions of cultural policy, as well as the question of health. Health tourism is one of the questions and points of view from which success up to date can be discussed, that is the success of Croatia's tourism", highlighted Beus Richembergh.

Speaking about the strategy of development of Croatia's tourism Beus Richembergh said that it marks the first strategic document about the development of Croatia's tourism in the last 20 years which was brought about by Croatia's parliament. All of the documents up to now were adopted either by the Ministry, or the Government, and sadly, they were left somewhere in drawers, or halfway into the ideas that were then marked. Accordng to Beus Richembergh's opinion this is a strategy which gives a different approach exactly due to the fact that it was adopted by the highest legislative body and practically has the strength of law.

"It would be a great shame, when those who it concerns, above all the Ministry of tourism wouldn't use this opportunity to make these goals of the strategy available, that is close to all professional acters in tourism. This is a subject with which literally all waiters, cooks, housewives, cleaning ladies, receptionists and workers in tourist agencies must be introduced. Everyone must live and understand what are strategic goals which Croatia has set itself by 2020.", highlighted CPP's parliamentary representative.

In the continuation he said that the Minister of tourism, or any other nominal Minister of tourism become successful that moment whem he or she manages to convince all of his colleagues in the Government that it is actually they who are the ministers of tourism. There isn't a single Ministry which on a weekly, monthly, even sometimes a daily basis doesn't reach decisions which are critically reflected on the possibilities of development or obstacles, or some of the other challenges facing tourism.

"There are as many examples as you wish. The Minister of education makes decisions which concern tourism when he proscribes the calendar of free days and holidays, the Minister of maritime, traffic and infrastructure especially effects tourism, and especially the entire department of nautical tourism. I think that is not a natural state and that it is exactly nautical tourism that which should be part of the Ministry of tourism's department. The Minister of health also makes regulations which directly define whether special hospitals and health resorts, that is important acters of health tourism, do their jobs, or not", said Beus Richembergh.

Speaking about health tourism he said that one department makes one kind of regulation, another another kind and that sadly they don't overlap, rather they cross and disable each other from really developing the enterprenurial initiatives and better use of capacities. When it comes to nautical tourism, Beus Richembergh said that there is a lot of goodwill in that space.

"A large part of the problem comes from the existing Law about maritime good which CPP has been trying to change for already two and a half years. Personally, I am not pleased with the way this story has started to unfold. Namely, firstly on our initiative to found an expert work group which will consist of people who know everything that should be known about this problematic was accepted, and it actually ended on the fact that everything that the work group recommended, was "crushed" by the Ministry of maritime, traffic and infrastructure and returned to old solutions which are sorely lacking", continued the president of the parliamentary Committee for tourism.

Speaking about the same, he said that this  subject is especially important in primorsko-goranska County because it, unlike other counties has done the most important and quality steps in the area of management of maritime good. On the other hand he highlighted that there is a lobby, an interest group which is trying to prevent for anything to happen in the belt of maritime good, that is for those things that are happening to be strictly controlled, maybe even corruptive.

"We have countless examples which show that the height of concessional reimbursements and the conditions for the realisation of concessions, especially in nautics, was determined regardless of any common sense or expert criteria. On the other side we have an enormous number of applications for the granting of concessions, which cannot be answered at this time, because the existing Law is such that it isn't functional and we are losing millions everyday. While we discuss how to heal the budgetary deficit by introducing new restrictive measures, we have a large amount of capital in front of our noses which ins't put into function - from former military property and the property of tourist societies which have suffered in the transformation, and many of them were returned to sale. Exactly in the area of the Crikvenica-Vinodolski riviera we have a few examples of this very bad management, which reach all the way to the capacities which exist in maritime good", said Beus Richembergh.

The parliamentary representative highlighted that CPP seeks a very proactive policy which will solve property relations and which will allow dead capital to be placed into function. Where this ins't possible, or something else is justified, it must concern pure technology and the service industry which will first and foremost bring better quality to the local population. On the other hand CPP seeks serious thought about the restructuring of the entire system, because only 13 percent of the total capacity in the state are hotel capacities, and this structure is extremely unfavorable. The number of quality hotels in Croatia is critically small, and there is no possibility to lengthen the season until there aren't any self-sustainable whole of the highest category which are capable of servicing the most demanding guests, from congress, health and all other forms of tourism which don't ask what part of the year it is. CPP strives for a more decisive approach in the privatisation of those enterprises which have, up to now, served either the local self-governance as a parallel budgetary tap, or as a space for employment and for political sinecures.

"What is coming is a terribly large change in the head, and that is a different way of thinking of tourist communities, a different thinking of the model of marketing itself. We have the making of an important marketing plan of the tourist community ahead of us, the restructuring of the entire system, and that is what CPP insists on", finished Beus Richembergh, also stating that it is not enough that tourism is currently one of the healthiest branches of the economy. Everyone would want that we have double the current profits from tourism, and that its percentage in the overall GDP be less than it is now. That would mean that the industry and entire economy is a lot healthier.

In the continuation, the vice-president of CPP's primorsko-goranska CO also spoke and he took his cue from CPP's parliamentary representative speaking about health tourism in the area of the County.

"One of such programs is health tourism which is important for this area. The bearers of the tourist offerings outside of the tourist season must also be private institutions, that means from stronger health policlinics to some clinics which engage in physical therapy. This relates to Thalassotherapia in Crikvenica, Opatija and  Veli Lošinj health resort. We think that through health tourism we can activate a part of the capacities in our County, and surely using that impulse we can connect a whole slew of other sideline jobs to the staying of tourists outside the season", said Sučić.

After the press conference, as part of the Academy's 2nd Department for additional education in general politics, a public discussion about new motives of arrival in Croatia's tourism and the possibilities of financing from EU funds was held, which was opened by Nada Turina Đurić, CPP's parliamentary representative.
Speaking about the mentioned subject of the public discussion Beus Richembergh highlighted the importance of reorganisation of tourism communities.

"Tourist communities which now exist sould be reorganised in the way that on those levels and areas where it is possible to create a brand. They must function as promotors, but must also create new products in the process. They also must function as intermediaries with projects which are capable of gathering moneya from European funds", concluded the president of the parliamentary Committee for tourism.