Page 67 - Koderman, Miha, and Vuk Tvrtko Opačić. Eds. 2020. Challenges of tourism development in protected areas of Croatia and Slovenia. Koper, Zagreb: University of Primorska Press, Croatian Geographical Society
P. 67
rur al tourism in the surroundings of krka national park ...
Development of rural tourism in the Town of Drniš has had a steep in-
crease in recent years. This can be seen from the number of tourist arriv-
als and overnight stays, which both increased almost 7 times9 (Tab. 2). A
decade ago, the first few facilities for accommodation were actually fami-
ly agricultural holdings, offering gastronomic and accommodation servic-
es. However, according to an interviewee, that kind of accommodation did
not develop further. Development of the typical sort of private accommo-
dation dominated (rooms, apartments, and houses to rent), but without the
gastronomic segment (i.e. various types of food service establishments). It
should also be stressed that financial incentives have been available for the
construction of swimming pools from different levels of government, to
help boost the development/adaptation of suitable rural tourism facilities.
In general, according to an interviewee’s data, the owners of 35 out of 87 fa-
cilities in the area of Drniš are not local residents—the largest number of
those live in Šibenik, although many of them are connected to Drniš by
origin.
A good example of rural tourism development is the area of Miljevci,
consisting of seven villages (Bogatić, Brištane, Drinovci, Kaočine, Karalić,
Ključ, and Širitovci) in close proximity to Krka National Park. According to
an interviewee from an agricultural holding involved with tourism, there
are around 20 people who rent property in Miljevci, including agricultural
holdings, apartments, and/or houses. This interviewee’s family has been in-
volved with rural tourism since 2007. They had previous experience work-
ing with tourism and hospitality at the seaside and wanted to transfer their
experience to their home region. The beginning was difficult because there
were hardly any tourists (around 2,000 overnight stays a year in the whole
area of Drniš). Gradually, with time, investment, and effort, the numbers
increased—in their case, and in the whole area of the Town of Drniš. They
were able to improve their rental property and services (e.g. adding a pool,
and offering food), which enabled them to increase prices. In the first few
years the tourist season went on for 2–2.5 months (July and August) with
around 100 overnight stays, but now it starts in the middle of April and lasts
until the end of October, amounting to 800–900 overnight stays in their fa-
cility. On average, their guests stay for 2 or 3 days. Most of them come from
United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
9 Apart from commercial accommodation, data in Tab. 2 include a small share of
non-commercial accommodation.
65
Development of rural tourism in the Town of Drniš has had a steep in-
crease in recent years. This can be seen from the number of tourist arriv-
als and overnight stays, which both increased almost 7 times9 (Tab. 2). A
decade ago, the first few facilities for accommodation were actually fami-
ly agricultural holdings, offering gastronomic and accommodation servic-
es. However, according to an interviewee, that kind of accommodation did
not develop further. Development of the typical sort of private accommo-
dation dominated (rooms, apartments, and houses to rent), but without the
gastronomic segment (i.e. various types of food service establishments). It
should also be stressed that financial incentives have been available for the
construction of swimming pools from different levels of government, to
help boost the development/adaptation of suitable rural tourism facilities.
In general, according to an interviewee’s data, the owners of 35 out of 87 fa-
cilities in the area of Drniš are not local residents—the largest number of
those live in Šibenik, although many of them are connected to Drniš by
origin.
A good example of rural tourism development is the area of Miljevci,
consisting of seven villages (Bogatić, Brištane, Drinovci, Kaočine, Karalić,
Ključ, and Širitovci) in close proximity to Krka National Park. According to
an interviewee from an agricultural holding involved with tourism, there
are around 20 people who rent property in Miljevci, including agricultural
holdings, apartments, and/or houses. This interviewee’s family has been in-
volved with rural tourism since 2007. They had previous experience work-
ing with tourism and hospitality at the seaside and wanted to transfer their
experience to their home region. The beginning was difficult because there
were hardly any tourists (around 2,000 overnight stays a year in the whole
area of Drniš). Gradually, with time, investment, and effort, the numbers
increased—in their case, and in the whole area of the Town of Drniš. They
were able to improve their rental property and services (e.g. adding a pool,
and offering food), which enabled them to increase prices. In the first few
years the tourist season went on for 2–2.5 months (July and August) with
around 100 overnight stays, but now it starts in the middle of April and lasts
until the end of October, amounting to 800–900 overnight stays in their fa-
cility. On average, their guests stay for 2 or 3 days. Most of them come from
United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, France, and Germany.
9 Apart from commercial accommodation, data in Tab. 2 include a small share of
non-commercial accommodation.
65
