Vacationer Boards in Zagreb County Develop Gourmand and Cultural Tourism

January 19, 2021 – Tourist associations in the district of Zagreb are joining forces on two projects – to develop and promote cultural and gourmet tourism.

The new law on tourism associations and the promotion of Croatian tourism promotes the association of tourism associations both project-related and formally. Local and regional tourism associations as well as tourism associations and local self-government units for whose area no tourism association has been set up can join a project association (contract association).

Many tourism associations have already taken advantage of this opportunity, such as the tourism associations of the Zadar archipelago and southern Istria and, more recently, the tourism associations of the Zagreb region.

They join forces to promote and develop cultural and gourmet tourism. As the Zagreb County Tourist Board Director Ivana Alilović points out that her goal is to intensively promote the Zagreb Green Ring region and existing tourist products and programs.

Scene from the Zagreb region / Romeo Ibrišević, Zagreb County Tourist Board

“Our goal is an integrated quality management of the tourist target product of the Zagreb County, which will reduce the gap between the level of quality expected by tourists and the quality level that the destination can offer and deliver. We also want to improve the quality and content of the County tourist product Zagreb, increasing tourist satisfaction and spending on tourists in the Zagreb region, and business benefits in gastronomy and tourism, “says Alilović.

Gourmet tourism in the Zagreb region

The local tourist boards of the cities of Jastrebarsko, Samobor and Sveti Ivan Zelina have concluded an agreement through the local tourist board of the Zagreb region. In this first project, the common activity will be the development of gourmet tourism. Wine and cheese roads are among the many tourist attractions for rural, eno and gastro-tourism in the Zagreb region.

Vineyards and wine cellars in Zagreb County are located on three wine routes – Plešivica Wine Road, Zelina Wine Road, and Samobor Wine Road. Along the wine routes, you will find Purtugizec Plešivica and Kraljevina Zelina wines from the Zagreb County brand, as well as Bermet, a traditional and widely recognized flavored Samobor wine.

There are also wines from the local varieties Plavec yellow, sweet Zelenac and Šipelj, as well as many other wines such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, black, gray and white Pinot, Rhine Riesling, Traminer, Frankovka, Škrlet, yellow Muscat, Šipon.

Vineyards in Jastrebarsko / Copyright Romulić and Stojčić

The main goals of the association as part of the gourmet tourism project are:

• The wise specialization of the Zagreb region.
• The development of a destination for gourmet tourism.
• Improvement of the gourmet tourism value chain.
• Digitization and application of new technologies.
• Multisectoral connectivity.
• Development of local production systems (food).
• Positioning and promotion of the Zagreb region.

Cultural tourism in the Zagreb region

Cultural tourism in the Zagreb region is based on a protected natural heritage as well as a cultural and historical heritage. Zagreb County has a rich treasure trove of natural heritage and beauty. There are many nature reserves that contribute to the development and success of cultural, hiking, picnic and sustainable tourism in the Zagreb County.

The association project is intended to create a basis for the integrated management of cultural tourism. Alilović wants to create a recognizable product for tourist destinations, which will be the main tool for promoting the competitiveness of tourism in the Zagreb region. She adds that cultural resources are the main product in promoting a destination and that one destination differs from another through its intangible cultural heritage.

Lužnica Castle, Tourist Association of the Zaprešić / Zagreb District

“Heritage is the essential element by which the management of a destination attracts tourists to the destination. It is an attractive foundation for branding. Creativity based on traditional intangible heritage thus expands the boundaries of the mere functionality of a product.

Using the example of one cultural thematic routeWe want to show how the myth can become a potentially attractive basis for the development of mythological tourism in Zagreb County. The stories and locations on the thematic route offer a selection based on criteria of collective and personal importance. The thematic route is therefore an open system that can be traveled individually or organized with an expert guide.

Particular attention was paid to the local identity. For example, the customs of St. George and St. John were highlighted, as well as other customs that are traditionally interwoven in the Zagreb County and the surrounding regions, “says Alilović.

The tourist offer of the district of Zagreb is rich in cultural and historical heritage such as stories and legends, timber construction, sacred architecture, indigenous architecture as well as archaeological finds and monuments of its rich past.

Zagreb County can also boast more than 200 cultural and historical sites. Among them, the Novi dvori Jelačićevi castles are a unique example of a complete manorial and economic complex that has been preserved to this day. Then there are fortresses, mansions and a rich wooden sacred heritage, the most famous of which is the Chapel of St. Barbara in Velika Mlaka. A fine example of autochthonous secular architecture is the Modić-Bedeković manor house (curia) in Donja Lomnica. The memorial room of Alojzije Stepinac in Krašić is a special attraction.

Krašić, Tourist Association of the Zagreb District / Zagreb District

The archaeological finds in Ščitarjevo, not far from Velika Gorica, and Budinjak (10th-6th centuries BC), one of the most important prehistoric archaeological sites in Croatia, are valuable.

The project area includes the tourist boards of the towns of Zaprešić, Velika Gorica, Vrbovec and Dugo Selo, the tourist boards of the municipalities of Pisarovina and Krašić and the tourist board of the Sava-Sutla Valley and the Hills.

“Agreements of the project association in the Zagreb County Tourist Board are an example of planned activities. It is clear that the goal, through joint action, has the opportunity to better position itself in the market and develop projects that stimulate macroeconomic development,” said Alilović.

Alilović comes to the conclusion that the club should lead to numerous synergy effects. Not only in terms of quality, but also in terms of the urgently needed cost efficiency of advertising and project implementation.

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