Issues of Croatian Touristic Identity in Modern Touristic Trends

Issues of Croatian Touristic Identity in Modern Touristic Trends

Contemporary worldwide processes have brought many significant changes to all economic and social spheres on a global scale. Informational and scientific progress has helped to create efficient and swift communication channels so that one can easily reach all needed information. Because of globalisation, the world is virtually becoming smaller and more accessible, which has greatly affected and therefore encouraged tourism as a phenomenon since all destinations can now equally compete in the broad tourist market. To distinguish one destination or tourist attraction from another, one should develop a firmly and clearly defined touristic identity, which is nowadays almost a prerequisite for a land or a region to draw new guests. Local, regional, and even national touristic identities include historical and geographical features, cultural heritage, language, beliefs, and traditions created over centuries that are valued through cultural tourism. A story put together like this creates a local brand that could potentially not only boost the tourism flow but also help to define and strengthen the overall national identity, which has still not been defined because of past historical and political circumstances. Since tourism is currently the most propulsive economic branch in Croatia, this is a process of utmost importance that the Croatian identity needs to go through. Through the responses of several tourism stakeholders, this paper will show the present vague state of the Croatian touristic identity, asses various solutions that it will have to undertake, and, finally, suggest the means and strategies that are necessary to avoid unplanned exploitation and drowning in the global tourist market.