LAG Baranja

How To Be Successful In Tourism

Created as the part of transnational cooperation project “Tourism and LEADER knowledge exchange between

Croatia and Slovak Republic”between

MAS Chopok juh and LAG Baranja

Baranja region

Baranja region

Baranja region

✔ area of: 1.147 km2, number of inhabitants: 42.633 (census of 2001, number is in constant decline)✔ borders with Hungary and Serbia✔ surrounded by Drava and Danube rivers✔ important nature park “Kopački rit” is located in Municipality of Bilje, featuring special zoological reserve, protected marshes and is one of the main tourism attractions✔ majority agricultural and rural area

Baranja region

✔ inland location, far away from main Croatian tourist destinations on the coast✔ Region was strongly affected by war and economic transition process which caused very high unemployment even in the wider County.✔ One of the main hindering characteristics of Baranja region tourism promotion is lack of the private funds due to low economic activity in the region.

Tourism in Baranja

Tourism in Baranja is growing at a steady rates trough the years. Tourism is based on protected nature, rural lifestyle, traditional culture, gastronomy and enology. Due to unavailable jobs, many people are starting their own small tourism projects: boarding rooms, guided tours, selling own agricultural produce to tourists etc.

Tourism in Baranja

Main tourism promotion organizations are tourism boards (Turističke Zajednice): TZ Baranje, TZ Općine Bilje and TZ Draž.

In the future, strong role in tourism promotion and development will be held by LAG Baranja. In the main strategic document based on LEADER approach “Local development strategy of Baranja” there are several key goals related to tourism development, so new tourism marketing project can be expected:

Tourism in Baranja

1.4. Rural tourism development 1.4.1. Encouraging the development of rural tourism 1.4.2. Encouraging the development of specific forms of tourism

1.5. Development and promotion of local products 1.5.1. Supporting locally distinctive products - protection and branding 1.5.2. Promotion of local products and manufacturers

Statistics

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 20110

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

Number of tourists visit Number of overnight stays

Marketing of tourism: best practice examples

●For this presentation smaller inovative with bootom-up projects were selected:

–Geocaching Baranja

–Sarmijada (and Off Road Sarmijada)

–Family Outdoor Area Šećeransko lake

Geocaching Baranja

Geocaching is an outdoor recreational activity, in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world.

A typical cache is a small waterproof container containing a logbook where the geocacher enters the date they found it and signs it with their established code name. After signing into the log, the cache must be placed back exactly where the person found it. Simply put, it is high-tech treasure hunt in nature.

Geocaching is very developed in world but underdeveloped in Croatia and Baranja.

Geocaching Baranja

General objective: To increase the total tourist traffic to Baranja and extend the tourist season by providing a new kind of tourist services - Geocaching as a result of the "Putting Baranja on geocaching map of the world."

Specific objective: Posted 20 geocaches in key tourist spots in Baranja and their registration to the largest geocaching site in the world http://www.geocaching.com/ to promote Baranja among the five million users of these sites.

Geocaching Baranja

Target groups:

Geocaching community that has more than five million geocachers worldwide and over 2,099.477 geocaches active in the world (Source: www.geocaching.com, en.wikipedia.org / wiki / geocaching)

Families of geocachers who use other tourist services

Local tourism entrepreneurs who should inform tourists about geocaching as a new kind of tourist services and about geocaching points in their vicinity

Potential future tourists from the Croatia and the world will begin to deal with geocaching after finding out about it and after finding out about geocaching in Baranja.

Geocaching Baranja

Geocaching Baranja

Geocaching Baranja

Sarmijada (and off Road Sarmijada)

Sarma is a Turkish dish of grape, cabbage or chard leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat, or a sweet dish of filo dough wrapped around a filling often of various kinds of chopped nuts. It is found in the cuisines of the former Ottoman Empire from the Middle East to the Balkans and Central Europe. In Croatia it is traditionally prepared with cabbage leaves and it is eaten as rural style speciality on many holidays or events.

Tourism Board of Baranja organizes “Sarmijada” event which is a contest in cooking of the best Sarma meal where visitors are welcome to taste, eat and participate. Targeted audience are foreign tourist and domestic tourist from more urban areas who are no longer cooking home-made traditional dishes.

Sarmijada (and Off Road Sarmijada)

Sarmijada (and Off Road Sarmijada)

Family Outdoor Area Šećeransko lake

Near the Town of Beli Manastir there is an accumulation lake for abandoned sugar / starch factory. It was used only by a small number of local fishermen. Town of Beli Manastir is an administrative and economic centre of region and tends to develop tourism and outdoor activities.

Since it doesn't have untouched nature, refurbishment of lake area was one of the possible steps. Financing was obtained trough small grants from the Ministry of tourism and from one local Foundation “Slagalica” and community volunteers were involved in all steps of implementation.

Family Outdoor Area Šećeransko lake

The overall objective is to improve the tourist offer of Baranja region as a tourist destination, to help to extend the tourist season and the increase in the total tourist traffic by the implementation of the two-month project which includes planning, construction and equipping of old industry lake area to become the family picnic, a children's playground and a dogs playground.

The specific objective is to build a family resort on Šećerana Lake by setting up booths, tables and benches, holes for barbecue, children's playground and dogs training playground. To reach the specific goal, project will encourage the recycling of materials, co-financed by local businesses and community integration.

Family Outdoor Area Šećeransko lake

Target audience: families, individuals, adventurers, youth, senior citizens, the entire population in the Osijek-Baranja County and tourists who visit Baranja from around the world.

Evaluation of the project was performed and feedback from users is excellent. The lake is new outdoor center for Beli Manastir and wider area.

Next planed step in this project is to refurbish old local famous train “Ćiro” which is rusting in the factory ground and make it in to functioning exhibit on the lake area with information offices, children playrooms or similar content.

Family Outdoor Area Šećeransko lake

Family Outdoor Area Šećeransko lake

Family Outdoor Area Šećeransko lake

Summary and Conclusion

✔ be creative and innovative

✔ differentiate and diversify

✔ combine new / modern and old / traditional

✔ use new technologies and internet marketing

✔ use social media marketing in various social networks, do not concentrate only on main ones (Facebook, Twitter) but also use specialised networks (Foresquare etc.)

✔ combine large and small projects to achieve synergy

Summary and Conclusion

✔include all relevant stakeholders and local population

✔ local community involvement and volunteering reduces all cost and promotes community cohesion

✔ use momentum of ending one project as opportunity to plan and start new project

✔ don't forget about pets and animals

Methodology overview

Activity Event Place

Project Baranja Geocaching

(Off-Road) Sarmijada

Šećeransko lake

Innovation GPS outdoor activity very popular in western Europe and north America, but relatively unknown in Croatia

Adding off-road event part for more adventurous and younger tourists

Putting abandoned industrial lake in tourist usage with help of local community

Differentiation There are no systematic geocaching activities on regional level in wider area

There are no similar events in wider region

Using recycled materials and setting playground for the dogs

Combination of new and old

Cultural and natural heritage of Baranja and modern IT technologies connected game.

Traditional meal and modern marketing and off road activity

Old industry and new ecological - pet friendly methods

Future steps / projects

✔ More Internet marketing and direct selling (AirBnB)

✔ More presence on various social networks (EveryTrail)

✔ Promotion through Gamification / Geolocation / QR code apps (Munzee)

✔ Augmented reality presence building (wikitude)

✔ Geodesic architecture places

✔ Targeting small niche touristic groups