At today’s press conference, Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac and Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić presented the Safe stay in Croatia project, a web platform through which all interested stakeholders in the tourism industry can find information about what Safe stay in Croatia stands for, apply for the Safe Stay label and leave their impressions.
Due to its good epidemiological situation, Croatia was recognized as a safe destination last year, and safety continues to be the focus in 2021. In addition to the already known World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safe Travels label on the market, a national label called Safe stay in Croatia has been designed as an important element in establishing Croatia as a safe and desirable destination. It is also intended as an incentive for all stakeholders in the travel chain – from gas stations to airports and ferries, as well as hotels, marinas, private apartments, museums and other attractions, to continue adhering to epidemiological measures.
“During preparations for this tourist year, while unfortunately the pandemic continues, it is precisely the safety and health of our fellow citizens and guests that we put in first place. The Ministry of Tourism and Sports and the Safe Stay in Croatia project are supported by leading tourist and professional associations gathered in the Council for the Recovery and Development of Tourism, realization of the tourist year 2021 and the improvement of tourist offer. With prescribed protocols we covered more than 200,000 hospitality and service providers in tourism”, said Brnjac and added it was important to ensure that the national label is available to all stakeholders in tourism and the travel chain, and that this has been achieved.
The Croatian National Tourist Board is in charge of the promotional campaign. “We will carry out campaign activities during March and April on the markets of Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, France and the Netherlands. In addition to the promotional part, which aims at positioning Croatia as a well-prepared and safe tourist destination, this campaign also has an educational character because we want to introduce our guests to the protocols and epidemiological measures implemented at all levels of tourism industry in order to enable them to stay safely and pleasantly in our country”, said Staničić, adding that advertising activities which will among other formats include video ads, will be carried out through online channels and on social media networks alongside the #SafeStayInCroatia tag, and they will also be present in the source markets’ most read online portals.
In addition, all interested parties will be able to search through the website www.safestayincroatia.hr for all the tourism sector stakeholders that bear the label Safe stay in Croatia, find relevant information about health and safety protocols in seven basic categories, and also find information on how to proceed in case of suspected COVID-19 infection.
“Users will also have the opportunity to leave their impressions through a form on the website, which is important feedback which we will be able to use for further development”, said Brnjac and invited all interested stakeholders of the tourism sector and related industries to join the Safe stay in Croatia campaign, download safety labels for free and in this way contribute to the perception of Croatia as a safe destination.
