New Deal Europe Update on Tourism to the Balkan Region
News from the Adriatic Coast: Hotel Pinija in Zadar, Croatia
With the Summer season in full swing for the first time since 2019 we turn our attention to how resorts in our region are faring. We chatted this week with Dragan Šimac, General Manager of Hotel Pinija in Zadar, Croatia to find out if the lifting of Covid restrictions has made a difference to how the hotel operates. Dragan’s experience working in the cruise industry was influential in bringing the cruise ships to Zadar, so we discuss what impact this is having on tourism to the region, and how to welcome cruise ships without over tourism?
NDE: Dragan, it is our great pleasure and honour to have you as our guest especially as this is the busiest month for you since 2019. You know the travel industry very well, having previously worked in restaurants and the cruise sector, and now you run a very successful Hotel, The Pinija in Zadar. Let’s start by finding out more about you, your hotel, and your role in the Croatian tourism sector.
DŠ: More about me is that I am growing in the role of Inspirational Team Leader, that is someone who enjoys developing winning teams by empowering and guiding others to achieve and surpass goals. My personal goal in the tourism sector is to help the people and industry develop a strategy for equipping and growing those we lead.
Hotel Pinija, is situated in the small, charming, picturesque village of Petrčane surrounded by fragrant pine woods, with a pebbly-rocky beach, protected from winds and high waves. The hotel boasts a seasonal indoor and outdoor swimming pool. Guests can sample traditional Dalmatian meals or choose international cuisine, including vegetarian at the hotel restaurants. A number of activities are available to guests, like tennis, table tennis, or mini golf. A sauna, fitness centre and massage services are available as well. The Hotel Pinija is only 12 km from the historical centre of Zadar, and the islet of Nin is 5 km from the property. The closest airport is Zadar Airport, 24 km away.
NDE: Can you give us your overview of how the last few years or seasons have been for you, your business and for tourism in Croatia?
DŠ: Thank You for the question. Tourism is the most sensitive branch of activity, as it is influenced by all aspects of global events like wars, pandemics, economic crises, and similar, so of course, we have to calculate the risk of a shorter season ahead, which again is not that simple because no one will tell you that next year there will be a pandemic. We did not get a warning for Covid, so when the pandemic started, no one knew when it would end or how long it would last, or if we would have even a short season; but looking back now to the beginning of the Covid pandemic, I can say that the Croatian hoteliers and tourist board made the best out it, and so did we in Hotel Pinija. The season was short. Due to the pandemic restrictions, we had to limit the number of guests, and therefore work with a limited number of employees. Our advantage at that moment was that the hotel had permanent employees who loved the work they did and were not afraid of new challenges.
Looking back now to the beginning of the Covid pandemic, I can say that the Croatian hoteliers and tourist board made the best out it, and so did we in Hotel Pinija.
This year, the new employees far surpassed my expectation. They have been so forward-thinking, and bring with them much more optimism for the future of the hotel industry. The passion, the tremendous creativity, the desire to produce sustainable content and solutions, and the out-of-the-box thinking to get to these creative solutions will definitely help the industry for years to come.
NDE: What would you say is your typical guest?
DŠ: It is pretty hard to say who our typical guests are, as it is divided into seasons. During summer of course we mainly have families, but during spring and autumn time we have a very mixed structure, families, groups, athletes, business guests and all of them from all over the world.
NDE: And looking at current trends what are your main markets?
DŠ: Our main market is definitely travellers looking for an active and relaxing holiday in the nature but close to everyday hustle. The main nationalities are Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, UK, Poland, Slovakia, Italy and the USA.
During summer of course we mainly have families, but during spring and autumn time we have a very mixed structure, families, groups, athletes, business guests and all of them from all over the world.
NDE: That would indicate that your peak season is in the summer months.
DŠ: Our hotel is situated in a small village near the city of Zadar, on a beautiful peninsula and surrounded by pine woods, so a guess would be that our peak season is only the summer, but the truth is that we are close to the town with a good connection by car, taxi and bus. We are also close to all the main tourists attractions, national parks, historical cities and a great region for bike tours which means that we also have a fantastic pre and post season. During these times our hotel is booked out for congresses.
NDE: How important are flights to the destination?
DŠ: The flights are not so important to us as Hotel Pinija is a car destination. However, the flights are frequent to Zadar airport.
NDE: In the UK we are reading that flights at key airports are now at 85% of 2019 levels, but airports are often chaotic due to staffing issues. How is Zadar performing and is this affecting inbound business?
DŠ: I haven’t noticed any gust comments about difficulties in arriving into Zadar via airplanes — so I would say that inbound business is not affected.
NDE: What people really want to know now is how a destination has been affected by Covid and how it will impact them? How is your hotel performing compared to 2019 and is your experience typical of Zadar?
DŠ: The hotel and the guests are performing at this moment like there were no pandemic issues happening in the past. However, pandemic restriction measures are still in place, such as dispensers for sanitising hands in the public areas, and distancing signs are still in use, especially in restaurants, so we can avoid lines of guests while waiting. We have additional staff in place to sanitise surfaces such as handrails and cutlery is sanitised and wrapped. Free Covid testers are available for the guests and staff and we also have a room available for any guest who gets infected by the Covid virus.
NDE: Let’s turn our attention to Zadar. It’s a wonderful coastal city, with a great position, beautiful surroundings and a fascinating history, yet it still remains less well known compared to more famous cities such as Dubrovnik, Split, Opatija or Rovinj. Why do you think that is and what do you think is the main selling point for your city, which could change this?
DŠ: Unfortunately, the main selling point is still the summer offers, though we have an excellent position for nautical tourism as well as congress tourism. However, our infrastructure is still not up to date or missing more of it, and still, most beds are in the private sector, in apartments mainly working from May to October. We are also missing events and cultural activities in the period from Autumn to Spring, which is something our tourist board is working on with hoteliers. Still, it takes time to prolong the season and to redirect guests to our region from those who established these offers much earlier.
On the 12 of September 2019 — The new Gaženica-Zadar cruise port in the Dalmatian city of Zadar was named the world’s best port at the Seatrade Cruise Awards 2019 in Hamburg, Germany, so it is making a massive difference with the recognition of the entire city and region.
NDE: We have heard that you were very proactive in introducing cruise ships to the city of Zadar. Can you tell us more about this?
DŠ: The hotel and cruise industry is my passion, and with the arrival of guests from the cruise ships at the port of Gaženica in Zadar, to Hotel Pinija, my dream and great desire to combine the cruising industry and the Zadar hotel industry came true. I know from many years of experience in working in the cruise industry that when guests from cruise ships like the offer then a great potential can be created for Zadar and the region. Once guests feel the Croatian welcome, the hospitality of wonderful people, when they see our beaches, the sea, nature, taste the gastronomy and experience the offer of hotels, such as Hotel Pinija, then they are guaranteed to come back and spend some concrete time with us. The goal of further business from the cruise industry is a major factor in developing enhanced quality service for the guests of Hotel Pinija, and I’d like to take this occasion, to thank the Hotel Pinija team for their openness to new challenges, and their readiness for an open and honest approach towards guests — without them it would be impossible to realise this project to the end.
NDE: As you might be aware, some cities — like Dubrovnik — have experienced over tourism caused by cruise ship guests, and to some extent, they were forced to limit the number of visitors to the old city. Is this something that can happen to Zadar too?
DŠ: I dare to say that it will not happen to Zadar in the near future. Dubrovnik is on the edge of our coast and at the entrance to the Adriatic Sea so easily reachable for ships and cruisers. Therefore it is our main nautical destination. Zadar, on the other hand, has a very new harbour outside the city centre built specifically for cruise shops, but we also offer a variety of day excursions to the guests of the cruisers and not all of them include visiting Zadar old town but rather the Zadar region.
NDE: Maybe this is a good opportunity for you to tell us what is your favourite tourism place, or activity to do, in your city or your region? Is there any special area which you are particular passionate about?
DŠ: My particular area is the place that offers local food, native cuisine, and quality wine where we enjoy family and friends time. I am very passionate about traditional Mediterranean food and local music, such as Klapa and Konoba. Here too is the nature that guarantees quality, like the smell of pines and the sound of a cicadas.
NDE: How would you convince somebody to choose to have holidays in the city of Zadar rather than going to the nearby islands or more rural places? What are the advantages of staying at your hotel?
DŠ: In our hotel, guests can enjoy the peace of nature, have fun and join sports activities as well. The city of Zadar is nearby to join its daily rhythm at any time, and all the islands and excursions are close and easily reachable. Hotel Pinija is a resort that offers a lot of options like bars and restaurants and most importantly a lot of fun.
NDE: You are one of New Deal Europe’s loyal partners, having been with us for a while now. What are your views on New Deal Europe and what are your expectations for the future events?
DŠ: The desire is to develop together and grow more and bigger. The expectations are to meet more global partners and to spread our future events, as our passion is to have the hotel open throughout the entire year. Hotel Pinija is a seasonal hotel, and we are reworking to open year-round. It is already happening, as we started receiving guests from north Europe after the summer season. I should say that currently there are 3 hotels open in Zadar during winter time.
NDE: As you know, New Deal Europe is more than a travel fair. We are also very committed to the promotion and implementation of sustainable and responsible tourism. What is your view on the direction of responsible tourism in your country?
DŠ: I would say that Croatian tourism has been sustainable throughout many years and that recently we discovered that we need to make it responsible too. Environmental pollution, water usage, food waste and others have been points of discussion among hoteliers for some years. The fact that more and more tourists visit Croatia forced us to start thinking about preserving our nature and environment. Hotel Pinija has many ideas about this topic for the future, but also some of them we already started. Like all the hotels around the world we ask the guests to limit waste by using water carefully. We also do not throw food away and we plant trees with our guests. A huge storm back in 2019 demolished our pine threes so we decided to plant new ones but we included even our loyal guests in this idea.
Environmental pollution, water usage, food waste and others have been points of discussion among hoteliers for some years.
NDE: That sounds like an excellent idea Dragan. We look forward to finding out more at Global Travel Marketplace in September, which you are attending. With that in mind, what is your message to the suppliers from Croatia and the broader region planning to attend events like this that New Deal Europe helps to organise, and your message to our global partners?
DŠ: My message to them is: attend the events to equip our hotel industry with the tools that provide New Deal Europe a chance to grow our tourism in Croatia and the border region.
New Deal Europe is the only travel market platform dedicated to generating business to the Balkan region of Europe, www.newdealeurope.com. Next event: Global Travel Week Marketplace 28–29 September 2022.
