NOT EVERYONE WILL BE SATISFIED WITH THE TOURIST SEASON: THE DIRECTOR OF THE KAŠTELA TOURIST BOARD EXPLAINED WHAT MAKES SOME RENTAL PROPERTIES STAND OUT
In the first six months of this year, Kaštela recorded a nine percent increase in the number of overnight stays in categorized accommodation. This is according to eVisitor statistics, which also record a 12 percent increase in the number of guests since the beginning of the year. What figures can we expect in July, can landlords be satisfied with this tourist season, and what makes some of them stand out in terms of competitiveness, was told by the director of the Kaštela Tourist Board, Nada Maršić, in an interview.
According to Maršić, she is satisfied with this year's figures in categorized accommodation, which are again showing an increase. Namely, since the beginning of the year, our city has been visited by 36.853 guests, who have made 160.805, which is about 3.900 more guests and 13.600 more overnight stays.
- I can say that we are satisfied. We ended the sixth month, and actually the first half of the year, with a significant increase. The seventh month, in itself, has high numbers and for now is approximately at the level of last year. We will see how everything will be realized by the end of the month, some are registering their guests later. And you know that every weekend in July and August can drastically increase or decrease the situation. I believe that there will be an increase, due to the crowds on the Kaštela beaches, in cafes and restaurants. I believe that the results are better than those shown through eVisitor, because it should also be taken into account that there is a certain number of people who rent non-commercially, for example, to friends, and I have to put that in quotes - said Maršić.
As for the guest structure, it is similar to last year.
- As a standard, these are always guests from Germany and Poland, and for a few years in a row the number of guests from Great Britain, France and Spain has been increasing, so that these countries have actually taken high third, fourth and fifth places. Unlike before, when the Czechs, Slovaks and Slovenians were in higher places, now they are in lower places compared to, for example, Great Britain, France and Spain - she stated.
We are competitive with Split and Trogir, a large part of renters are not raising prices
- For years, Kaštela has been competitive compared to Split and Trogir, and we have more acceptable prices for our guests. The landlords are the ones who in a way create this whole story, because a large part of the landlords do not raise prices or raise them by a very minimal amount. The first thing that guests look at, apart from the accommodation category and location, are the prices. I think that those who did not raise prices this year have better results - she concluded and stated that there will still be those landlords who will not be satisfied with the season.
- We have an increase in the number of overnight stays every year, but the increase is less than the increase in the number of beds. Of course, there are more beds than arrivals, or overnight stays. We are aware that there will be renters who will not be satisfied, and they may not be filled as they expected, but that is precisely why the Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian Tourist Board launched the Hosts project - said Maršić and briefly explained what the project is about.
- Hosts are renters who live in their own house and rent out part of the house. They are true hosts to our guests. In contrast to those who are far from the guests, who may not even see them and who have not established close relationships. Those who have close relationships with guests have better results. Their efforts in terms of servicing and communicating with guests are significantly greater than those renters who have houses, flats and apartments for vacation, which are serviced by an agency. This attitude towards guests is much colder. Guests get everything they paid for, including the category, cleanliness and tidiness, but there is a situation when real contact with guests is not established, so the guest has no psychological obligation to communicate further with this category of renters. It seems to me that renters who are hosts will have more success than these professionals who do not live with guests - says Maršić.
The last weekend in July is upon us and a new wave of tourists is expected. How many of them will come to Kaštela remains to be seen when the new eVisitor data is released. Let us recall that last year in July, 39.117 guests stayed in Kaštela, who made 226.202 overnight stays.
Photo: PGK archive
This text was co-financed by the Fund for Promoting Diversity and Pluralism of Electronic Media.
