The hotel complex and its identity during Croatia's transition

Abstract

The hotel complex is an important factor of Croatia’s existing tourism offer and in a way determines the fate of tourism in general. The restructure of existing hotel management during the period of transition means, among other things, an improved tourism offer (e.g. family hotels and other alternative types of hotels). The author advocates an approach by which the identity of Croatia’s hotel and tourism offer is preserved through the further development of hotel and tourism firms based on to-date achieved experience, to be improved by novel features, and a new "trade mark”, similar to the experiences of Spain, Austria and Italy. An introduction of alternative hotel forms is based on the management and structure of family hotels and lodging-houses in Austria, Italy, France and Portugal. Based on an analysis of existing states and a comparison of representative cases, a model is presented for the hotel industry under the new conditions of present day Croatia. A systematic introduction of new types of hotels as an additional offer of high quality tourism is also proposed. The indispensible role of outside institutions and bodies in the functioning and further development of the tourism offer is emphasised.