Graduate to study as Gates scholar

“Markets, especially covered ones, are also one of the possibilities for marketing local products. Markets that have become independent tourist attractions such as La Boqueria in Barcelona and San Miguel in Madrid, which constantly gather a large number of tourists and locals because with the combination of market and catering facilities, allow consumption of these local products and enjoy the charm of their architecture. , the design of the stands and small dining nooks, in fact the whole ambience. Enjoying food and drink in these markets, you certainly have the feeling of consuming not only their gastro and eno specialties but also the traditions of these areas and the lifestyle you currently share with the residents. “, points out Čorak. In Zagreb, the Dolac market is on that track, but although it is gladly visited, it has not yet become an attraction and gathering place to that extent, he believes. We also buy souvenirs as a gift to our dear people. They are often historical, cultural, emotional, national, and more and more one can find those from, for example, local plants or delicious drops of liqueur. Real souvenirs are made by hand because their meaning is to be authentic and unique. We should be the breath of the people poured into an object that will arouse pleasant emotions related to the place we visited. So, it doesn’t matter if we continue to use the term – souvenir, or we will stick to the ‘local product’, but the much more important question is whether this product will fulfill all its functions and whether we will be able to sell it? I talked about this and some other things with Dr. sc. Sandom Čorak from the Institute of Tourism. Dr. sc Sanda Čorak concludes that the souvenir is still alive today, but instead of traditional items that mark the name of a destination, souvenirs as consumer products that we need in everyday life, are becoming more and more interesting to our tourists. San Miquel Madrid Photo: dr. Sc. Sanda Čorak “A large proportion of the European population is characterized by frequent trips of various motives, so souvenirs, or at least classic souvenirs, are becoming a bit of a burden for visitors. In times of intensive development of mass tourism, in the second half of the last century and in times only offline promotions, souvenirs were (and partly are still today), extremely powerful promoters of their destinations whose names were on T-shirts, mugs, lighters or pendants, of course with the inevitable postcards. Some souvenirs, such as in our country – for example – gingerbread heart as an indigenous traditional product – have become one of the national symbols and will certainly be important for tourism regardless of technological changes affecting promotional media or changes in consumer behavior., believes Dr. sc. Čorak, a permanent scientific advisor at the Institute of Tourism, its long-term director and for a long time the editor-in-chief of the scientific-professional journal Tourism. But what kind of changes are these? “We have so many good examples to learn from, we don’t have to look far, we have them in the neighborhood. It used to be traveled to Trieste for jeans and clothes, and I believe there are more today who want to visit ‘Eataly’, a kind of department store of Italian food and agricultural products and household products. Located on the waterfront in Trieste (along with the one in Turin), this department store allows you to immediately enjoy coffee, cake, pizza or some other specialty, and of course online shopping is possible. Due to the response to the health crisis, we have developed an E-market that allows us residents to enjoy home-grown fruits, but this is not the best option for our guests and we must look for some other solutions. Most of our guests arrive in Croatia by road and will certainly stop at one of the rest areas – this is certainly one of the possibilities for selling Croatian souvenirs, but also local products. When arriving at a tourist destination, guests often go to visitor centers to get acquainted with all the opportunities available to them in a place and its surroundings – I’m not sure how much this opportunity to sell our products is really used? ”, he asks and adds that the way of presentation is very important to increasingly demanding customers. Photo: Andro Nigoević “After the development of mass tourism in Croatia, which mostly relied on natural resources – the Adriatic Sea and the desire of tourists to stay by the clean and warm sea, preferences have slowly changed, so for years we have witnessed a marked fragmentation of the tourist market. different requirements which has led to the creation of many forms of tourism, or as we usually call them – tourist products. Each of these products, whether it is cultural, urban, health or nautical tourism, has its own story that it wants to present to the world, and relies on tradition, cultural heritage, but also on modern design. Thus, the needs and offers (destination) and demand (tourists) have led to the emphasis on indigenous and local, but respecting the requirements for the purchase of a product that is functional and which will not only ‘collect dust on the shelves’ but which will have not only aesthetic but also functional value . ” Photo: OPG Anđelić Croatia has joined this world trend with MADE IN CROATIA products, so the website with a rich description offers ‘more than 590 interesting Croatian souvenirs and gift products’, from archeological souvenirs and eno and gastronomic products to musical instruments, cosmetics, magnets and miniatures – the choice is really big. But how is this wide offer available to our tourists? Souvenirs as consumer products are becoming more and more interesting for tourists Events and markets – great places to get in touch with indigenous products Many of our tourist places organize various cultural and entertainment events, such as Vinkovci Autumn and Đakovo berths on the continent or Rab Fair on the sea. An important part of these manifestations is the possibility of buying local food and other products at numerous stands. However, the manifestations are usually of a one-time nature lasting from two, three to a week. This ‘covers’ only one part of the demand that is visiting the destination at that time. Some tourist boards have already reached that point, so the Tourist Board of Varaždin, along with the famous ‘Špancirfest’ at the end of August, before that organizes ‘Days of Taste of the Varaždin Region’ and ‘Crafts Street Fair’, which takes place on three occasions. This certainly gives farmers and producers extra income, but new sales options should still be sought. Due to the large number of trips, standard souvenirs are no longer so popular and are often not even offered under that name. Things are moving in a good direction, but maybe you need to be even more creative, especially in the packaging and presentation of such products where it is the traditional that has to be ‘combined’ with the modern, in order to find its customer. Eataly TorinoPhoto: dr. Sc. Sanda Čorak Rest areas and visitor centers should be better utilized Dr. sc. Sanda Čorak Photo: Blanka Kufner “Regardless of the importance of online shopping, which has become irreplaceable in the COVID crisis, one of the important characteristics of tourists’ behavior is their tendency to buy in the destination, regardless of the primary motive for their arrival. So, ‘shopping’ is extremely important to all guests, it is an unavoidable part of every trip, and especially to those who visit big cities and shopping is one of the main reasons for their visit. Their average daily expenses show that over $ 200 a day is spent on in-store purchases. TOMAS research by the Institute of Tourism (results for 2017) shows that out of 79 euros of average consumption, only 12 euros or 15,3% was spent in trade (excluding food and beverage expenditures). Our cities cannot compete with world capitals, nor is our tourism comparable to tourism giants in its main features, but a conclusion should be drawn that applies to us as well – tourists are always interested in buying interesting products, especially local ones that will really remind them of a holiday spent in a country ”, says Corak. “In tourism, we have generally neglected the demands of guests and their willingness to buy, and we are constantly looking for and expecting increasing consumption of guests in destinations. Although consumption has been growing for years, as well as the share of expenditures for purchases, guest satisfaction with shopping opportunities in our destinations on the coast and islands, according to TOMAS research has been among the group of worst rated elements for many years. This means that there is still great potential that we have not used, and the needs of guests indicate that the market is ready and there it is, just looking for our organization, consolidation of offers, and a presentation that will encourage visits and purchases. In the organization of trade, the limiting factor is the pronounced seasonality of most of our tourism, which causes large variations in demand, but in areas where it is not as pronounced as our cities and on the sea and on the continent, opening stores of local products that fulfill the function of souvenirs. are in our tradition, they are certainly welcome. ” Every product must find its customer, every manufacturer wants the customer to be satisfied Each destination has its own story that turns into souvenirs, and most of us know that the name itself comes from the French word souvenir which means memory. It is the right time for change Shopping is extremely important to guests, local products are becoming more and more interesting Cover photo: autochthonous souvenirs of the island of Lošinj / Photo: Mali Lošinj Tourist Board read more