TOURISM IN "HUTOVO BLATO” NATURE

rough improvement of this type of tourist programs and a semi-intensive carp breeding on Svitava Lake and Škrka, it is possible to attract a far bigger number of sports shing enthusiasts and thus enrich the tourist o er of the Park.

• Congress and Educational Tourism

Accommodation capacities of Motel Karaotok consist of 2 suites, 13 double-bed rooms, 1 singlebed room and 1 three-bed room. e motel has also a reception lounge, co ee bar with a terrace, a large dining hall, hunter’s saloon, two sanitary units and a kitchen. e motel can be used for conferences, seminars, meetings, roundtables, proms, weddings, exhibitions and other events. Apart from the Park’s accommodation services, landscape and gastronomic services, the Park can achieve good business results and pro t thanks to this special type of touristic o er. Together with the Park’s increased accommodation capacities, congress tourism will play an increasingly more important role in the Park’s overall business operations in the future.

• Scienti c and Research Tourism

is type of tourist o er is based on the project activities from the area of water, soils, vegetation, birds, mammals, medical herbs etc., and on di erent research projects and the projects for preservation of certain wildlife habitats.

• Leisure and Sports (cycling, hiking, recreational sports, outdoors recreation)

Leisure and sports are part of the Park’s touristic o er which can be implemented on a regulated cycling track along the Karaotok-Svitava embankment. Tourists could also use a mountain cycling trail. Jogging and hiking is possible along the Karaotok-Svitava embankment.

2.2 Important Ongoing Projects

• Repair of damage caused by recent re • Monitoring of biodiversity of the amphibians, reptiles and mammals • Elaboration of the Nature Park’s urban plan • Elaboration of the Nature Park Management Plan • WWF projects for the protection of biodiversity and environmental ows • Training of rangers and hunters nanced with Ramsar funds

2.3. Developmental Possibilities of Di erent Tourist Activities

Fundamental principles that govern the Park’s activities and work arise from the Park’s categorization that guarantees a sustainable development of the Park’s protected areas. e category of nature park is awarded to an authentic natural or partly cultivated spatial mainland or coastal area that has pronounced esthetic, ecological, educational, cultural and historic and tourist and recreational values.

In line with its category and planned documents, the Park’s development policy envisages the Park as the driving force of the tourist development in the municipalities of Čapljina and Stolac, which would also have positive an economic e ect on the wider region.

Demand for the tourist attractions in the Park is limited to photo safari and partly to sports shing and training of sports teams, which is insu cient for the park’s self-sustainability. In the future, new tourist o er should be developed gradually and in line with the tourist demand and this requires time and money. e concept requires a step-by-step approach and opening of new areas for investments. One of key elements of the Park’s future tourist o er should be the pres-

ervation of biological and landscape diversity

of the wetland and its eco-systems, while at the same time focusing on the fundamental requirements of the tourist market: - Rest and leisure in nature - Change and diversity - Experience and adventure e park, in synergy with its natural surroundings, can become a highly marketable and valued tourist product both on local and international tourist markets. e Park’s tourist o er could include the following range of activities: • Photo safari on Gornje Blato; A boat ride down Hutovo Blato canals could also be included in the o er:

Karaotok - Sun Canal – Krupa River – Water-Lily Canal (full-circle ride)

Karaotok – Sun Canal –Krupa River – Derane Lake,

Karaotok – Sun Canal- Krupa River –Derane Lake – Londža dike – Londža

Karaotok- Sun Canal –Krupa River – Derane Lake – Drijen

Karaotok – Sun Canal – Krupa River - Jelim dike–Jelim Lake

Touristic motives and activities: non-idling education, study, leisure, photographing. • Sports and recreational shing – sports- shing competition can be organized on a regulated section of the shing route on Kruša River, from Džinovica to the dam in the length of 3 km. Recreational shing could be organized on Svitava land plot /Svitava Lake. Touristic activities: shing, idling education, photographing.

• Sports and recreational hunting. e hunt on the fattened wild game kept in a special reserve in the Park will ensure that the Park doesn’t jeopardize its mission. e wild-boar hunt can also be organized on the periphery of the Park under the full supervision of the rangers’ service. e hunt on wild game purposely released into the Park can be organized on an arable land near Karaotok, while the hunt on wild-boar can be organized in the area of Škrka,

Glavica, Džinovica and Košćela. As a part of the touristic o er, trap-shooting and dog training ranges can also be used. ese activities can be organized on the land plots in Prebilovci and Karaotok. Touristic motives and activities: hunting, idling education, photographing. • Bird watching can be organized for all age groups, from school children and university students to biologists, nature lovers and common tourists on the following locations: 1. Derane Lake/open water surface and reeds, 2. Svitava Lake – open water surfaces, 3. Drijen – open water surfaces, reed-patches, ood plains 4. Svitava complex/ Plana – ood plains; at 5. Karaotok land plot – arable surfaces. Tourist motives and activities: bird watching, idling education, photographing • Educational camps for school and university students and adults. is type of tourist o er consists of lectures, workshops, seminars, scienti c conferences etc.

Educational programs for school and university students can be held partly in the nature and partly in specially designed educational areas at Glavice, Džinovica and Karaotok.

Scienti c and educational programs can be implemented in the area of Londža and Karaotok.

Tourist motives and activities: idling education, photographing and recreation.

• Sports and recreational activities – sports teams preparations can be held in the section of Karaotok designated for sports activities and equipped with two football pitches.

Tourist motives and education: sports recreation, idling education. • Adventure sports. is type of tourist product is intended for adventure-loving tourists: 1. Horseback riding – riding ground at Drijen 2. Climbing and hiking - Budisavina, Kučevo Hill and Džinovica viewing points 3. Hiking - embankment along Karaotok and Svitava Lake 4. Cycling - embankment and mountain trail from Ostrvo to Londža, 5. Scuba-diving – Desilo Lake and possibly also Drijen and Orah springs.

Tourist motives and activities: sighting seeing, sports recreation, idling education, photographing. • Leisure programs intended for rest, sight-seeing and visiting other tourist destinations in the area (sacral and cultural heritage). e main accommodation facilities are Karaotok Motel, bungalows, pile dwellings, hunter’s lodge on Londža – Karaotok, Londža

Tourist motives and activities: idling education, photographing, consumption of local cuisine. • Rural accommodation in private houses on Londža and Ostrvo that o er exotic ambience and specialties of local cuisine.

Tourist motives and activities: idling education, enjoying the traditional way of life and local cuisine, photographing.

In order to make a tourist product more acceptable and adjusted to the needs of potential tourists, it should be marketed in an adequate package that is meaningful and alluring in terms of price and quality of service.

By combining di erent activities, the Park’s tourist o er can become more interesting and appealing to potential tourists. Here is a list of activities, programs and attractions that could be included in the Park’s o er:

• Activities: cycling, horseback riding, camping, shing, picnicking, scuba-diving, rent-a-boat service on Krupa River and Svitava Lake. • Social activities: Get-togethers and group outings (group walks, food tasting and dinners, dances, country feasts, parties, bird and animal watching, sports contests and games)

• Entertainment: Events, such is summer and winter masquerades, concerts, performances or public celebrations. • Opposite World: Accommodation in renovated stone-block houses and pile dwellings in the ambience of a busy village farm; shepherd duties or farming, game-keeping or landscape protection. • Transportation means: Horses, “trupe” - small wooden canoe-like boats and rowing or engine-powered boats, bikes for rent. • Culture and education: Educational trail, eco-camp, ethno-museums, use of old traditional agricultural tools and machinery, festival of traditional folk songs and dances of Herzegovina. • Contests: Marathon run, mountain-bike races, canoe races on Krupa River, Svitava Lake and

Neretva River. • Diversity: Each village should develop its own touristic product inspired by themes from nature, tradition or history. Put together, they should make one meaningful unit, that is, a package covering all aspects of the Park’s tourist o er.

Marketing

e issue that imposes itself if we want to achieve bigger tourist demand is the promotion and advertisement of Hutovo Blato Nature Park as a tourist destination that can provide full tourist o er. e fact is that the current level of investments in marketing has not been su cient enough to bring about signi cant shi s in the number of visitors to Hutovo Blato. erefore, we must continue advertising Hutovo Blato among clearly de ned target groups and with all means available (TV and radio, newspapers, internet, web-site, CD, brochures, lea ets, personal contacts) in cooperation with local and international bidders in the eld of tourist niches (nature and eco-tourism, cycling clubs, bird watching associations, sports clubs and associations etc.) in order to attract as many tourists to this tourist destination as possible. Nonetheless, if we want to achieve a better positioning/ placement of the Park on the local or international market, we must develop our own marketing strategy that should be on track of current trends in the global tourist industry, by primarily following regional specializations along with building and strengthening of our own regional identity and involving and assigning a more active role to local population in the tourist o er of the Nature Park. All of that should help us achieve desired business e ects and pro ts in relation to the environment, natural and cultural resources. e satisfaction of tourists who are visiting this area and the prosperity of local inhabitants are the benchmarks and long-terms goals for the development of tourism in Hutovo Blato Nature Park.

In order to implement the above marketing strategy, the following steps should be taken: 1. Position Hutovo Blato Nature Park as a tourist destination on local and international market; 2. Ensure that demands of the target markets are met and pro ts generated; 3. Achieve multiple increase in the number of foreign and domestic tourists and maximum increase in sales on the domestic and international market; 4. Set up an operational marketing system:

First Goal: e positioning of Hutovo Blato as a tourist destination on the international and domestic market primarily means restoring its good image (the cause of its worsened image is the recent con ict in BiH). In order to improve the perception of Herzegovina, we must build ef cient internal and external communications on the national and international level. An image of a country is the result of communication processes and the successfulness of that process is re ected in the learning, emotional and behavioral e ects achieved with the target audience. In or-

der to achieve an optimal placement of Hutovo Blato on domestic and foreign market, we must do the branding of Hutovo Blato as a tourist destination. e branding should help us build a unique and marketable identity of Hutovo Blato as a desirable destination for tourism and investments. Hutovo Blato’s tourist brand does not only imply creating a visual identity, but also an entire line of products and values that should be associated with that destination. Preliminary activities in building of a new identity of the Park include nding out about how people, from ordinary citizens, foreign tourists to representatives of foreign corporations, see us. e rst step is to de ne the gap between the existing and desired situation.

Second goal: Meeting the needs of tourists and visitors and generating pro ts. In setting up goals, we should take into consideration some other elements like: dynamics of the market participation, which market segments and in which order should be targeted. ird goal: Multiple increases in the number of foreign and domestic guests in the Nature Park and maximum increase of sales on domestic and international markets will require an innovative o er, enriched with new and interesting programs (services, products). Herzegovina can be successfully presented on target markets through a high quality of products and various events. At the same time, we must make sure that our o er keeps abreast with general trends on the international tourist market.

Fourth Goal: Setting up a marketing system. In terms of timing and resources, tactical activities per di erent areas of action will have to be aligned with marketing strategies and goals.

Long-term goals require a high level of e ciency and success in development management, coordination, cooperation, information ow and organization of work in the nature park. Realization of the goals is of strategic importance for the implementation of developmental programs in all areas of social and economic development. Because they serve as benchmarks, the goals are key instruments for promotion at home and abroad, an advantage factor in battling competition and an e cient system of control and management of human resources.

For the operationalization of long-term goals, we need to de ne medium-term goals:

• Create prerequisites for the successful placement of Hutovo Blato on tourist markets by building a distinctive image in the minds of the potential tourists on emissive markets. • Produce additional values for consumers • Develop authentic tourist products and experience at the destination • Increase market participation and attract new market segments • Create di erent types of o er for di erent target segments • Improve the quality of o er by investing into infrastructure and development of human resources • Develop integral quality – only innovative products of a tourist destination can secure a higher level of recognition of that destination; • Development of a destination management policy • Development of integral marketing communications • Development of the level of recognition of special events • Development of exible tourist products and their placement through new distribution channels; • Actively seek points of di erentiation on the tourist market • Focus on various target groups • Improve performance of the tourist sector – introduce modern information and sale systems • Improvement of the general and tourist infrastructure • Protection of the environmental and spatial values of the tourist destination and the region • Establishment of the crisis management • Observing the principles of sustainable development • Increase of strategic investments into tourist infrastructure • Socially responsible management of developmental resources and potentials • High quality of life A Strategic e ort includes all activities of a destination on a tourist market. It is assessed by the destination’s ability to improve its standing on targeted markets. e rationality of a marketing strategy can be seen in the correct identi cation of the needs of the individual market segments, selection of the target segments and creation of a marketing mix for each market segment.

In order for the Park to use the opportunities presented by new trends on the international market and to achieve the set marketing goals, it is crucial to de ne the following principles of action:

• Market surveys and e cient use of information in the planning of market activities, improvement of existing and development of new products. • Focus marketing activities on consumers of the tourist services – identifying demands and expectations of the consumers with regards to the quality of service. Costumers are known to rate services rendered to them and their expectations are crucial in determining the level of customer satisfaction. • Quality management – developing and shaping products of high standards for customers (designing products and services to meet customer demands); • Establish integrated marketing communications and identi ed target segments; customer relationship within in a given time slot: prior to, during and a er purchasing a tourist product; establish the procedure for settling customer complaints; • Developing products and distribution channels to beat the competition and to more e ciently attract tourists; • Vertical and horizontal integration and coordination of all the proponents of tourist o er in order to achieve maximum quality and diversity.

e Marketing strategy for tourism in Hutovo Blato should focus on:

• Good knowledge of the speci c characteristics of the targeted markets • Development of tourist o er is based on high quality and favorable to potential tourists • CRM (Consumer Relationship Marketing) • Innovative approach based on entrepreneurship spirit • E cient partner cooperation with all stake-holders • Integrated marketing communications

Evolution of the new communications technologies, in particular of the Internet, o ers new possibilities for the development of rural tourism, whose only limitation is lack of vision and imagination. Especially important are the possibilities of the internet to provide o ers in the eld of information, communications and marketing. e internet gives the Park the opportunity to make up for its shortfalls in the traditional marketing in relation to other tourist destinations in the region in the eld. e marketing activities for the development of tourism that the Internet makes possible are: • Browsing the internet in search for information on the Park’s tourist o er, including websites, online libraries, advertisements on conferences and exhibitions etc.; • Interactive communication: e-mails, on-line forums, discussion groups etc.; • Education and training: virtual training programs, workshops, on-line education courses; • Consulting services; • Electronic business (e-business): consumer and market opinion polls, e-booking, e-payments, presentations etc.

Additional advantages of the Internet: • e possibility of uploading, that is, placing a large amount of information on the Internet in a relatively short time and at a relatively low cost; • e possibility of quick update, and nally; • All information placed on the internet can be easily edited and disseminated in a traditional form, i.e. hard copies.

All internet resources are available to customers 24/7 and don’t have the usual temporal, spatial or other limitations typical for the classic postal service.

Apart from the above advantages of the Internet in the promotion of the Park’s touristic o er, it is also necessary to have well-trained and expert personnel, an accurate data-base and updated information about the existing tourist o er in the surroundings for the inclusion of the Park and its tourist o er in the markets on regional and international level.

TOURISM IN BLIDINJE NATURE PARK

In this part of Herzegovina, far from the city hustle and bustle, smog and noise, is the realm of the primal nature, pristine and fragrant. If o ers a unique experience to ecologists, mountaineers, botanists and holiday makers. In the center of this plateau, at the altitude of 1,184 m, lies the Blidinje Lake. In 1995, the lake with its surrounding area was proclaimed a protected nature park. In the vicinity of the lake, at the place of Barzonja, is the Shrine of Our Lady of Snow. is breathtaking plateau has all that nature can give: water, woods, beautiful slopes and lush pastures. Blidinje is a vast plateau, enclosed by the mountains of Vrana, Čvrsnica and Ljubuša, at whose center lies the Blidinje Lake - a karst lake on the elevation of 1,184 m above sea. e hilltops of Čvrsnica rise to even 2,000 m above sea level. is is a one of kind place in which man can experience a true pleasure at any time of the year, either listening to the hum of the mountain creek or the howling of the wind, which in winter blows here by an incredible speed, sweeping along anything in its way and building large snow dri s. e Blidinje Lake is a gem of nature whose surface o en, during spring and summer days, mirrors the sun, while at night, the moonshine re ected on its water creates a magical atmosphere. In winter, the Blidinje Lake freezes over as falling snow akes invade the landscape, shrouding it in a white robe of innocence and purity, and creating an idyllic winter ambience. e history of this place goes some 4 to 5 thousand years back into the past and the stone relicts of the past, stećci and ancient buildings testify of the long-gone civilizations. Here, the past and future live together in the harmony and wealth of the cultural and historic heritage.

A necropolis consisting of some hundred stećci or standing tomb stones is a tangible evidence of the ancient past of this region. For centuries, the area has lied on the crossroads of the routes that led from Bosnia to Herzegovina and Dalmatia. e Huns, Avars, Illyrians, Venetians, Goths, Turks, Mongolians, Austrians, Germans and Italians have all le behind the traces of their presence in the region. e rst mention of this area in historic records dates back to 1,408 in the charter of King Ostoja.

Masna luka

Masna Luka – the sight of this special forest nature reserve with several springs of clear water, a beautiful mountain stream that emerges from a thick pine wood will leave you breathless. e idyllic atmosphere is enriched by

bird singing and the rustle of the surrounding pine trees. Every corner of this nature reserve is enchanting. e view to the surrounding cli s and the entire scenery, imbued in intense colors and scents in any season of the year or time of day, is breathtaking.

Anyone who has ever treaded this place will want to return again and experience the hum of the wind and scent of the pine wood.

Masna Luka is the place of residence of a local priest, Friar Petar Krasić, who is a fervent advocate of the nature park’s protection. e modern church, devoted to St Anthony, has been under construction for years now, and with a number of other chapels in the Park, o ers the possibility of a religious pilgrimage. e grave of the legendary Diva Grabovčeva (Diva, daughter of Luka Grabovac from Rama, ran away from the bey of Kupres who hunted her down and killed her), seems to beckons all travellers and passers-by to come over and bow before this symbol of beauty, innocence, integrity and pride. Her grave is hidden in a thick pine wood, under the humming branches of the centuries old trees. Diva’s grave has become the place of mass pilgrimage and worship by the believers and all others those who revere and admire her. Several thousand faithful gather at the mass dedicated to her in the place of Kedžara every last week in July. Each day, the plateau is visited by more and more holiday makers and guests from the neighboring municipalities and cantons, as well as from Bosnia and Dalmatia. (Blidinje Nature Park falls within the administrative boundaries of even three cantons: the WestHerzegovina Canton, the Herzeg-Bosnia Canton and the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton). Due to the abundance of snow in winter, a large number of holiday houses and family houses that catch the eye with their beautiful facades have sprung in the area in the past decade. In the vicinity, lies the cave in which Mijat Tomić, a famous outlaw and dissenter from Turkish authority found refuge for full 24 years. at is why the entire mountainous region is called “ e Republic of Mijat Tomić”.

A legend a er a legend, a story a er a story and we have come to an end. Come and experience this paradise on earth that allows you to live your life to the full and heals your body and soul.

The brochure was published with the financial means provided by the Embassy of Italy in BiH, OXFAM Italy and the WWF Mediterranean Programme.