Review article
Heritage and Tradition in Shaping the Tourism Offer in Rural Croatia
Damir Demonja
orcid.org/0000-0002-4186-5137
; Institute for International Relations, Zagreb, Croatia
Robert Baćac
; "Ruralis", Gradišće, Croatia
Abstract
Heritage is the collection of all customs, traditions and goods, as the traditional, indigenous and historical legacy that should be passed on to future generations. Rural heritage, which is the foundation
of rural tourism, includes above all the landscape (preserved nature, specificities of flora and fauna, microclimate, etc.) and the material and non-material heritage (preserved architectural legacy, tales, customs, crafts, events that are held to nurture tradition). In the present day, rural tourism in Croatia is becoming increasingly important, as one of its key roles is the preservation of traditions,
though not in a way that would preserve poverty, but to creatively apply tradition. This paper addresses individual segments of heritage and traditional elements of rural tourism, including the reconstruction and equipping of structures/buildings and landscaping of grounds and
non-material heritage (such as gastronomy, presentations of life, customs, events, etc.). These are elements of traditional rural farms that bring together tourism specificities based on preserved traditions
of living and working on the farm. The focus is on the role of traditional architecture in forming the tourism offer of the rural area, presenting the architectural heritage and its fundamental characteristics, and in particular the attractiveness of the rural farms. In that sense, ten examples of good practices are given, with brief explanations. The use of heritage and tradition in Croatia’s rural tourism to date is analysed, and guidelines for future more efficient and more compressive use are given.
Keywords
Croatia; heritage; tradition; tourism offer; rural areas; examples of good practices
Hrčak ID:
86096
URI
Publication date:
1.6.2012.
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