Tourism valorisation of immovable tangible cultural heritage in Međimurje

Kulturna baština važan je element prezentacije prostora, nositelj identiteta određene ljudske zajednice te jedan od najvažnijih resursa kulturnoga turizma koji osmišljenom turističkom valorizacijom može postati pokretač razvoja područja. Istraživanje kulturne baštine u kontekstu kulturnoga turizma novijega je datuma u Hrvatskoj, jednako kao i pojava kulturnoga turizma koji je posljednjih dvadesetak godina postao globalni fenomen. Cilj je istraživanja analiza stavova turista, izletnika i direktora međimurskih turističkih zajednica o potencijalu i valorizaciji nepokretne kulturne baštine u Međimurju radi identificiranja najvažnijih kulturnobaštinskih objekata i njihove što uspješnije turističke valorizacije. Stavovi turista i izletnika ispitani su anketnim upitnikom, a stavovi direktora turističkih zajednica dubinskim intervjuom. Istraživanje je pokazalo da turisti nisu dovoljno upoznati s kulturnom baštinom Međimurja, da ona ima dobar turistički potencijal koji nije dovoljno iskorišten, da u Međimurju postoji nekoliko objekata kulturne baštine koji su uključeni u turističku ponudu, ali da većina baštinskih objekata još uvijek nije turistički valorizirana.


Introduction
Cultural heritage is an important economic potential that can be utilised, above all, in tourism.The supply of cultural heritage to tourists allows them to experience tangible and intangible cultural goods, which directly and indirectly contribute to the diversity of the total supply for tourists and to the increase of revenues from tourism in a given destination (Graham, 2002).
Tourism valorisation of cultural heritage promotes cultural heritage and enables the economic conversion of cultural goods, thus becoming capable of independently generating profit (Millar, 1989).Combining cultural heritage and tourism encourages professional management of cultural goods, enables better control of the utilisation of cultural potential and stimulates local and regional tourism demand (Gredičak, 2008).
Although cultural tourism in Međimurje has not been systematically developed and has often been given less importance than other selective forms of tourism, culture has always been an integral part of the tourism supply.Until ten years ago cultural heritage was mostly used as a complementary facility for other forms of tourism, such as rural or transit tourism, in Međimurje because it was thought to be more important for tourism development.
The last few years have seen the development of selective forms of tourism in Međimurje and, in this context, of cultural tourism as part of the tourism supply.However, out of a total of sixty protected cultural heritage sites in Međimurje, only a few of them are included in the tourism supply.In order to increase the attractiveness of a number of heritage sites for tourists, it is appropriate to highlight them, present them, equip with infrastructure, and develop additional facilities.
Town of Čakovec in which the family Zrinski ruled, the Church of St. Jerome in Štrigova with frescoes painted by Ivan Ranger, the most important sacral baroque artist in Croatia and the Chapel of St. Helen in Šenkovec with preserved gothic frescoes and the tomb of the Zrinski family), 10 that are of preventively protected status, and 54 with protected status.In the laws regarding the protection and preservation of cultural goods in Croatia, there are no categorial definitions for the listed cultural goods.The categorisation of cultural goods into specific categories is done by a professional committee at the Ministry of Culture according to personal evaluation, whereby the most value is placed on nationally important cultural goods, while the ones with the least relative value are protected cultural goods.Cultural goods can be found throughout the entire territory of Međimurje, but most are located in the town of Čakovec.Individual cultural goods dominate, mostly sacral, and only the centre of Čakovec is protected as a cultural and historic entity.
Events can also be a significant resource for the development of cultural tourism of a specific destination.They promote the traditions and authenticity of a specific environment, recreate historic events, or simply create new events and activities.The most visited cultural and entertainment events in Međimurje, by tens of thousands of tourists and travellers mostly from central Croatia, but also from neighbouring Hungary and Slovenia are, Porcijunkolovo, Summer in the Town of Zrinski, Autumn in the Town of Zrinski and Advent in the Town of Zrinski.These events are held in the spaces of only two cultural goods -cultural and historic entity of the Town of Čakovec and the Old Town of Čakovec.
The basic prerequisite for successful cultural tourism is a well thought-out tourism valorisation strategy, specifically in terms of cultural heritage valorisation, which has not yet been developed in Međimurje.In general, it can be said that at the moment, cultural heritage is not sufficiently included in the current tourism supply and is utilised less often than natural heritage.Indeed, in presentation media, it is still presented within the framework of additional facilities that "enrich" natural attractions or other forms of tourism.Due to this, the tourism value of cultural heritage lags behind its educational and scientific value.
U postavljanju navedenih hipoteza krenulo se od pretpostavki da većina turista koji posjećuju Međimurje nije zainteresirana za kulturnu baštinu Cultural heritage represents a form of culture of a particular society or area attractive to tourists which becomes economically viable (McKercher and Du Cros, 2002).The cost of heritage preservation is very large and increases when heritage is utilised for tourism, so it is necessary to incorporate cultural heritage into tourist flows and to ensure its revitalisation and sustainability through effective management.Public funding was long the main source of income for most cultural goods but, public money became more scarce, the need for other types of income grew.Because of this, cultural heritage sites turned to tourism as the main source of income.Tourism of heritage can be a generator of local and national economies as it can increase the number of employees, economic activity and income (Richards, 1996).
The main goal for all those involved in heritage related activities should be preservation, and the most efficient way of doing so is economic valorisation by tourism (Zeppel and Hall, 1991).Valorisation of cultural heritage must be within the framework of sustainable development because it is vulnerable to inappropriate interventions and processes which can hurt its attractiveness (Maroević, 2001).

Objective and methodology of research
The main aim of this paper is to investigate attitudes of tourists, excursionists, and directors of tourist boards in Međimurje about the valorisation of cultural heritage in tourism in Međimurje, their proposals for more successful use of heritage sites, and which cultural and heritage sites they thought could be the basis for the development of tourism in Međimurje in the future.
The work is based on the following hypotheses: H1.Tourists are not familiar enough with the cultural heritage of Međimurje.
H2.The cultural heritage of Međimurje has good tourism potential that is not sufficiently utilised.
H3.The most important cultural and heritage centre of Međimurje is the Old Town of Čakovec.
While stating these hypothesis, it was presumed that most of the tourists who visit Međimurje are not interested in cultural heritage and do not know Navedene hipoteze ispitat će se ovim osnovnim metodama: metodom anketnoga istraživanja, metodom dubinskoga intervjua i statističkom metodom.
The main methods employed in the paper to examine these hypotheses were questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews, and the statistical method.
The statistical method includes descriptive statistics and graphical presentation of data.The method of descriptive statistics with graphical presentation of data was used for the interpretation of demographic data and statistical data about tourism.Apart from descriptive statistics, a chi-square test, a t-test, and a one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) were used in order to determine differences in respondents' answers, which pointed to statistically significant correlations of demographic characteristics and answers to questionnaires.
The aim of this survey is to investigate the profile of tourists and excursionists visiting Međimurje and their attitudes about tourism valorisation of cultural heritage in Međimurje.The survey was conducted on an appropriate random sample of 200 adult tourists and excursionists in two of the most visited destinations in Međimurje: -Čakovec and Sveti Martin na Muri.In Sveti Martin 116 (58%) tourists were interviewed, and in Čakovec there were 84 (42%) respondents.The survey questionnaire consisted of a total of 21 questions, including 17 forced-choice and 4 open-ended questions.The survey was conducted directly, i. e. face-to-face, in mid-2017.This paper also used the in-depth interview method, as a discussion focused on questions that encouraged the speakers to express their views on the proposed subject and was being conducted as long as there were issues to discuss.The main objective of the interviews was to collect information on the attitudes of the directors (managers) of the seven tourist boards from Međimurje County (TZ Čakovec, TZ Prelog, TZ Mursko Središće, TZ Nedelišće, TZ Sveti Martin na Muri, TZ Štrigova and TZ Međimurje County) regarding current valorisation of cultural heritage in tourism.The interviews were conducted in December, 2017 and January 2018.

Research area
The research area includes Međimurje, the northernmost part of the Republic of Croatia, i. e. the northernmost part of the most important Croatian macro-region -Central Croatia.Međimurje is located between the Drava, which separates it from the rest of Croatia, the Mura, which forms the largest part of the border with Hungary, and the border with the Republic of Slovenia in the west (Fig. 1).With an area of about 729.5 km 2 , Međimurje accounts for only 1.3% of the territory of the Republic of Croatia, and with 113 804 inhabitants (Population Census in 2011) it accounts for only 2.7% of the population of the Republic of Croatia.
In the administrative sense, most of Međimurje belongs to Međimurje County, and is divided into 3 administrative towns (Čakovec, Prelog and Mursko Središće) and 22 municipalities with 128 settlements.The selection of Međimurje as the area of research was based on the natural and geographic homogeneity of this space and on its pronounced regional identity, based on rich cultural heritage.

An overview of current research
Cultural heritage did not always have the same meaning it has today.Today it encompasses all aspects of past and contemporary cultures and in the past it referred only to historical monuments (McKercher and Du Cros, 2002).That is the reason why, instead of the concept of cultural heritage, the term "cultural monument" used to be used.The term is still used today but in a narrower sense.
Until twenty years ago, cultural heritage was viewed as a static value that needed protection and which was mainly spoken of in the context of conservation.Only in the more recent times, at the end of the twentieth century, literature referring to cultural heritage in a dynamic relationship with tourism emerged (Tab.1).
At the end of the twentieth century a number of authors appeared (Richards, 1996;Leask, 2001;Timothy and Boyd, 2003;Smith, 2006), who focused on the tourism valorisation of cultural heritage, as incorporating cultural heritage into tourism activity helps to bring about the economic development of a society and preserve it (Zeppel and Hall, 1991;McKercher and Du Cros, 2002).Also, there are authors dealing with the management of cultural heritage and the relationship between cultural heritage and tourism from various aspects such as political, archaeological, economic, and so on (Boniface and Moulin, 2001;Du Cros, 2001;Graham, 2002).The most important book dealing with the study of cultural heritage from the geographic aspect "A Geography of Heritage" (Graham, Ashworth and Tunbridge, 2000) was written in this period.It discusses the connection between heritage and identity, the utilisation of cultural heritage, conflicts arising from it and the role of UNESCO in creating world (global) heritage.
In Croatia, scientific papers dealing with the research of the attitudes of tourist and directors of tourist boards on tourism valorisation of cultural heritage are rarely represented in literature, which is the consequence of the fact that this area of research is relatively new.The first comprehensive study of the attitudes and profiles of cultural tourists in Croatia was encouraged by the Institute of Tourism and conducted in 2008 (Tomljenović and Marušić).Among other things, it explored the attitudes of tourists about the attractions they visited and Croatian cultural and tourism supply with the aim of creating a base for the development of Croatian cultural products in tourism (of the highest quality) in the future.The study of cultural tourism in Croatia is also dealt with in the study done by Vrtiprah (2006), which analysed cultural resources in the tourism supply in the 21st century.Jelinčić (2008) points out the dissatisfaction of foreign guests with the cultural supply and the lack of information on cultural sites and events in the visited destination, and (2010) analysed the management of cultural goods in Croatian tourism.Gredičak (2008) analysed cultural heritage in the function of tourism and "consumers of cultural products", and Demonja (2011) analysed Croatian cultural tourism experiences and presented some of the more successful projects in cultural tourism that have attracted tourists in Croatia.The potential of tourist valorisation of intangible cultural heritage of rural areas of Dalmatia was dealt with Petrić and Jasenko (2012), while valorisation of the cultural landscape in Croatia and the need for its protection was dealt with by Dumbović-Bilušić (2015).Urošević and Afrić Rakitovac explored innovative models of valorisation and revitalisation of cultural heritage in sustainable tourism.
Najveći broj ispitanika bio je iz Hrvatske (123 ili 61 %).Stranih ispitanika bilo je iz 11 država, najviše iz obližnje Slovenije (21 %) i Austrije (3 %), dok su ostali bili prisutni u manjim postocima From the geographic point of view, Šakaja (1998) dealt with cultural heritage in tourism by analysing different factors of spatial organisation and economic value of cultural activities in Croatia, Faričić (2007) explored the cultural heritage of Croatian islands and the possibility of their socio-economic valorisation, Zupanc (2010) explored the presentation and evaluation of natural and cultural heritage in Istria, and Opačić (2017) explored models of valorisation of cultural heritage in tourism.
There are no previous papers exploring cultural heritage in tourism activity in Međimurje, and there is only one scientific paper that analyses regional identity as the driving force of tourism development (Marković and Fuerst-Bjeliš, 2015).

Survey results conducted among tourists and excursionists
The first seven questions of the survey questionnaire refer to the demographic characteristics of the respondents.Of the 200 respondents, women accounted for 59% (118), and men for 41% (82).The average age of respondents was 33.8 years old, with the share of young people (0-19 years old) being 12%, mature (20-59 years old) 80% and older (60 and > years old) 8%.Most of the respondents (58%) were married.This data suggests that during the survey period ( July and August 2017) tourists were mostly middle-aged and this was the demographic which the tourism supply in these destinations should aim for.
In terms of education, 5% of respondents had completed elementary school, 44% secondary school (three years or four years), 16% higher education, 32% university degree (4, 5 or 6 years), and 3% of respondents had a master's degree or a doctorate in sciences.As expected, the largest number of respondents had a degree in master of science or a PhD.Also as expected, most of the respondents (61%) were employed, 26% were students, 6% were pensioners, and 7% unemployed.
in small percentages (Fig. 2).Tourists from the mentioned neighbouring countries mainly came to Terme Sv.Martin (a hot springs resort), mostly because of the lower prices of services compared to the regional competition, and the quality of the supply is equal or higher.
Out of a total of 123 respondents from the Republic of Croatia, four-fifths of them came from the Zagreb macro-region, 30% from the City of Zagreb, 28% from Varaždin, 15% from Koprivnica-Križevci County, and 7% from Krapina-Zagorje County, while others came from other parts of the Republic of Croatia.These data show that the tourism supply of Međimurje is directed primarily at the domestic market, to the towns and counties of Central Croatia, where the largest number of excursionists and tourists come from.
As the main motive for visiting the area, the largest number of respondents (46%), marked rest and relaxation, then health (wellness) facilities (23%) and natural beauty (11%).Cultural heritage, as the main motive for coming to Međimurje, was mentioned by only 7% of respondents.These are the main motives based on the supply of St. Martin, the growing recognition of the Međimurje wine route, and the developed sports and cycling infrastructure.Furthermore, they are a reflection of the significant investment of the private and public sector over the last twenty years in the tourist sector of Međimurje.
The statistically significant difference among the respondents regarding the perception of the representation of natural and cultural heritage in tourist information sources was determined by the chi-square test (χ2 = 30.957;df = 2; p = 0.000).Most of the respondents (56%) who visited St. Martin mentioned natural heritage as dominant.As far as Čakovec was concerned, 44% of respondents perceive cultural heritage as dominant, while the rest of them are wasteful and undisturbed as natural heritage as less represented among tourists in Čakovec.In conclusion, we can say that there is a difference between the perception of tourist facilities in sources of information depending on the destination of the survey, which stems from the supply of tourism facilities in St. Martin or Čakovec.In Čakovec there are more cultural sites, while in Sv.Martin there are more sites related to natural heritage, or recreational and wellness tourism.
being "enough", 21% of respondents rated it as "good", 6% "very good" and 8% as "excellent" (Fig. 4).These data indicate that tourists are insufficiently acquainted with cultural heritage in Međimurje, which is why promotional activities should be improved.With the use of promotional tools and more intense advertising, it is possible to make tourists better acquainted with cultural heritage sites in Međimurje.
As the main source of information about the cultural heritage of Međimurje, the largest number of respondents (68%) cited web sites.Printed brochures were cited by 8% of the respondents, and 7% of respondents cited guide books.A considerable number (13%) of respondents did not know anything about the area's cultural heritage before coming to Medjimurje (Fig. 5).Contemporary trends are dominated by the use of internet platforms to inform potential tourists and they are gradually surpassing printed brochures and guidebooks.The statistically significant difference between the sources of information on the cultural heritage supply of Međimurje in relation to the tourists age was determined by one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) (F = 30.696;df = 3; p = 0.000).Websites (M = 33.29,SD = 10.317) are the dominant source of information among the younger population, while guidebooks (M = 52.43;SD = 15.878) and printed brochures (M = 55.13,SD = 9.366) are mainly used by older tourists.We can conclude that the sources of information about the cultural heritage supply of Međimurje depends on the age of the tourists, using information content according to their previous habits.Younger tourists use more internet content, and older tourists use more printed content.Najveći broj ispitanika (43 %) posjetio je samo jedan objekt kulturne baštine u Međimurju.Iza njih, sa značajnim udjelom, slijede ispitanici koji nisu posjetili ni jedan baštinski objekt (31 %), a najmanje je onih ispitanika koji su posjetili dva ili više objekata (26 %).Kao uvjerljivo najposjećeniji objekt ispitanici navode Stari grad Čakovec, a zatim zaštićenu kulturno-povijesnu cjelina grada Čakovca te crkvu sv.Jeronima u Štrigovi.Općenito, prema mišljenju turista, slaba posjećenost kulturno-baštinskih objekata rezultat je nedovoljne upoznatosti turista s kulturnom baštinom, preslabe povezanosti baštinskih objekata sa zabavnim i kulturnim manifestacijama te visokih cijena ulaznica.
Zadovoljstvo ispitanika dobivenim informacijama o baštinskom objektu za vrijeme obilaska ocjenjivano je na ljestvici od 1 do 5, pri čemu je 1 = izrazito nezadovoljan, 2 = uglavnom nezadovoljan, 3 = ni zadovoljan, ni nezadovoljan, 4 = uglavnom zadovoljan i 5 = izrazito zadovoljan.Od 69 % ili 147 ispitanika koji su posjetili barem jedan objekt The largest number of respondents (43%) visited only one cultural heritage site in Međimurje.They were followed by, with a significant proportion, tourists who did not visit any heritage objects (31%), and then by those who visited two or more objects (26%).The respondents mentioned the Old Town of Čakovec as the object visited significantly more often than others, and then the protected cultural and historical part of the town of Čakovec and the church of St Jerome in Štrigova.In general, according to tourists, the low number of visits to cultural and heritage sites is the result of insufficient information available to tourists regarding cultural heritage sites, an insufficient connection of heritage sites with entertainment and cultural events, and high ticket prices.

The question:
To what extent is the cultural heritage in Medjimurje unique?was rated on a scale of 1 (common) to 5 (highly unique), and the highest number of respondents chose 3 (33%), while lowest number of respondents chose 1 (7%).Twenty percent of respondents rated this question with the grade 5.. From the data obtained it is evident that tourists perceived the cultural heritage of Međimurje as unique to a considerable extent (Fig. 6) so it can be deduced that the cultural heritage of Međimurje has good tourist potential.
of them (48%) were mostly satisfied with the information they had received during the tour.Very satisfied described 26% of respondents, while only 8% of respondents were extremely dissatisfied or mostly dissatisfied.Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied described 18% of respondents.Such a high proportion of mainly and extremely satisfied visitors is the result of the fact that most of the respondents visited the Old Town of Čakovec, the cultural and historical part of the town of Čakovec, and the church of St. Jerome.These sites, unlike others, offer professional guides and are labelled with information placards.
For the largest number of respondents (50%) the greatest cultural and heritage good in Međimurje was the Old Town of Čakovec, followed by the church of St. Jerome, chosen by 13%, and Zrinski Guard Čakovec, which was chosen by 9% of respondents.A significant proportion of respondents (22%) stated that they did not know which was the greatest cultural and heritage good of Međimurje (Fig. 7).The old town of Čakovec is the cultural and heritage site that is most valorised for tourism and has the largest number of tourist visits, predominantly from school groups.Major investments in the modernisation of the exhibitions and computerisation funded by European Structural Funds, are planned with the aim of increasing the number of tourists and diversifying visitor profiles.
The opinions of the respondents on the representation of cultural heritage in the tourist offering of Međimurje was also examined.On a scale from 1 to 5 (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best) most of the respondents rated cultural heritage 2 (34%).As many as 30% of the respondents rated it 1, and 22% of the respondents rated it 3.The lowest number of respondents (6%) gave it a 5, and 8% gave it 4.It is the view of the tourists that cultural heritage is insufficiently represented in the tourism supply, which is primarily due to its lesser involvement in information about the tourism supply of Međimurje, insufficient preparation of heritage sites for tourism valorisation, and greater orientation of tourism communities towards valorisation of natural heritage.
The next question: How much tourism potential, in your opinion, does cultural heritage of Međimurje have?was also rated on a scale of 1 (no tourism potential) to 5 (great tourism potential) and the largest number of respondents gave it a score of 4 (47%).A score of 5 was given by 28% of respondents, and score of 3 by 21% of respondents.It is interesting that no respondent rated the tourism potential of cultural heritage with a negative rating (Fig. 8).The tourism potential of Međimurje is rated by tourists with high marks, which is the basis for its greater participation in tourist activity.
At the end of the survey, respondents were asked to submit their proposals for more successful use of the cultural heritage of Međimurje in tourism.Almost half of the respondents (48 %) did not make any suggestions and mostly answered "I do not know" and "I have no suggestions" or they did not answer the question at all, which can be explained by their lack of knowledge about the cultural herit-age of Međimurje and lack of interest in the topic.The respondents who responded to the question most often suggested: • more advertising on web sites • cheaper tickets to museums

• better promotion of cultural heritage objects
• equipping heritage sites with information and video technology • adapting the museum's opening hours to the needs of tourists • more fun and cultural events related to heritage sites • greater presence at tourist fairs • more frequent bus lines from Čakovec to distant heritage sites.

Results of interviewing the directors of tourist boards
In-depth interviews were conducted with the directors (managers) of tourist boards operating in the area of Međimurje.Beside the Tourist board of Međimurje County, there are six tourist boards of towns and municipalities in Međimurje (in the towns of Čakovec, Prelog, and Mursko Središće, and the municipalities of Nedelišće, Štrigova and Sveti Martin na Muri).They were founded mainly 15 to 20 years ago, in parallel with the intensive development of tourism in the area of Međimurje.Most of them are managed by managers rather than by directors (as Međimurju te nezainteresiranošću ispitanika za ovu temu.Oni ispitanici koji su odgovorili na postavljeni zahtjev najčešće su predlagali

Rezultati intervjuiranja direktora turističkih zajednica
Dubinski intervju obavljen je s direktorima (voditeljima) turističkih zajednica koje djeluju na području Međimurja.The interviewed directors of the tourist boards mentioned the Old Town of Čakovec as the most important cultural heritage site with the greatest tourist potential, which is the basis for tourism development in Međimurje, followed by:

• Wayside crosses in Međimurje
The main reasons why these heritage sites were listed as the most important and with the greatest tourist potential are: • their great artistic value • their great historical value • the greatest interest of tourists for the mentioned sites • importance for people's religious life • facilities in and around the heritage sites (museum exhibitions, catering facilities) • some of the above mentioned objects are listed in the Register of Cultural Goods of the Republic of Croatia as goods of national significance.
The interviewees believe that the tourism potential of the cultural heritage of Međimurje is good i.e. great, primarily because of its historical and artistic value and the nationally significant heritage of the Zrinski family.They are united in the view that cultural heritage is insufficiently utilised in the tourism supply of Međimurje, and the main reasons for this o turističkim zajednicama), prvenstveno zato što nemaju zakonom propisanu odgovarajuću stručnu spremu.
Kazivači smatraju da je turistički potencijal kulturne baštine Međimurja dobar odnosno velik i to prvenstveno zbog njezine povijesne i umjetničke vrijednosti te nacionalno značajne baštine obitelji Zrinski.Jedinstveni su u stavu da je kulturna baština nedovoljno iskorištena u turističkoj ponudi Međimurja, a kao glavne razloge za to navode: nedovoljnu prezen-are: insufficient presentation of cultural heritage; too few facilities and activities related to heritage sites; and insufficient human and financial capacity.They also point out that cultural heritage sites are utilised less than natural heritage sites in the current tourism supply and the main reasons for this are: the interest of tourists for natural sites; greater presence of natural heritage in promotional materials; and better connection of natural heritage sites with sports and recreation and wine tasting and gastronomy tourism.
At the end of the in-depth interviews, the directors (managers) of tourist boards were asked to submit their proposals for a more successful integration of cultural heritage into the tourism supply of Međimurje.
Their suggestions are as follows: • invest more financial resources in the promotion of cultural heritage • withdraw more financial resources for the renovation of heritage sites and their inclusion in tourism from EU funds • equipping cultural heritage sites with modern technology (video, holograms, IT equipment) • incorporate heritage sites into expansive cycling routes round Međimurje • link heritage sites with certain selective forms of tourism (sport and recreation, health, wine tasting and gastronomy and business tourism) • educate tourists and locals about the cultural heritage of Međimurje • link important heritage sites to a unique tourism product • establish the Ecomuseum of Međimurje to connect, interpret and promote the tangible and intangible heritage • organise more facilities and events in and around heritage sites • promote cultural heritage with the potential of new technologies and tools.

Discussion
With the help of in-depth interviews, the views of the directors of tourist boards on tourist potential and valorisation of cultural heritage in tourism in Međimurje were established and the surveys examined the profile of excursionists and tourists visiting Međimurje and their views on the same topic.
The main reasons for the arrival of tourists and tourists in Međimurje are holidays, relaxation, and wellness.Cultural heritage was cited by 7% of the respondents as the main motive for visiting the area, which corresponds to the data cited in literature (e.g.McKercher and Du Cros, 2002), according to which tourists primarily motivated by culture make up 5 -15% of the total number of tourists.
Of the total number of surveyed respondents, 28% thought that natural heritage is more represented than cultural heritage in the information on the tourism supply in Međimurje, while the proportion of those who considered cultural heritage to be more represented was much less (15%).It was established that most of the respondents in Sveti Martin considered the representation of natural heritage sites to be greater, and that the respondents in Čakovec felt cultural heritage to be more represented.As cultural and heritage sites dominate in the tourism supply of Čakovec, and natural heritage sites and wellness facilities dominate in Sveti Martin it can be concluded that such attitudes of respondents arise from the supply of tourist facilities in these two destinations.
The survey also showed that tourists and tourists are not well acquainted with the cultural heritage of Međimurje.The reason for this is the lack of interest on the part of the tourists themselves, but also the bad promotion of cultural heritage sites on the web pages, brochures, and guidebooks.Given that the aforementioned sources of information are published by the local tourist boards, it can be concluded that natural heritage is more important for the tourist promotion of Međimurje than cultural.For that reason, it is necessary to intensify and promote cultural heritage, as Zupanc (2010) found in Istria.More than two-thirds of the interviewees cited websites as the main source of information on the cultural heritage of Međimurje.Only 8% of the respondents mentioned brochures, and as many as 13% of respondents were not informed regarding cultural heritage before coming to Međimurje.Internet sites are pushing printed najvažniji izvor informacija za izletnike i turiste, a intervjuirani direktori TZ-a ističu potrebu njihove veće uključenosti u promidžbu kulturne baštine i cjelokupne turističke ponude Međimurja.Jednosmjernom analizom varijance utvrđeno je da su internetske stranice glavni izvor informacija o kulturnoj baštini Međimurja za mlađu populaciju dok su za stariju populaciju to još uvijek turistički vodiči i tiskane brošure.
Utvrđena je statistički značajna razlika između percepcije turistički najatraktivnijega kulturno-baštinskog dobra Međimurja i dobi turista.Tako je za mlađu populaciju najatraktivnija Zrinska garda, a za stariju Stari grad Čakovec i crkva svetoga Jeronima.Međutim, uz najatraktivnije i drugi navedeni media out and today are the most important source of information for excursionists and tourists, and interviewed directors of tourist boards emphasised the need for their greater involvement in the promotion of cultural heritage and the entire tourism supply in Međimurje.The one-way variance analysis found that websites were the main source of information regarding cultural heritage of Međimurje for the younger population, while for the old population it was still guidebooks and printed brochures.
For the largest number of respondents (50%) and for all the interviewed directors of tourist boards in Međimurje, the most attractive cultural and heritage facility with the greatest tourism potential is the Old Town of Čakovec, followed by the Church of St. Jerome, the cultural and historical part of the town of Čakovec, the chapel of St. Helen in Šenkovec, Feštetić Castle in Pribislavec, the Church of St. Jacob in Prelog etc. (Fig. 9).
U županijskoj turističkoj strategiji turistička se djelatnost ističe kao jedna od ključnih ever, along with the most attractive ones, other cultural and heritage sites form the basis for the development of tourism in Međimurje because of the interest of visitors and their historical, artistic, and scientific value.
At the end of the survey and the in-depth interviews, excursionists and tourists and tourist board directors made their proposals for more successful use of cultural heritage in tourism.Almost half of the surveyed respondents did not make any suggestions, and unlike them, all of the interviewed directors of the tourist boards stated their suggestions.As the interviewees emphasised the scarce financial resources available, which are invested in heritage sites, their proposals were primarily aimed at attracting more money from the budget or from EU funds.In addition, they emphasised the need for more intensive inclusion of cultural and heritage sites in a developed network of tourist cycling trails in Međimurje, which could also use more financial resources.Other proposals refer to linking heritage sites to a unique tourism product and better linking of cultural heritage with certain selective forms of tourism, and in one part coincided with the suggestions of surveyed excursionists and tourists (about intensifying internet advertising, equipping heritage sites with modern information technology and the need of organizing more facilities and events related to heritage objects).
According to the survey of travellers and tourists and the interviews of the directors of tourist boards it is possible to propose a cultural itinerary, based on the most valuable objects of cultural heritage in Međimurje.This cultural itinerary should also include the objects of natural heritage which are found alongside the most valuable objects of cultural heritage, and connect cultural tourism with other complementary types of tourism: rural (especially wine tasting and gastronomy tourism); business and health.A tour of objects of cultural heritage which is included in the itinerary should be available for visitors who arrive by cars, buses, or bikes on planned bicycle tracks.The targeted group of tourists is represented by active, but also passive cultural tourists, i.e. those who travel mainly for cultural heritage, as well as those for whom cultural heritage is only an additional activity to explore.
U radu su ispitane i potvrđene sve postavljene hipoteze.Rezultati anketnoga istraživanja provedenog među izletnicima i turistima pokazali su kako većina ispitanika svoju upoznatost kulturnom baštinom Međimurja smatra nezadovoljavajućom.To zapravo potvrđuje hipotezu (H1) da turisti nisu dovoljno upoznati s kulturnom baštinom Međimurja zbog as one of the key activities which, alongside with entrepreneurship, industry and agriculture, can contribute to strong integration and successful strengthening of these activities in the economy of Međimurje.The tourism product portfolio is divided into three big categories.The first category is made up of products for relaxation: sport and recreational tourism; wellness and health tourism; wine tasting and gastronomy tourism; and cultural tourism.In terms of tourism products, cultural tourism is represented by tours of sights and cultural events.The second category of the product portfolio is made up of products for business tourism which include business tourism products and sport preparations, and the third category, the category of special products, includes transit tourism.On the basis of strategy analysis it can be concluded that cultural tourism is important for tourism in Međimurje and that it should be more important in the future (even though it isn't mentioned as the most important factor in the attractiveness to tourists) and that cultural tourists will be of medium importance for tourism in Međimurje with regards to quantitative indicators.

Conclusion
The inclusion of cultural heritage in the tourism supply is considered to be a shift in the quality of tourism and the act of increasing the competitiveness of a travel destination.Successful examples have proven that cultural heritage can be profitable, especially when it joins the tourism sector, thus ceasing to be a passive cultural resource and starting to actively participate in its own financing and the economic development of a community.Although this paper focuses on the tourism valorisation of cultural heritage, it also emphasises the need for its protection.Valorisation of cultural heritage must be done within the framework of sustainable development because heritage is susceptible to inappropriate interventions in space and any imbalance created is contrary to its attractiveness for tourists.
All hypotheses were examined and confirmed in the paper.The results of the survey conducted among excursionists and tourists showed that most of the respondents considered their familiarity with the cultural heritage of Međimurje to be unsatisfactory.This confirms the hypothesis (H1) that tourists are not familiar enough with the cultural Interpretacija oplemenjuje turističku ponudu, promiče baštinu kao identitetsko obilježje određenoga prostora te povećava vrijednost lokaliteta baštine u očima posjetitelja.Ona mora biti cjelokupna, odnosno mora zahvatiti širi kontekst od samoga kulturno-baštinskog lokaliteta (Richards, 1996).
Može se zaključiti da su rezultati anketnoga upitnika i dubinskoga intervjua potvrdili navedene hipoteze te činjenicu da u Međimurju postoje kulturno-baštinski objekti koji mogu biti osnova turističkoga razvoja -Stari grad Čakovec, kulturno-povijesna cjelina grada Čakovca, crkva sv.Jeronima u Štrigovi, kapela sv.Jelene u heritage of Međimurje, which is why better promotion and interpretation on web pages, brochures, and guidebooks is necessary.Appropriate interpretation of cultural heritage represents the basis for its tourism valorisation.The interpretation enhances the tourism supply, promotes heritage as an identity of a given space and increases the value of the heritage site in the eyes of the visitor.It has to be comprehensive and it must capture a wider context than the cultural-heritage site itself (Richards, 1996).
On a scale from 1 to 5 most surveyed excursionists and tourists (75%) rated the travel potential of cultural heritage of Međimurje with the grades 4 or 5 and to the question of What is the tourist potential of cultural heritage in Međimurje?all directors of the tourist boards responded good or great, so it can be concluded that the cultural heritage of Međimurje is seen by the surveyed tourists and the interviewed directors as having valuable potential for tourism valorisation.When this is taken into consideration, along with the attitude of all of the directors of tourist boards that cultural heritage is utilised less than natural heritage in the current offering for tourism supply and the fact that almost half of the surveyed excursionists and tourists visited only one and one-third visited no cultural heritage sites in the County of Međimurje, we can conclude that the hypothesis (H2) according to which the cultural heritage of Međimurje has a good tourism potential that is not sufficiently utilised to have been confirmed.
The third hypothesis (H3) that the most important cultural and heritage site of Međimurje is the Old Town of Čakovec was also confirmed because all of the interviewed directors of tourist boards in Međimurje and half of the surveyed tourists and excursionists mentioned the Old Town of Čakovec as having the most potential for cultural tourism.The significant funds for modernisation and computerisation of the museum exhibitions within the Old Town that are planned to be invested should increase its appeal for tourists in the future.
It can be concluded that the results of the research questionnaire and the in-depth interviews confirmed the previously-mentioned hypothesis and the fact that there are cultural and heritage sites in Međimurje that can be the basis of the development of tourism -the Old Town of Čakovec, the cultural and historical part of the town of Čakovec, St. Jerome's Church in Štrig-ova, the Chapel of St. Helen in Šenkovec, the Feštetić Castle in Pribislavec, etc.The Old Town of Čakovec is the most important cultural heritage good in Međimurje with the biggest potential in tourism, primarily because of its historical, educational, and scientific value, and also because of the high level of interest on the part of travellers and tourists.Tourists who come to Međimurje are usually not motivated by cultural heritage, nor do they know much about it because of its inadequate promotion.Not all cultural goods can be valorised through tourism, but the activation and inclution of more objects of cultural heritage into the offering for tourists, especially those which travellers and tourism supply have marked as most valuable, is necessary.In order to achieve this, it is necessary to present new heritage attractions and connect them with complementary forms of tourism and the attractions of neighbouring counties for the purpose of joint promotion of tourism and the establishment of cultural routes with the aim of attracting and retaining more visitors.

Sl. 5 .
Glavni izvori informacija o kulturnoj baštini Međimurja Fig. 5 The main sources of information on the cultural heritage of Međimurje Izvor: Anketno istraživanje (srpanj 2017.godine) Source: Research questionnaire (July, 2017) The Church of St. Jerome in Štrigova • The cultural and historical part of the Town of Čakovec with Church of St. Nicholas • The Chapel of St. Helen in Šenkovec • Feštetić Castle in Pribislavac • The Church of St. Jacob in Prelog • The Church assumption of HVM in Sveta Marija • The Church of St. Martin in Sv.Martin na Muri • The mill on the river Mura in Žabnik • The Church of the Holy Trinity in Nedelišće • The Mining Memorial Site "Cimper" in Mursko Središće • Archaeological site from Roman times -Ferenčica near Prelog