The development of tourist destination through event tourism on the example of Ultra Europe festival in Split

Turističke destinacije sve više shvaćaju brojne prednosti koje im može donijeti razvoj event turizma, pa taj specifični oblik turizma sve češće dobiva primat u strategijama razvoja turizma destinacija. Osim što privlači posjetitelje u destinaciju koja joj je domaćin, manifestacija značajno doprinosi stvaranju pozitivnog imidža, obogaćuje doživljaj posjetitelja te doprinosi produženju njihova boravka u destinaciju. Ljudi postaju sve više zainteresirani za manifestacije svih vrsta, i putuju veoma daleko kako bi učestvovali u onima koje ih zanimaju. Split, drugi po veličini grad u Hrvatskoj, se u prošlosti često smatrao isključivo tranzitnom destinacijom, a zadnjih nekoliko godina doživljava turistički procvat te ruši rekorde posjećenosti iz sezone u sezonu. Kao jedan od ključnih oblika turizma kojeg turističke institucije u Splitu strateški razvijaju kako bi obogatili turističku ponudu grada Splita te smanjili masovnost i sezonalnost je manifestacijski ili event turizam. Upravo su se brojne manifestacije istaknule kao glavni motiv dolaska gostiju, a najznačajnija od njih je festival elektronske glazbe Ultra Europe koji se u Splitu održava svakog srpnja od 2013. godine, a u tri dana trajanja privuče više od sto tisuća posjetitelja iz više od sto zemalja svijeta što ga čini jednim od najposjećenijih glazbenih festivala u Europi. Ultra Europe je događanje koje je uvelike obilježilo galopirajući turistički razvoj Splita: osim prihoda za destinaciju i za puno njezinih djelatnosti, kao što su smještaj i ugostiteljstvo, trgovina i promet, taxi prijevoz i drugi transferi, radi se o turističkom proizvodu koji je dao dodatnu vrijednost postojećoj turističkoj ponudi Splita, privukao novi profil gostiju odmaknutih od standardnog proizvoda sunca i mora te upisao Split na kartu najboljih festivalskih destinacija Europe.Tourist destinations are becoming more aware of the many benefits that the development of event tourism can bring, and that is way this specific form of tourism is slowly becoming one of the key forms of tourism tourist destinations are developing strategically. In addition to attracting visitors to the destination that hosts it, the event significantly contributes to the creation of a positive image, enriches the visitor experience and contributes to the extension of their stay in the destination. People are becoming more and more interested in manifestations of all kinds, and they travel very far to participate in those which are interesting to them. Split, the second largest city in Croatia, in the past, has often been considered as a transit destination only, but over the past few years, this destination has been experiencing bloom in tourism, as well as record numbers in both tourist arrivals and overnight stays. As one of the key forms of tourism that Split as tourist destination is strategically developing is event tourism. Numerous events have been highlighted as the main motive for the tourist arrival, and the most important of them all is the Ultra Europe, a three-day long electronic music festival that is held in Split every July since 2013. Every summer this festival attracts more than one hundred thousand visitors from all over the world which makes it one of the most popular music festivals in Europe. Ultra Europe is an event that has marked the galloping tourist development of Split: apart from the revenue for the destination and for many of its activities, such as accommodation and hospitality, trade and transport, it is a tourist product that has added an extra value to the existing tourist offer of Split, attracted new profile of tourists, and entered Split on the map of the best European festival destinations and best European tourist destination in general