Prospects for the Development of Cultural Tourism in the Republic of Croatia in the Example of the City of Zadar

Razvojem selektivnih oblika turizma u zemlji jača se i nacionalni identitet same zemlje, u ovom slučaju posebno kulturni nacionalni identitet jer je riječ o kulturnom turizmu. Bez dobro izgrađenog kulturnog identiteta gotovo je nemoguće valorizirati potencijal kulturne baštine, atrakcija i evenata u turističke svrhe. Stoga je potrebno, uz kvalitetan menadžment na razini države i lokalnoj razini, razviti i pomno smišljenu strategiju s raznim programima i mjerama aktivnosti kojima bi se razvila kvalitetna turistička kulturna ponuda i sam kulturni proizvod. K tome, potrebno je jednako sagledati stranu ponudu i potražnju kako bi se ocijenili i vrednovali svi aspekti – oni pozitivni i oni negativni potrebni za razvoj uspješnog oblika kulturnog turizma. U ovom se radu istražuje kakve su perspektive razvoja kulturnog turizma u Hrvatskoj i gradu Zadru te kakve korake i strategije poduzima sama vlast na državnoj i lokalnoj razini kako bi što bolje konkurirali na tržištu.Through development of selective forms of tourism in a country, its national identity is reinforced as well; in this particular case it is the cultural identity of a nation, since the subject of this work is cultural tourism. Without a well-developed cultural identity, it is almost impossible to assess the potential of a cultural heritage, as well as of various attractions and events organized for tourist purposes. Therefore, in addition to high quality management at the state and local levels, it is necessary to develop a carefully thought-out strategy with various programs and activities in order to develop a valuable tourist cultural offer and a cultural product itself. Moreover, it is necessary to consider both supply and demand in order to assess and evaluate all aspects – positive and negative ones – involved in the development of a successful form of cultural tourism. This paper investigates the prospects of the development of cultural tourism in Croatia and the city of Zadar, and discusses steps and strategies taken by the local and state government in order to reach higher competitiveness