[Vedrana Franić]

The City of Split wants to develop sustainable tourism practices, and thus ensure that local community, especially the one in Old City Centre (OCC) and OCC buffer zone, is equipped with tools and knowledge to participate in more balanced tourism development that at the same time makes the way for enhanced tourism experience, as well as protection of environment and cultural heritage in the OCC. Establishing a balance between preservation of cultural heritage and the development of tourism, while safeguarding urban fabric of the city, is an imperative.
The first step taken by the City of Split in this matter is the establishment of a Coordination Council to monitor the implementation and update of the UNESCO World Heritage Management Plan “Historical Complex of Split with Diocletian’s Palace”. One of the activities foreseen in the Management Plan is formation of an Urban Centre (UC) in the area of the Old City Centre.
The UC is planned as a place where residents gather informally and directly influence the achievement of the strategic goals of the City of Split. Purpose of UC is improving life in the OCC. The UC encourages the City of Split to focus on the residents themselves, their quality of life, ecology and local economy, while providing tools for making meaningful connections with the visitors.

ABOUT CITY
City of Split is a local government organization responsible for managing economic development, communal, social and transport infrastructure and implements various political, social and development policies. It has 8 departments employing 388, with annual budget of 334.466.736 million euros (in 2024), office equipment, presentation hall, presentation equipment, communication equipment, maintenance and protection equipment.
In terms of this project proposal, the City Development Department is seen as vital for the development and implementation of this project. City Development Department is tasked with strategic projects preparation and implementation, and it also performs tasks related to strategic planning, proposing, and coordinating all development activities of the city. It is also responsible for monitoring and analysing the tourism development, providing guidelines for improving various forms of sustainable tourism, proposing funding sources for the tourism supply, and coordinating all stakeholders in the field of tourism.
City of Split has implemented multiple Interreg projects, as well as the projects from the other EU/national programs, and therefore City has great knowledge and trained personnel for the preparation and implementation of projects.

TOURISM IN CITY
Split is a destination that has the highest share of nights spent among all the city destinations in Croatia – in 2021, Split had a share of 2.9% in total numbers of overnight stays in Croatia, followed by the capital, Zagreb with 2.5% and city of Zadar with 2.2% (Eurostat, Croatian Bureau of Statistics – DZS).
Split, once seen as a transit or exclusively city break destination, is gradually reshaping itself as seen from the prolonged stay of visitors in the destination – number of nights spent per one arrival has grown from 2.21 in 2019 to 3.3 in 2022.
In conclusion, Split, with its Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian as the living fabric of the city centre, being on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979, and considered Outstanding Universal Value – OUV, will continue to attract thousands of visitors every year. The efforts made in infrastructure, strategic planning and legislature on every level will take time to transition it from an overtourism destination to a new tourism destination. In the meantime, it is crucial to empower all the key stakeholders, with emphasis on the deprived local community in the Old City Centre (OCC), with the tools that make participatory approach to creation of new tourism possible.

CONTRIBUTION TO STRATEGIES AND POLICIES:
Development Strategy of the City of Split until 2030
UNESCO World Heritage Management Plan “Historical Complex of Split with Diocletian’s Palace” with an action plan enclosed
Green City Action Plan Split (GCAP Split)

[Yosra Benabdellah]

Dear Vedrana,

My name is Yosra and I am reaching out on behalf of the Municipality of Roquetas de Mar, situated in the southeast of Spain. Renowned for its vibrant tourism industry, Roquetas de Mar stands as one of the most significant cities in the province of Almeria.

As a local public entity, the Municipality of Roquetas de Mar is dedicated to fostering partnerships and collaborations that not only promote sustainability but also enrich the tourism experience for both visitors and residents alike.
The Municipality of Roquetas de Mar possesses expertise at the local level across various domains, notably in eco-tourism, community engagement, and sustainable development planning. We firmly believe that by synergizing our resources and knowledge, we can develop impactful initiatives that serve to benefit both the communities and the environment.

Please, contact me at Yosra.Benabdellah@sicidominus.eu to explore a possiblity of collaboration.

[CHRISTOS NICOLAIDES]

Dear Vedrana,

Dear Laetitia,

We are a Cyprus-based consulting company. We are developing an INTERREG EURO MED project on sustainable tourism, specifically on climate resilience in Mediterranean tourist destinations. We are looking for an organisation to lead the consortium. If you feel you have the capacity to undertake such role and are interested to learn about the project, please write back to me to send you the project concept note.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Christos Nicolaides
christos@dekaplus.eu

[Renato Colonna]

Hi, Vedrana
I am writing on behalf of GAL Molise verso 2000, situated in region of Molise (Italy).
GAL is a limited liability consortium company founded in 1994 with the aim of designing, implementing and managing initiatives in the field of Local, National and European development.
We are a body governed by public law, a local action group and a network made of 59 municipalities and many private professional associations and organization with the aim of local development of a rural area in Italy (Molise Region) http://www.galmolise.it.

Our working group has certified experience in the sector also and above all regarding European projects.
I propose as we could offer technical assistance and coordination service for the development of project.
In this specific case we could take care of organizing and publicizing the event, involving experts and the population, in such a way as to make the topic known as much as possible.

For further info you can contact the following addresses:
e-mail: adocolagio@yahoo.it or colonnarenato95@gmail.com

Best regards
Renato

[Author]

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