CROWN - Croatian World Network - http://www.croatia.org/crown
Croatian Warm Sea project - Projekt Hrvatsko Toplo More
http://www.croatia.org/crown/articles/9977/1/Croatian-Warm-Sea-project---Projekt-Hrvatsko-Toplo-More.html
By Zoran Posinovec, attorney at law
Published on 06/17/2010
 
The unused and neglected thermal and therapeutic springs in NW Croatia call for urgent action, in the area full of  castles, granges and villas. We want to renovate existing structures and put the unused springs to use, to invest in tourist-health centres. We invite Croats who are interested in taking part in this project to get in touch with us as soon as they can.

Thermal and therapeutic springs in NW Croatia


View from Medvednica mountain near Zagreb onto the hilly region of Hrvatsko Zagorje
 
Sažetak

Neiskorišteni i zapušteni izvori tople, ljekovite vode u sjeverozapadnoj Hrvatskoj  pozivaju na hitnu akciju. Kulturna baština ovog kraja govori o mudrosti naših predaka: tu su gradili dvorce, kurije i ljetnikovce, ovamo su dolazili na liječenje.

Želimo obnoviti postojeće objekte i staviti u funkciju neiskorištene izvore, investirati u  turističko-zdravstvene centre, međusobno sinergijski povezane i aktivne cijele godine.  Naš cilj je procvat ovog hrvatskog kraja koji u sebi nosi financijski i gospodarski potencijal, i za regiju, i za ulagače.

Pozivamo Hrvate koji su zainteresirani sudjelovati u ovom projektu, da nam se što prije jave.

 
Summary

The unused and neglected thermal and therapeutic springs in NW Croatia call for urgent action.  The cultural heritage of this area tells of the wisdom of our ancestors, for they built their castles here, granges and villas, came here for treatment.

We want to renovate existing structures and put the unused springs to use, to invest in tourist-health centres, linked synergetically together and at work all the year round. Our object is the prompt the flourishing of this Croatian region, in which financial and economic potentials are inherent, both for the region and for the investors.

We invite Croats who are interested in taking part in this project to get in touch with us as soon as they can.


Contact:

OKA d.o.o., 10000 Zagreb, Goljak 46, Croatia

Tel. +385 1 4821 090
email: oka@oka.hr

Mob. +385 98 205 125


Krapinske Toplice - the old open air pools and the unfinished pool complex (right with domes) in the town of Krapina

Krapinske Toplice - the old open air pools and the unfinished pool complex in the background

Projekt „Hrvatsko toplo more“

1. Uvodne činjenice

Hrvatska ima jednu od najljepših morskih obala na svijetu i turističku sezonu koja na toj obali traje 5 do 6 mjeseci godišnje. Ostali dio godine apsolutna većina hotela i restorana na obali je zatvorena. Gostiju gotovo i nema. Usprkos ovoj činjenici Hrvatska je u 2009. godini ostvarila oko 58 milijuna noćenja.

Gotovo sve turističke promidžbene aktivnosti centralne državne i lokalnih vlasti, te poduzetnika, vezane za razvoj turizma u državi, usmjerene su prema toj obali. Istovremeno u Hrvatskoj postoji preko 150 toplih izvora vode i to većinom u kontinentalnom dijelu. Naime, Sjeverozapadna Hrvatska (šire područje Hrvatskog Zagorja i drugih dijelova Hrvatske) leži na području veće koncentracije geotermalnih izvora u ovom dijelu Europe, a koje predstavlja sastavni dio zone geotermalnih izvora koji se protežu od Austrije, Slovenije, Hrvatske do Mađarske. Od tog broja toplih izvora, u njih 17 postoje lječilišni kapaciteti, a 5-6 toplih izvora služe kao wellness centri. Prema podacima iz lipnja i srpnja 2009. godine Hrvatska ostvaruje samo 240.000 noćenja u topličko - zdravstvenom turizmu što čini 0,5% svih noćenja od turizma u Hrvatskoj. Mi nemamo nikakav toplički brend, svake toplice rade na svoju ruku, nitko od toplica nije se povezao sa drugim toplicama i uopće, na topličkom turizmu ne postoji koordinacija. Ne postoji nikakav jedinstveni prospekt o toplicama u Hrvatskoj.

Usprkos gornjim činjenicama koje ukazuju na gospodarski nedostatne rezultate, ipak postoje pokazatelji koji ukazuju da bi ti rezultati mogli biti u budućnosti drugačiji. Tako je posljednjih nekoliko godina izgrađen turistički kompleks u toplicama Sveti Martin u Međimurju. Slovenski je vlasnik izgradio velike vanjske i unutrašnje bazene sa pratećim sadržajima u turističkom kompleksu u Tuheljskim toplicama, a Koncern Sunce, u vlasništvu Marfin Investement Group iz Atene i Jake Andabaka planira izgraditi turističko – zdrastveni kompleks u Stubičkim Toplicama. Obnova turističkog kompleksa u Krapinskim Toplicama traje već godinama, ali još nije dovršena.

2. Usporedne činjenice

Prema podacima iz srpnja 2009. godine u Sloveniji se realizira godišnje 3 milijuna noćenja od topličkog turizma. U realizaciji tog broja noćenja stranci sudjeluju sa 50%.

Njemačko tržište je najveći generator ponude u topličko - zdravstvenom turizmu i istovremeno najveći potrošač topličko - zdravstvenog turizma u Europi.

Austrija ima 750 wellness hotela, 84 termalne destinacije.

Mađarska ima 320 kupališta, 64 toplice, gdje sve skupa ima godišnje preko 3,5 milijuna noćenja, a 40% tih noćenja ostvaruju Nijemci.

3. Zaključci

Mogućnost iskorištavanja brojnih toplih izvora u sjeverozapadnom dijelu Hrvatske za potrebe turizma i zdrastva, odnosno zdrastvenog - turizma, povezana sa prirodnim ljepotama ovog kraja, zdravom i tradicijskom hranom, brojnim povijesnim objektima (dvorci, kurije, etnološka naselja), religijskim turiznom (Marija Bistrica) i ostalim, daje ovom dijelu Hrvatske iznimno veliki, a nedostatno iskorišteni, gospodarski potencijal. Primjerenim iskorištavanjem potencijala ovog dijela Hrvatske odnosno njegovim stavljanjem u turističku i zdrastvanu funkciju, Hrvatska bi u turističkom smislu dobila svoju „Provansu“.

Međutim ta „Provansa“ imala bi jednu bitno veću kvalitetu od one stvarne Provanse, jer bi bila temeljenu na izvorima tople vode. Povezivanjem ponuda brojnih wellness i lječilišnih centara ovog dijela Hrvatske dobili bi smo novo „more“ na koje bi smo mogli ići provoditi vikende, godišnje odmore ... ali s jednom novom kvalitetom koju na moru inače nemamo. To novo „more“ bilo bi toplo i moglo bi se koristiti cijelu godinu, svih 12 mjeseci!!

4. Projekt „Hrvatsko toplo more“

Mi želimo razviti neiskorištene, zapuštene i/ili nerazvijene, tople izvore sjeverozapadne Hrvatske. Želimo stvoriti turističke i turističko - zdrastvene centre, međusobno sinergijski i poslovno povezane koji rade cijelu godinu i pružaju visokokvalitetne zdrastvene, turističke i druge usluge.

U tu svrhu želimo sudjelovati u svim postupcima kojim putem možemo doći u vlasništvo, koncesiju i/ili zakup nekretnina na kojima možemo revitalizirati postojeće objekte i tople izvore odnosno staviti u funkciju neiskorištene i/ili nedostatno istražene izvore tople vode, putem greenfield investicija.

Naš  je zaključak da je tržište turističkih usluga koje ćemo mi nuditi u sjeverozapadnoj Hrvatskoj sada nerazvijeno, i sigurno će rasti po znatnoj stopi u prosjeku svake godine. Svim svojim sposobnostima namjeravamo se trajno prilagođavati klijentima - gostima. Vrijednost naše ideje je i u tome da značajno pomičemo granice današnjeg kontinentalnog turizma, u području koje ima bitno pre malo turističkih kapaciteta.

Dakle, naš cilj nije kratkoročan, a ni sebično - gramzljiv. Naš interes je probitak ovog hrvatskog kraja koji je time i naš vlastiti probitak. On je istovremeno i veliki korak u razvitku hrvatske turističke ponude na karti Europe, te i gospodarski zamašnjak jednog velikog dijela hrvatskog gospodarstva (prehrambene industrije, vinarstva, ...).

5. Kako ostvariti zamišljeni projekt

Mi dobro poznajemo gospodarske i druge potencijale ovog dijela Hrvatske. Imamo poslovo iskustvo, te smo u mogućnosti organizirati i okupiti stručne ljude iz Hrvatske i hrvatske dijaspore. Izradili smo neke idejne projekte, ali i konkretni poslovni plan za mogući projekt koji bi se vrlo brzo mogao realizirati.

Ono što nam treba je financijska podrška koja se može ostvariti kroz kredite, partnerstvo i na bilo koji drugi poslovni način. Stoga pozivamo sve Hrvate koji su u tom smislu zainteresirani sudjelovati u ovom projektu da nam se što prije jave! Upoznali bi smo ih s našim idejama i ponudili konkretne oblike suradnje.


The Croatian Warm Sea project

1. Introductory facts

Croatia has one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, and a tourist season that lasts five or six months a year on that coast. The rest of the year, the great majority of hotels and restaurants on the coast are closed. There are hardly any visitors. Nevertheless, tourists spent 58 million nights in Croatia last year.

Almost all the tourist promotion activities of central and local government as well as of enterprises related to the development of tourism in the country are directed towards this coast.
At the same time there are in Croatia over 150 hot springs, mostly in the inland part. NW Croatia (the general area of Hrvatsko Zagorje and other parts of Croatia) lies upon an area of great concentration of geothermal waters in this part of Europe, constituting a component part of the zone of geothermal waters that stretches across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia and Hungary.  In this total number of warm springs, in seventeen of them there are therapeutic capacities, while 5-6 warm springs are used as wellness centres.  According to data from June and July 2009, visitors spent only 240,000 nights in spa-healthcare tourism, or only 0.5% of all the nights spent in Croatia for tourist purposes.  We have no spa brand, and every spa works on its own, none of the spas are linked with the other and in general there is no coordination in hot spring tourism. Nor is there any comprehensive brochure concerning hot springs in Croatia.

In spite of these facts which tell of the economically poor performance, still there are indicators that suggest the performance in the future could be very different. Thus in the last few years a tourist complex was built at the Sveti Martin spa in Međimurje.  The Slovene owner in the tourist complex at Tuheljske Toplice has built large open air and indoor pools with ancillary features, and the Koncern Sunce, owned by Marfin Investment Group of Athens and Jako Andabak plan to build a tourist-wellness centre in Stubičke Toplice. The renovation of the tourist complex in Krapinske Toplice has been going on for years, but is not yet complete.

2. Comparisons

According to data from July 2009, tourists spend 3 million nights in Slovenia in the spa tourism industry.  Foreigners account for 50% of this number of nights.

The German market is the biggest generator of demand in spa-healthcare tourism and at the same time the biggest customer for this kind of tourism in Europe.


Austria has 750 wellness hotels and 84 thermal destinations.


Hungary has 320 bathing places, 64 hot springs, where all told tourists spend over 3.5 million nights a year, 40% being accounted for by Germans.

3. Conclusions

The opportunity for making use of the many warm springs in the NW part of Croatia for tourism and health care, that is for healthcare tourism, connected with the natural beauties of this region, with healthy traditional fare, with many historical structures (castles, granges, ethnological settlements), religious tourism (Marija Bistrica) and other things give this part of Croatia an extremely large and yet insufficiently used economic potential.  With a proper use of the potential of this part of Croatia, or putting it to use in tourism and health care, Croatia would from a tourist point of view obtain its "Provence."

But this "Provence" would have an essentially greater quality than the real Provence, for it would be based on hot springs.
Linking up the products of the many wellness and therapeutic centres of this part of Croatia would bring us a “new sea”, to which we could go at the weekends, on holidays, with a new quality that we do not have at the seaside. This new "sea" would be warm, and could be used the whole year round, all 12 months.

4. The Croatian Warm Sea project

We want to develop the unused, neglected and/or undeveloped hot springs of NW Croatia. We want to create tourist and health care and tourist centres, linked synergetically with each other in their operations, working all year round and providing high quality healthcare, tourist and other services.

For this purpose we want to take part in all procedures through which we can arrive at title to or concessions to and/or the lease of real estate in which we can revitalise the existing structures and hot
springs, that is, get unused and/or insufficiently explored hot springs working again, via greenfield investments.

It is our conclusion that the market of tourist services that we intend to provide in the Northwest of Croatia, has so far been underdeveloped, and we are sure that once it starts going up, it will grow at significant rate every year. We will use all our potential to constantly adapt to the clients/guests, in quality and prices. Special value of our goal is the promotion of continental tourism in the area where tourist capacity has so far been insufficient.

Our aim is then neither short term nor motivated by greed. Our interest is in the benefit of this Croatian region, which will at the same time be our own benefit. It is also a big step in the development of the Croatian tourist product on the map of Europe, and an economic flywheel for a large part of the Croatian economy (food industry, winemaking,...).


5. How to pull of the project as conceived

We are well acquainted with the economic and other potentials of this part of Croatia. We have the business experience and are able to organise and bring together experts from Croatia and Croatian expatriates.  We have drawn up a number of preliminary projects, as well as a concrete business plan for a possible project that could be produced very rapidly.

What we need is financial support, which can be provided through loans, partnerships or any other form of business activity.  Hence we call upon all Croats who are interested in taking part in this project to get in touch with us as soon as possible.  We would then outline our ideas to them and offer concrete forms of collaboration.





View into the valley containing Šemničke Toplice in Hrvatsko Zagorje

Here thermal water in Šemničke toplice pours out 24/7/365, without ever being used

Šemničke Toplice – the 50 years abandoned spring and pool








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