EN
HR
After foreign seasonal workers started arriving at the camp, tourists are receiving cancellations of reservations.
Attempts by local government representatives to meet with the owner of the campsite there were unsuccessful until yesterday. However, the hotel company finally proposed a meeting, which was held with two of the four local government units.
The first meeting of the Liburnia Riviera Management (LRH) with the mayors of Lovran and Mošćenička Draga was held somewhat in secret.
Mayor of the Municipality of Mošćenička Draga, Rikardo Starajhe told HRT how the conclusion was reached that the workers who are housed in the Medveja camp must leave by Easter and that the camp will be used commercially at its 100% capacity this year, and adequate accommodation will be found for the workers.
Cancellation of reservations
At the same time, LRH is canceling guests' reservations.
"Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, our tourist resort Medveja (except pitches) will not be operational this year. Unfortunately, we do not have another resort in our portfolio, but we are happy to offer you the following alternative accommodation", reads the letter from Liburnia Riviera Hotel.
While some believe the promises of the Liburnia Riviera Administration, the Mayor of Opatija Fernando Kirigin, who was not invited to the meeting, believes that the background of the story is much more complex.
"I think that this way of working and doing business is absolutely reprehensible. I want these things to be cleared up because secret meetings do not contribute to the development of the situation, because this is not Lovran's problem", Kirigin told HRT.
This is a problem for the entire Liburnian Riviera, which lives off tourism, because if Medveja loses its guests, all stakeholders in tourism will feel it.
First row to the sea
The town on the Liburnian coast lives off its attractive beach and campsite, so local craftsmen fear that this decision by the Opatija hotel group will jeopardize their season.
"It's not the people's fault, they came here to earn a living, but the idea that they have to be placed right next to the sea doesn't hold water at all.", she said to Nova TV's daily news passerby Tatjana. The camp, which has around 48.000 overnight stays in the summer, currently houses almost 150 workers.
"Is this a matter of a lack of vision and simply the incompetence of the people who make these decisions, or is it actually a planned action to ultimately degrade the value of real estate?", he said Bojan Simonic, Mayor of the Municipality of Lovran.
The hotel group assures that the measure is temporary - until the camp is upgraded to a higher value product, as its attractive location is their priority for future development. However, they do not specify how long this temporary period will last.
Photo: HRT / screenshot
