Outdoor tourism requires data management, not just another website

Outdoor tourism in Croatia is growing rapidly, but without structured management of digital data, destinations lose control over routes, security and user experience. The Outdooractive platform shows that the future of outdoor tourism is no longer promotion, but operational data management, movement analytics and real-time content updates.

Outdoor tourism in Croatia has been growing faster than average in recent years, but the digital layer that accompanies it is still fragmented. While destinations invest in infrastructure, signage and promotion, the issue of route management, data and user experience often remains at the level of individual initiatives.

This is exactly where the platform comes in. outdoor active as infrastructural, not just promotional outdoor destination toolWe talked to him about where Croatia is today and what the implementation looks like on the ground. By Matija Kašner, Outdooractive's representative for Croatia.

When he started working with the Croatian market, the situation, he says, was scattered. There were individual projects and smaller collaborations, but there was no systematic, regional approach. "These were all smaller, isolated stories. There was no unified digital strategy for outdoor content. The first serious and structured implementation took place in Zadar County, where the need for unification and digitization of the outdoor offer was recognized. There, the content was fragmented, each micro destination had its own solutions and separate information channels", emphasizes Kasner.

It was at that moment that it became clear that the problem was not a lack of routes or attractions, but a lack of a system that connects, structures and enables real-time management. Digital visibility is no longer a question of promotion alone, but of operational control over content, security and user experience.

The key difference, he emphasizes, lies precisely in the management dimension.

"Outdooractive is not a platform where you upload several routes at once. It is a living system. It is not enough to set up a profile and routes and forget about them. The platform requires continuous work because it is destination management software, not just a content catalog. Destinations receive an administrative interface through which they manage content: from routes and points of interest to accommodation capacities, service information and safety warnings. If a route is impassable due to works or weather conditions, the destination can immediately mark this, and the information becomes visible to users. The system also includes analytics, such as heat maps that show where guests are moving. This is data that can help in infrastructure planning, space load management and better distribution of visitors", adds Kasner.

Except Zadar County which uses Outdooractive through the project Zadar Bike Magic, on the Outdooractive platform are also Mali Losinj which digitally displays all pedestrian and bicycle routes, Osijek-Baranja County, and this year, the platform will be richer with more Croatian destinations.

As Kasner points out, the implementation has started and on Kvarner tj. Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, where the goal is to unify the content of all local tourist boards under one digital profile. It is one of the five strongest Croatian regions with more than 18 million overnight stays per year, and there is almost no micro destination in Kvarner that is not suitable for outdoor tourism. Gorski Kotar has a special importance, as it represents an ideal "polygon" for active tourism - from hiking and mountaineering to cycling.

Also, the Bjelovar-Bilogora County (BBŽ) is among the regions that have recognized the need for systematic digitalization of outdoor offerings and have begun implementing the Outdooractive platform this year as an operational content management tool.

"BBŽ has recognized that a modern destination must be where its guests are, on the screen of a smartphone, with a precise GPS track and verified information in real time. We have now put all those kilometers of cycling, hiking and equestrian trails that the county has into a system used by millions of outdoor enthusiasts across Europe. From Bjelovar and Daruvar, all the way to the hidden corners of Bilogora, every family farm, viewpoint or rest area is now part of a digital story.

Previously, outdoor routes, points of interest and information were fragmented, with some content located on different websites of local tourist boards, some in printed materials, and some not structured in digital form at all. The implementation of the system began with the unification of cycling and walking routes, the standardization of GPS tracks, the entry of relevant data on difficulty, surface and safety aspects, and the continuous updating of information on passability and the condition of the terrain. This made the platform a living digital layer of the destination, a tool that enables not only visibility towards international outdoor markets, especially the DACH segment, but also daily operational content management, analytics of user views and movements, and a faster response to possible changes or safety challenges in the field."

See how the positioning of the destination page looks like at: Bjelovar-Bilogora County officially on Outdooractive

It is particularly important that a large number of guests come from DACH regions, Scandinavia and Slovenia - markets where Outdooractive has a strong user base, says Kašner and adds that it is a win-win situation. "The destination gains visibility to an existing, highly targeted outdoor user base, and users receive structured and reliable information in one place. Instead of each micro-destination developing its own, disconnected solution, the content is unified and becomes part of a broader system."

Interest in Croatia it is also visible through specific data. 

Globally, Outdooractive uses more than 70 million users, where it is most in Europe.

The strongest markets are Germany, Austria i Switzerland, then Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. A stronger push towards the US is underway, but Europe remains the foundation.

Outdooractive data for the period from February 1, 2025 to February 28, 2026. clearly show that Croatia has strong and measurable traveler interest on this specialized outdoor platform.

During that period, it was recorded 826.891 views of pages related to Croatia, 178.535 user actions and 24.327 downloads of content, where as much as 84% ​​of all views fall into the route category. In other words, Croatia is dominantly perceived on Outdooractive as a movement destination: hiking, cycling and other forms of active stay in nature. While categories like "places to visit" or "eat & drink" are less represented, which means that we need to strengthen the content on the platform precisely in this segment - links to additional information, from accommodation, hospitality offers and other content.

It is particularly important to emphasize that Outdooractive has the strongest user base in the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), which means that the German-speaking market is key to generating interest in Croatia, precisely the market that is strategically most important for Croatian tourism.

The majority of traffic comes from the outdooractive.com portal, and app users generate a significant number of actions and downloads, indicating a high level of intent and planning to visit.

"The total volume of content views and downloads confirms that this is a concrete, data-visible interest of outdoor travelers in Croatia, and not an abstract inspiration. For the Zadar region, for example, over 3.5 million content views were recorded within the platform in a period of one year. This shows how much digital interest there is for Croatian outdoor destinations."e", emphasizes Kasner.

Data for February 2026 shows that interest in Croatia on the Outdooractive platform, although outside the main season, remains measurable and relevant. In the winter month, continuous traffic was recorded towards routes and destination profiles, with the routes category still dominantly generating the highest number of views and user actions. This is particularly important because it confirms that Croatia is not perceived exclusively as a summer destination on the specialized outdoor platform, but rather retains the interest of active users in the pre-season as well.

Although the volume is logically significantly lower than in the peak Q3 period, the structure of user behavior remains the same - viewing routes, interacting with details and downloading content, which indicates the planning phase of future trips, especially from the DACH market where the Outdooractive base is strongest. February thus confirms that interest does indeed exist, which opens up space for stronger strategic positioning of Croatia as a year-round outdoor destination.

An important part of the strategy also relates to accommodation facilities.

Although Outdooractive is not a booking platform and its primary goal is not to generate reservations, in a broader context, it is through it that accommodation, gastronomic offerings and additional content of the destination are naturally connected, because active tourists who use the platform are not only looking for a route, but also the entire experience of their stay: where to sleep, where to eat and what else they can experience in the destination.

According to Kašner, the focus is on branding accommodation facilities as outdoor-friendly destinations. "Hotels, campsites or chains can brand their own routes, create personalized itineraries and provide guests with quick access to information via QR code at the reception. The guest scans the code, downloads the app and immediately gets access to routes, descriptions, weight categories, photos and all relevant data. An outdoor guest needs to sleep somewhere, but what they can do at the destination is just as important. If you offer them this in a structured and digitally accessible way, you increase the value of the entire stay.", says Matthias.

Data quality it is crucial.

One of the important elements is that the destination owns its content and is responsible for its accuracy: from GPS tracks to photos and safety information. "What Outdooractive provides is a stable and globally accessible digital infrastructure, but the content must be verified. Users can report problems in the field, and the destination can react and update the route status. Bad or incorrect information can of course have safety consequences. That's why up-to-dateness is key.", he emphasizes.

Artificial intelligence is an increasingly important segment of development. Outdooractive develops its own AI logic to avoid relying on generic LLM searches that may provide inaccurate or unsafe information. "The goal is for AI to work exclusively on verified data within the system. Destinations can implement their own AI assistance within their profile, so a guest can, for example, request a suggestion for an easy route for a family with small children or an accessible trail for people with disabilities. The system then suggests specific, verified routes. This is safer and more relevant than a generic search,” points out Kašner, recalling that there have already been examples in which general AI tools provided imprecise or confusing information about hiking routes.

"For destinations and clients who want it, there is also the possibility of developing a branded iOS and Android application based on the Outdooractive infrastructure. Slovenia, for example, implemented a national outdoor application that uses the Outdooractive backend, which gave it a strong digital and brand tool. This shows that the platform can be the basis for national or regional solutions, not just an additional distribution channel."

When asked how long it takes for a destination to be listed on the platform, Kašner states that the implementation depends on the readiness of the destination and the quality of existing data.

"If the GPS tracks and content are already structured, the implementation process can be very fast. If the data is not standardized, more time is needed for its organization, verification and validation. Realistically, the implementation can be completed within three weeks, provided that all relevant data is available and prepared. However, it is important to emphasize that this is an ongoing process, not a one-off project. Digital outdoor management is not a campaign, but a system that must live and develop together with the destination."

In the context of the growth of outdoor tourism and the ever-increasing expectations of guests, a digital map of the destination, up-to-date and verified routes, movement analytics and AI assistance are becoming a standard, not an added value.

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Croatia, given its exceptional diversity of terrain (from mountain massifs and forested areas of the continent, through river valleys and lakes, to coastal and island trails), has enormous potential in active tourism, especially in the pre- and post-season when climatic conditions provide ideal conditions for hiking, cycling, trail running and other outdoor activities. These segments can extend the season and relieve the summer peaks, but only if they are digitally visible, structured and reliably presented.

The question is, concludes Kasner, whether this "the potential to be accompanied by a quality, structured and updated digital layer that enables space management, user safety and long-term sustainability of the destination".

Destinations that recognize this in time and understand digitization as an infrastructural rather than a promotional tool will have a clear competitive advantage in the years to come.