What to learn from the Italians: How to reclaim pride and bring "Disney" to the olive grove

For a long time, in our tourism development, we have looked towards the horizon, hoping for the day when we will finally appear on the prestigious charts of the world's media.

We fought with global giants, grew, developed and learned "on the go", and I believe we can remember that sincere pride when we first celebrated entering the global "Top 10" of trends and remained on the "must see" destination lists for years afterwards.

We used to buy attention, and it slowly turned into free advertising due to our attractiveness and authenticity. It was proof that we succeeded, that we are relevant and that the world finally sees us the way we see ourselves.

No, Today, the BBC and other leading media outlets no longer view us through that romantic prism of a "new discovery." Today they look at us as mature, formed and let's be honest - an "expensive" destination.

At least that's what the market says. But these quotation marks are not there by chance. 

The news that the media is now analyzing us through trends for 2026,but with the remark that it is looking for "Croatia, but cheaper" (pointing his eyes towards Albania or Bulgaria), It is actually the greatest compliment to our development that we could have received. This is confirmation that we have finally moved beyond the "cheap alternative" narrative and that we have raised the overall tourism product to a higher level. 

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The only question is: Are we really ready for the responsibility that this new position brings? Did it get too good for us and we relaxed a bit?

Ultimately, why does this departure from the “best buy” label scare us so much? Are we so insecure about our own worth that we think that guests will only love us if we are the cheapest? How is it Seth Godin will say too wrote in the book "This is marketing": ""Don't compete on price, because you might end up winning and remaining the cheapest."

Godin believes that "cheap" is the last resort of marketers who have no other ideas, while value (premium is in the sense of selling feelings and experiences, not necessarily marble and gold, hehe, because luxury tourism is something completely different) is what builds a long-term brand.

This is exactly what I keep emphasizing, we are now competing with the "big ones" - France, Italy and Spain, which is realistically both our rank and imperative. A competition on who will be better, more authentic and who will provide more value - instead of who will be cheaper.

It is a new and different game, which in a sense we are starting over with new settings, positioning, expectations and values ​​- as I highlighted in the introduction to our previous tourism development. 

And that authenticity plays an important role, because this is precisely the strongest differentiation, as well as the "overdeliver" philosophy, to deliver more value for money. And not less.

We have finally stopped running that race. We are at a turning point where "good" becomes the worst optionIf we are too expensive for the masses and not good enough for the premium, we remain in a vacuum that no one wants. But the solution is not in marble and gold faucets. Premium is not a luxury. Premium is a product with a clear signature of the host - Croatia, by region, destination... because it is precisely this diversity in lifestyle and culture that is our greatest value. 

Grilled or salted sardines with top-quality olive oil and a glass of wine, what could be better? Not everything has to be "fine dining" and we don't have to copy others. Let's be who we are and offer that sardine in a hundred ways, but give me that taste of the sea and that simplicity. It is precisely about this simplicity and pride that we can and must learn a lot from our neighbors ItalianWatch them turn the most ordinary pasta with a few ingredients or a glass of local wine into a world-class event.

They don't run away from who they are; they adore it and sell it as the highest standard. For them, simplicity is a top-notch production. They don't build sets or pretend to be someone else, but live their identity and charge for it with pride.

An excellent example is the event MarsOvca in Novalja, where they have turned Pag lamb into a top product and story. It is a product that fits into several price ranges, depending on the "design" of the experience. For example, the same dish in one restaurant can cost 30 euros, and in another 60 euros with better presentation and preparation. But in both cases everyone eats the same thing - Pag lamb, which is specific and unique precisely because of the space in which it lives.

That's the power of interpretation. You're not just selling meat, you're selling the island, you're selling the bora, wild herbs and salt. That's designing value that makes the guest pay more, and with a smile. That's the premium I'm talking about. 

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As Chef pointed out Mate Janković, which was part of the Zero Day concept at the Boškinac restaurant and was presented as part of the manifestation, MarsOvca is proof that a high-quality project can be made that does not stand up to the audience and does not highlight the advertisements of large sponsors, but puts small producers and the indigenous flavors of the microlocation in the foreground. 

If we look at the bigger picture, at the moment when we built our tourism product, it was as if we were running away from our own identity, while tourists were actually crying out for the real one, the image and smell of the sea and tradition.

We often say how much we miss our old slogan: "The Mediterranean as it once was". It hasn't disappeared, at least it shouldn't, because it's still us. The only question is, for example, why are there fewer and fewer real fishermen's festivals on our waterfronts? The fishermen's festival is not something "old" that should be discarded; it just needs a smart fine tuning adapted to today's times, while the base must remain the same. Or where did that Mediterranean spirit go? Or not?

Tourists don't come to us for what they have at home; they come precisely to taste and experience something new and different, something we so easily suppress.

Again, if we go back to the Italians, they don't put up a front or pretend to be someone else, but live their identity and charge for it with pride. Btw, what is your first association (or several) with Italy in terms of tourism?

This can be seen very well through the great series "Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy", where Tucci tours Italy and shows exactly how proud Italians are of their heritage and how they preserve it. More importantly, they live it; for them, it is not just a theatrical performance or a backdrop for tourists. It is fascinating with how much poetry, passion and pride he and all his interlocutors speak about their roots and Italian gastronomy, turning every ingredient and recipe into an ode to their own heritage.

I would recommend every tourism professional to watch at least one episode. It is a pure lesson in how identity is transformed into value.

But the point here is not to be a copy of Italy or Tuscany. That is again the worst position and branding. No one wants to see a copy, everyone wants to see the original. And we certainly have something to brag about and something to show. We just have to be who we are – our own: Croats, Slavonians, Istrians, Dalmatians, Međimurje, Lika...

And not someone else's copies that fall into the trap of standardizing a tourist product that can be seen and experienced anywhere in the world.

The people who come to us, be it the one who drives a Mercedes or the one who came by bus, have one thing in common - both will be equally delighted with that honest sardine, oil and wine. It is that premium that is not seen by those who are only looking for "marble". This is the "missing link" that we lack in destination management.

The data for 2026 is very clear: there will be “like cats" or within the radius of a safe house. This is very much in our favor because today, more than ever, guests are looking for regionalization, security and a deeper meaning of travel. Our task is to offer this meaning through top-quality packaged authentic products. We must understand once and for all: premium is to be ourselves, to be who we are, but to package it beautifully through the philosophy of "overdeliver". This means that we don't just give the guest what they paid for, but a little more. 

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Authenticity is the only marketing we really need and it is our best tourism product. However, it must be accompanied by quality service and the "make me care" philosophy made famous by Disney, that moment in which the guest feels that we really care about their experience, and not that they are just a number in the eVisitor. In fact, that we have not only met expectations, but exceeded them. Now that is the "overdeliver" philosophy. 

This year is the ideal opportunity to reset and redefine our product, or rather, return to the "old settings", but packaged in accordance with today's times.

Guests have sent us a crystal clear message over the last two years: we are too expensive for what we sell and we do not provide adequate value for money.

The time for “relaxing” on old glory is over. The path to premium does not lead through expensive carpets, but through a sincere handshake and a story that no one else in the world can tell. Are we ready to stop being just a “good option” and finally become the only option for those looking for a clear signature or stamp of experience?

/ / / Croatian tourism at a turning point: Too expensive for the masses, not good enough for the premium

This is where we come to that old, but never more accurate thesis: less is actually more. Less crowds and fewer guests, but with a better product, superior service and better value for money. Let's face it, this doesn't mean just "charging" a higher price with the hope that fewer people will come. It's pure strategic math.

If we want to preserve space and our own peace, and have a quality product - we must stop chasing records in numbers and start chasing records in the quality of experience. Only in this way will we move from merely "spending" a destination to actually managing its future. 

And finally, the reason for coming is never the bed. No one can do it alone, no matter how good they are - be it a hotel or a family farm. We all depend on the context of the destination. This is where we need to make the biggest leap forward: strategic management of tourism development. We need to know where we are going, what our "end game" is and what we are missing. We need the synergy of all stakeholders in order to have a clear and rounded tourism product.

Without that, we won't make that leap. 

We need real synergy of all stakeholders, but with clear destination management. Because the destination is made up of everything: both small and large, and the arrangement of the place, and the question of whether we have parking, and the content, and the general quality of service of the entire place - and not just one isolated five-star hotel. The guest does not only experience the room; he perceives the destination as a whole, as a rounded tourist product. Just like you when you travel, right? 

/ / / “Less is more” means overdelivering, not underdelivering at a higher price

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Without that, we simply won't make that crucial leap forward in this new, serious game we're now playing with powerful competitors. And we can't possibly understand that. With the current model, we've reached the limit. 

Because at the end of the day, the main question remains: are we really ready to learn from the Italians the most important thing: How can we be proud to be exactly who we are?