The first World Camping Day was declared at Zaton Holiday Resort 

First World Camping Day was officially announced today at the Zaton Holiday Resort, where more than 700 participants are currently staying FICC World Camping Festival (FICC World Camping Festival) from Europe and the world.

The flagship tourist hotel has thus forever entered the world map of camping because Zaton Holiday Resort was chosen as this year's host of the festival, and also of the ceremonial announcement of the first World Camping Day. 

"Considering the natural beauty of this region, which was also praised by the great poet Petar Zoranić in his first Croatian novel, Planine (The Mountains), it is not surprising that the International Camping Federation chose Zaton Holiday Resort.  as the host of the festival and as a destination where it will celebrate its 90th anniversary and declare and celebrate the first World Camping Day. Thanks also to the campers who gladly choose our county for their vacation. I hope that the development of this type of tourism will also be recognized by our local businessmen, because despite so many guests from the camping sector, we still do not have any services or shops with equipment for campers. In Zaton, it does not matter where you are from or what you are like, what matters is that you rest and enjoy the beauties of this region", He said Ante Sjaus, Head of the Administrative Department for Economy and Tourism of Zadar County.

He emphasized at today's ceremony that Croatia is today a leader in tourism in the Mediterranean and in Europe. Robert Pende, representative of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. 

"Our campsites are authentic, truly integrated with nature, which is what our guests expect from a stay in a campsite. Almost half of Croatian campsites have 4 or 5 stars and we want to move in that direction in the future. We have also secured significant funds from the European Union, and we support all investments in domestic campsites. We want recognizable and sustainable tourism, not 'overtourism'. But quality is the most important thing.", said Pende while addressing the crowd at the Zaton Holiday Resort. 

"Sincere congratulations to the host and organizer of the Festival. Today is a very important day because we are celebrating the first World Camping Day thanks to the efforts of the Federation. It is a successful initiative to raise global awareness about camping and the connection between tourism and nature. The atmosphere in the sector is very good and we are recording excellent results in the first half of the year. However, the pandemic and other challenges have shown the sector that it must change and that new strategies and business models must be developed", he said Ion Vilcu from UNWTO and added that the sector has changed and tourists are different and care much more about the local community. That is why camping has become a very important segment of the industry and a very dynamic one at that.

"Tourists want to connect with nature, they want authentic and original experiences, and on the other hand, camping tourism is somewhat more affordable, so in this period of inflation, that is not negligible. Our host Croatia is the best example of how to exploit this tourism niche, and the role of the Federation is crucial here because it raises awareness of the qualities of camping.", he added to Vilcu.

"I couldn't have imagined a better time, view, and location for this great day. Today, June 29th, we celebrate the first World Camping Day. Why June 29th? Because today is the feast of St. Peter and Paul, and Paul was a world traveler and a great admirer of nature." he stressed João Alves Pereira president of the association FICC (Fédération Internationale de Camping, Caravanning et Autocaravaning) and added that the camping movement has become important in vacation planning because slowly everyone realizes that this structure of guests is also important.

"They also spend money at gas stations, in restaurants, in shops, we need to raise awareness that this money also goes into local economies. We want to work on promoting camping as a framework for building 'open-air' tourism and I am very proud that today we are celebrating the 90th anniversary of our association. It is a great honor and pleasure that all this is happening at Zaton Holiday Resort, in the first Croatian super camp. The energy and passion that our hosts have invested in organizing the festival and this celebration shows why thousands of guests choose this resort.", he added Alves Pereira.

Let us remind you that the Croatian resort will host the new edition of the Festival and the proclamation of the first World Camping Day. The decision was made last year at the world congress of the Federation Internationale de Camping et Caravanning (FICC) association in Paris, which was also attended by representatives of the Zaton Holiday Resort, who introduced the participants to the rich offer of the resort and the Zadar region.