A two-day international conference "Innovation and sustainable development of tourism products of special interest", organized by the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies – UHPA, was held on April 5th and 6th 2016. It was attended by representatives of the Šibenik City Museum and the Department for Management of Fortification System Facilities. The department, in cooperation with the Tourist Board of Šibenik organized a study tour of Šibenik '' Discover the city of fortresses'' for all of the interested participants.
The two-day study tour was attended by travel agents and tour operators from Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Macedonia and Croatia who visited the renovated St. Michael's and Barone fortress, St. Nicholas fortress, the Cathedral of St. James and walked through the old city and St. Anthony's canal.
''We are very pleased to have been invited on this wonderful FAM trip. We were aware of what Šibenik has to offer, through the media, beautiful images and informations, but it could not fully capture the experience as when you are on the spot. These revitalised fortresses represent a great value for the city of Šibenik and for the entire region and are certainly a guideline towards a stronger force and the development of cultural tourism, especially in their interpretation which is particularly applicable to the Barone Fortress. The multimedia, the usage for commercial purposes, but also opportunities for local producers are a good way to involve as many stakeholders in this story that the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies will continue to support'' said Ivana Maltar, head of the UHPA office.
''I am very impressed with the city, the peaceful and simple way of life. St. Michael's Fortress is also impressive with its beautiful stage, and Barone Fortress is ideal for organizing various events and getting to know the local offer'' is the impression of Gese Sellmann from the German Association for youth travels Reisenetz.
''I belive this is the future of tourism, to offer the market these specific and authentic products of excellent quality which should be further promoted so that Hungary, as well as the wider international public gets to know them better. Fortresses have been extremely popular in our country in the recent years and they certainly represent another value added to a beautiful location '' concluded Anita Angi from the Hungarian travel agencies CARTOUR.
The ideal weather conditions contributed to the better understanding of the secrets of the city of fortresses for the trip participants. The day was circled with a Mediterranean dinner at sunset and they finished their introduction to Šibenik at today's breakfast at the City Hall.
''Regardless of the excellent results achieved in the first quarter of this year, we still have a lot of work. One of the best ways to get the professionals in tourism acquainted with the possibilities that the fortresses offer, as well as the offer of the location, is just this type of study visits. Networking and establishing contacts with the first hand experience is an imperative for all of us who participate in this process and in the future we will certainly continue in this direction '' said Gorana Barisic Bačelić, head of the Department for Management of Fortification System Facilities.
We remind everyone about the working hours of St. Michael's and Barone Fortresses – all interested citizens and their guests can enjoy the city walls every day from 9 AM to 8 PM and enjoy the secrets of the city of fortresses.
