These are laws aimed at increasing the overall efficiency of the system of tourist boards, especially at the regional and local (destination) level, ensuring all prerequisites for the systematic implementation of destination management, ensuring a sufficient source of funding, improving tourism quality and tourism product development and tourism development. infrastructure and preservation of the tourist resource base. The Tourist Tax Act enters into force on the first day after its publication in the Official Gazette so that the County Assemblies, ie the City Assembly of the City of Zagreb can make a decision on the amount of the tourist tax by 15 September 2019 for 2020. The Law on Tourist Boards and the Promotion of Croatian Tourism and the Law on Membership Fees in Tourist Boards will enter into force on 1 January 2020. The amount of the tourist tax is adopted at the regional or county level, which takes the form of regional management organizations in charge of planning and development, tourism management, information and research and marketing, while the Croatian National Tourist Board is transformed into a national promotion agency. more efficient promotion, strengthening of recognizability and ultimately strengthening of the national tourist brand of Croatia. “The adoption of these laws opens a new chapter for Croatian tourism. Since the beginning of its mandate, this Government has brought a number of legislative changes and thus created the conditions for further development of tourism and adaptation to global trends, ie the modern age of tourism. We have opened the possibility for even better connectivity and increased efficiency of the entire tourist system, and at the same time local communities, areas and regions will be able to better manage the development of their products and thus use their potential and highlight their specialties.” said the minister Gari Cappelli on the occasion of the adoption of the law in the Croatian Parliament, adding that special attention in the laws was paid to encouraging the development of tourism on the continent through the association and better management of destinations with financial self-sustainability. In addition, he stressed the important support of the domestic tourist system, but also European colleagues. The mentioned laws pay special attention to underdeveloped tourist areas and the new Law on Membership Fees in Tourist Boards and the Law on Tourist Tax introduced financial instruments (Fund for underdeveloped tourist areas and the continent and the Fund for United Tourist Boards) as well as local tourist boards in underdeveloped tourist areas, and the association of tourist boards is encouraged. The solutions from the above-mentioned laws have, among other things, reduced the operating costs of businessmen due to the reduction of administrative burdens and a simpler calculation procedure, as well as the payment of membership fees and tourist taxes. In addition, a large number of current members of the membership fee, such as the IT sector, accounting activities, hairdressing salons, etc., have been reduced. 6 taxpayers will no longer have to pay the tourist membership fee, and the amount of the tourist membership fee will be reduced by almost 15.000 taxpayers. The system of tourist boards with this package of laws is established according to the model of destination management, following the example of modern systems in the world. Then, it is reorganized through association and rationalization within the system with the application of the principle of financial self-sufficiency in a way that encourages the association of tourist boards and the establishment of several units of local or regional self-government through the allocation of funds. Also, as previously announced, a change is coming soon Law on Tourist Land, which is extremely important for investments in tourism, and a new strategy for the development of Croatian tourism from 2020 onwards is currently being prepared. The positive effects expected by the future implementation of the law are more efficient participation of tourist boards in destination management, association and rationalization within the system, increasing system efficiency especially in development and improvement of existing tourism products, fuller representation of specific local / regional interests, strengthening local / regional initiatives, better connecting local stakeholders in creating competitive products, better coordination and greater responsibility within the system, more efficient spending of funds, greater transparency of the work of tourist boards and better promotion of the destination tourist product. Yesterday, the Croatian Parliament adopted a new package of tourist laws – the Law on Tourist Boards and the Promotion of Croatian Tourism, the Law on Membership Fees in Tourist Boards and the Law on Tourist Tax.
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