The first association for Omiš is the city of pirates and an active vacation destination.
Now it can already be said that a third association is being created on the market, it is certainly on a great way to be more and more recognized, and that as a content destination through a new concept Omis Summer Frei-and.
Namely, the Tourist Board of the City of Omiš launched the seasonal summer project “Omiš Summer Frei”, under which name it is hidden, two years ago. 10 different thematic events for all generations – from free film screenings on the beach and interpretation tours to children’s workshops and aqua aerobics on the beach.
Most programs are completely free (except museum tickets), and the program is live almost every day of the week, from June 3 until October 1, more precisely, it is about 3 days of different contents in the destination.
All with the aim of differentiation from another city on the coast with a beach, as well as a focus on quality content in the destination.
What is different and special, and certainly worthy of attention, is that the Omiš Summer Frei concept is based on a clearly defined concept monthly program with exact hours of events, everything is known in advance, reservations and registrations are not necessary.
And that is a key element and one of the motives for the conversation with director of the Tourist Board City of Omiš, Petrom Bartulović, to give us an overview of the Omiš Summer Frei concept.
The first association for Omiš is the city of pirates and an active vacation destination.
Now it can already be said that a third association is being created on the market, it is certainly on a great way to be more and more recognized, and that as a content destination through a new concept Omis Summer Frei-and.
Namely, the Tourist Board of the City of Omiš launched the seasonal summer project “Omiš Summer Frei”, under which name it is hidden, two years ago. 10 different thematic events for all generations – from free film screenings on the beach and interpretation tours to children’s workshops and aqua aerobics on the beach.
Most programs are completely free (except museum tickets), and the program is live almost every day of the week, from June 3 until October 1, more precisely, it is about 3 days of different contents in the destination.
All with the aim of differentiation from another city on the coast with a beach, as well as a focus on quality content in the destination.
What is different and special, and certainly worthy of attention, is that the Omiš Summer Frei concept is based on a clearly defined concept monthly program with exact hours of events, everything is known in advance, reservations and registrations are not necessary.
And that is a key element and one of the motives for the conversation with director of the Tourist Board City of Omiš, Petrom Bartulović, to give us an overview of the Omiš Summer Frei concept.
According to Bartulović, for the last four years in Omiš, they have not been able to do their famous event “The Pirate Battle in Omiš”, because a new city port is being built on the area where the interpretation of the battle took place. For this reason, until the port is finished, this famous event cannot be organized in that area.
“Then, in this way, we bridged that period, started Omiš Summer Frei, and we also included pirate days as a reminder of our event, so that the story would continue to be current andyeah”, states Bartulović and points out: “As part of the entire project, we have one trip in June, July and August, Pirate Day, which is entirely dedicated to pirates. Children’s sports fields, a Lego workshop on the theme of pirates, an interpretation expertbut guiding around the city and other activities related to pirates, because Omiš is known for them. As Summer Frei turned out to be an excellent project, it will certainly remain as our main summer concept, and I hope that we will again from next year to have all the splendor of our famous Pirate Battle in the newly renovated Omiš port.”
As Omiš Summer Frei is being held for the third year this year, I was interested in how the whole concept was accepted by the guests, after two years of holding and experience since the beginning of this event.
“The concept really turned out to be a great idea. This year is the third year of the Omiš Summer Frei program and the reactions of the guests are extremely positive, both in direct contact with them, as well as with hoteliers and landlords who receive positive reactions to the program from the guests. Ultimately, the activities are visited a lot, which is the best indicator. It is actually a good communication channel with guests who want to discover more about the particularities of the destination. The biggest value of this project is that all our subcontractors are local with us they tell our Omiš story.”
Interestingly, the program is designed for both domestic and foreign guests, which is an excellent example and effect that we want to achieve in the destination – a mix of domestic and foreign guests with the local population. This way, the guests get to know our culture and way of life, as well as we get to know them.
“It’s a combination of local people and tourists. The cinema on the beach is the best proof, where there will be a lot of local people, as well as tourists, and it will be the same on Children’s Day. The films are originally in English, and they are subtitled in Croatian, so everyone i can watch filmove and cartoons, while all performances and children’s days are adapted for all language groups – from art workshops to puppet shows”, adds Bartulović.
We can say that in Omiš they included animation in tourism at the destination level. Since I just had my first business contact with tourism as a tourism animator, I personally think that the Omiš Summer Frei concept is an excellent example and move for Omiš itself as a destination.
Of course, this is only one part of the overall program, while other various manifestations and contents are held during the summer, but Omiš Summer Frei is specific as a permanent program of the destination.
The key element of the entire program is that this way it is much easier to communicate, promote and organize the entire project, both according to the markets and within the destination. We have one program, one visual and a specific offer, ultimately, for tourists.
Omiš is not only sun and beach, but also interesting and varied content for everyone. This is where we create differentiation compared to other destinations or an additional element of the motive of arrival. Especially if we are talking about family tourism, which dominates in the summer months.
Thus, Omiš Summer Frei becomes one of the main elements of communication and branding on the market. From promotion and communication to foreign markets, appearances at fairs and agencies as well as on social networks. More simply, it’s about the content in the destination, not just the beach and the sun.
Finally, Bartulović points out that Summer Frei Omiš is their comparative advantage.
“The message is that we are not just another town on the coast, see what else we have. From klapas on Thursdays, interpretations with a guide who introduce guests to the history of the town and tell the story of how we have existed since ancient times… these activities are not an end in themselves, rather, the goal is to convey to tourists š through these activitiesthat is Omiš and that spirit of the city. All these people who participate in the project are proud ambassadors of the entire project, they all do it with love and a full heart for our Omiš.”
See the entire program and concept of Omiš Summer Frei at LINK.
Photo source: Tourist Board of the City of Omiš