The Travel Foundation has launched a study of the economic and social impact of two hotels in Croatia following refurbishment.
The project is a follow-up to the Tourism Impact Measurement and Management (Timm) study the Travel Foundation recently undertook with Tui and PwC (Travel Weekly, July 9).
It will focus on two former two‑star hotels in the Makarska Riviera region, which previously catered for the all-inclusive market from eastern Europe but have reopened as four-star properties.
A 175-room hotel reopened in May, catering to German, Nordic and UK guests, 30% of whom stay on an all-inclusive basis and the rest on B&B or half-board. A 269-room hotel opened in July catering exclusively to all-inclusive holidaymakers from the UK.
The study will examine the impact on local employment, footfall in restaurants and community attitudes to tourism. It could also show any variation in impact between visitors on different board bases.
A scoping study found residents and businesses expected higher-quality tourism, more demand for experienced staff, a longer season and a rise in visitor spending.