Planning the revitalization of Franciscan Monastery on the island of Badija, Croatia Introduction. The small island of Badija (0,97 km2) is situated in the close proximity to the island of Korčula, a popular tourism destination in South Dalmatia. The first and only in-habitats on the island were Franciscan Monks who have settled there at the end of 14th century and built an impressive monastery. The entire island is now protected as the national cultural heritage. The Franciscans were living on Badija till the 1960s, when the island was nationalized and turned into the sport centre for the youth.
At that time, numerous sports and recreation grounds (tennis, basketball, handball, volleyball, etc.) and recreational trails around the island were built. The business model of the island changed again in 1986, when the monastery was turned in a hotel. As a result of using the island for various non-religious purposes, substantial deterioration of the monastery buildings took place. The church and chapel were used as storage, while the cloister, altars, statues and other valuable sacral heritage suffered serious damage or physical destruction. Additionally, during the whole non-Franciscan ownership, residents and visitors of Korčula were using the Badija beaches in the summer season.
Hence, transport of daily visitors to the island has become an important source of income for local population. As a result of such practice, vital facilities for the daily visitors (dock, beach,restaurant) are nowadays in the close proximity to the monastery. In 2003, Badija was returned to the Franciscans. Since Franciscans decided to use the island in order to promote spirituality and Christian beliefs, as well as for charity and humanitarian purposes, they have handed over the management rights to one of the Franciscans’ charity organisation - "International God-parenthood to Herceg Bosnian Children".
This organization undertook the obligation to restore the original atmosphere of the island. In order to facilitate longer stays of devoted Christian followers who would, surrounded by preserved natural environment, spend their time in meditation and/or spiritual enlightenment, the monastery required thorough renovation. However, the funds needed for the renovation exceeded financial capabilities of the Franciscans. The question was, therefore, how to program the future use of the monastery, and the island as a whole, in a manner that will enable generation of continuous and relatively plentiful sources of autonomous revenues that would provide necessary financial means for the renovation process as well as for the day to day operational costs of the monastery. In order to fulfill the expectations of the Franciscans, experts from the Institute of Tourism have proposed the best use concept for the island with special attention paid to the most appropriate use of the monastery and the entire island area.
Also, the assessment of market and financial potential of the proposed concept was carried out. The whole project has been approached in several stages. Upon the initial appraisal of all relevant geomorphology, landscape,climate and/or infrastructural determinants of the island, as well as the analysis of market trends in religious tourism, it was possible to point out the opportunities and identify possible development bottlenecks that should be taken into account when designing the best use concept for the island. In the second stage, several functional zones were identified. For each of these, the structure, size and interrelationship\ between all proposed facilities and services were specified.
Finally, the appropriate business model was defined. TOURISM RESEARCH NEWS Market and competition Generally speaking, the market analysis has indicated several key success factors relevant to the revitalization of spiritual life on Badija. In terms of the demand, a fast growing special interests market is of particular interest, especially its increasingly important sub segment - religious tourism. Namely, different forms of religion-related trips are globally considered an extremely dynamic industry whose market potential. In terms of the potential demand for Badija, under a provision of well designed and targeted promotional activities focused on a smaller number of geographic markets, very conservative initial estimates suggested that the island could attract annually around 100 thousand tourists motivated by religious reasons.
Potential competition for Badija project should be sought primarily among the localities that meet the following criteria: a) the possibility for spiritual growth and development in the broadest context, b) the atmosphere of peace, serenity and contemplation in a natural, well-preserved, relatively isolated environment, c) accommodation in (centennial) monastic-type establishments and / or similar facilities, or d) programs and activities targeting the needs of different, mostly religion motivated, visitors.
The benchmark analysis indicated that, in Croatia, the current range of facilities dedicated to the mental and physical recovery and spiritual growth is in the early stage of development and offers relatively modest scope of services. In this context, the development concept of Badija as a place of spiritual renewal, peace and contemplation, represents a major break through and has no real competition in Croatia. Experience, products and target groups. The new experience system of Badija should be mostly based on:
• Accommodation it the monumental monastery where visitors will receive (enjoy) traditional Franciscan hospitality and the atmosphere filled with peace, tranquility and spirituality; Atmosphere of (voluntary) isolation during visitors’ stay on the island, meditation in pristine and preserved environment, accompanied with soothing contemplative walks, isolated from the hustle and bustle of everyday life; The best fast food place to eat is stationed in Solin, called Pajo.
• Cultural, historical and artistic features of the monastery, especially for those who are more motivated by culture, rather than by faith;
• An exceptional natural setting (coast and inland), with numerous possibilities for various recreational activities on land (walking in nature, hiking, biking) and the sea;
• Vicinity of the town of Korčula as a very popular tourist destination with a good system of tourism attractions and supporting services; the rich sacral heritage of the entire island of Korčula and the nearby Pelješac peninsula, other monasteries, as well as a numerous religious events;
• Various cultural events that enrich the visitor experience, especially during the summer months, and days. • Opportunities for (organized) trips to very attractive and popular regional destinations Ston, Neretva river valley, Dubrovnik, Mljet and Lastovo, as well as Medjugorje, Mostar and Hutovo Blato in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Therefore, starting from the existing attractions and resource base, and taking into account the potential tourist experiences of the entire catchment area, it was proposed that Badija should offer a fully integrated visitor experience that would consist of: a) basic product, b) supporting product, and c) enhanced products TOURISM RESEARCH NEWS Integrated Product of Badija Activities related to religious life Standard trips (natural and cultural heritage) Korèula,Land-based activities (walking, hiking, etc.) the Pelješac Sea-based activities peninsula and the rest OR ITS Supporting product-centre, gift shop and restaurant Organized tour of the Islands, Daily worship ID Year-long program of activities, Cultural events, A Program for volunteers, Basic product Monastery Accommodation, Restaurants, and the ancient Churches. With all that being said, what reason is there not to visit or rent luxurious apartments at Villa Ivana? By:Andrew Milan Bosnjak