CROATIAN TOURIST PRODUCTS TO BEAR SEAL OF APPROVAL

( Editorial: --> 5605 ) DUBROVNIK, Dec 6 (Hina) - In the future of Croatian tourism, every product, even a hotel, should bear a sign of quality, thus visually marking domestic products, participants in a round table conference in Dubrovnik concluded. The conference, entitled "Croatian Sign of a Product's Quality" was held in Dubrovnik on 3 December, under the organisation of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, and as part of the 29th business conference "Producers in Hotel Management '98" which took place from 2 to 4 December. The basic criteria for giving a product a seal of approval are: Croatian origin of the product, its quality, awards and commendations the product received, quality maintenance system in the company and others. In order for Croatia to regain its pre-war position on the international tourist market, and to obtain a piece of the 'tourist cake' it deserves, a new tourist image has to be developed, the Croatian tourist product defined as well as its present and future guests, participants in the conference said. The Croatian tourist model could be based on the Austrian, where the starting point is business in line with the law, organisation and clarity of the process, adequate working atmosphere and offices. One of the possible models could be Total Quality Management (TQM) which includes high quality products, with motivated and satisfied employees who contribute to the tourist companies' goals. In order to reach the 'main tourist character', as the participants said, that is, 'His Highness, the Guest', hotels need to be well equipped, including with modern technology, adequate personnel educated, quality of services defined, tourist marketing conducted, and all this with the aim of preserving nature, through ecology. (hina) lm 061651 MET dec 97