Christian Stipanović

Valorization of batana salvorina in the development and brand identity of Umag

Summary This work explores the possibilities raised by valorisation of historical and maritime heritage (Batana Salvorina) in the construction of an original and innovative tourism product, with the goal of repositioning Umag as a distinctive tourist destination. It is based on the authors’ research, questionnaires and Umag stakeholder focus groups (members of the Association Batana Salvorina, local government, public utility and entrepreneurs), benchmark analysis of batana valorisation in Umag, Rovinj and Piran using situational and scenario analysis, as well as the authors’ projections of building the batana salvorina project and Umag competitiveness. The limitations of the research lie in the fact that the project of batana salvorina valorisation is still underdeveloped, as well as in the insufficient recognition of the project importance and opportunities in creating tourism uniqueness and distinctiveness. The valorisation of history (batana salvorina) must evolve into an integral indigenous product that will be based on the synergy of business entrepreneurs and other stakeholders in a continuous effort to enrich and qualitatively improve Umag tourism offer.