CULTURAL HERITAGE AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF CROATIA

Tourism is a complex economic activity which can contribute to the economic development of many countries as well as the Republic of Croatia. As a part of those continuous efforts, the use of cultural heritage should be the primary task today in Croatia. At the same time, the development of tourism with a better quality contributes to the strengthening of the national cultural identity, without which it is almost impossible to estimate the potential of cultural heritage for tourist purposes. Namely, the estimation of cultural heritage in the function of the development of national tourism insists on the belief and acceptance of the architectural history as a national contribution to general cultural values. This requires the application of many, already known strategies which emphasize the imagination of numerous legends and their retelling. Thereby many guests, tourists, but hosts as well, feel comfortable, believing in the historical significance of the events which took place right on the spot where they are located.