BRIJUNI NATIONAL PARK: The cult cafe goes to private individuals. The dance of millions began. An offer also arrived from Zagreb
Back in February, the public institution Brijuni National Park announced calls for the award of concession approvals for a number of services in the archipelago. The novelty is that as of this year, the holders of the concession approval for two more catering facilities are being sought through the tender procedure, in addition to one that has gone into the concession approval before. Thus, in February and before the culmination of the crisis, a public call was issued for the granting of a concession approval for the Školjka, Jupiter and Saluga facilities.
As we find out, two offers have arrived for Školjka and these days it will be known who will run the facility in the next five years. It is a cult cafe that spreads over 120 square meters, has an outdoor bar of 40 square meters and two terraces of 240 square meters. The annual fee for this facility is a minimum of 750 thousand kuna, which means that those interested could offer even more.
The bidders for Školjka are from Zagreb and Fažana. Both companies offered a price above the required value of HRK 750 thousand per year, and a bidder with a better bid with a total value of HRK 4.2 million was selected. The contracts have not been signed yet, and when they are, it will be known who will lead Školjka for the next five years.
No bidder applied for performing catering activities in the Saluga facility, as well as for performing catering activities in the Jupiter catering facility, which was published last year and there were no interested parties.
We asked the director of the Brijuni National Park, Marno Milotić, what is the reason for granting concession approvals and whether this means that the Brijuni National Park Public Institution cannot manage the mentioned activities well.
- The public institution Brijuni National Park can manage facilities as well as it manages, however, in recent years and the annual plan and program, decisions have been made on better and more rational management in the tourism and economic sector. Private entities are not subject to public procurement, and it has often been shown in practice that they can get better, higher quality goods and ultimately cheaper because they can negotiate with various suppliers. Private entities have various opportunities to stimulate their employees and compensate salaries partly from the percentage of services sold, which is not possible in our country. The idea was that such facilities could offer a better service, adapt faster to the market and its needs, and that the Institution would achieve the same or greater benefit in financial terms, and focus on activities related to its core business, Milotic explains.
We asked Milotić if this was not the privatization of the archipelago and why the institution would still not manage the tourist part of the archipelago.
- In its essence, a public institution was not established to deal with hotel management, but to deal with nature protection and preservation of cultural and natural assets. However, this secondary activity provides us with a livelihood, and we actually provide the entire amount of funding through this sector. It is by no means a matter of privatization, the facilities are still owned by the Republic of Croatia and are managed by the Institution. Also, the facilities are not in the hands of the concession approval holder, nor will they ever be, and the authorized person is only allowed to perform catering activities for the agreed period. Through a contractual relationship, the institution controls that it conducts its business in accordance with the Nature Protection Act and other legal acts within the National Park. The institution thus receives a secure income without business risk,
It confirms that other national parks and nature parks, in the absence of manpower or inability to harmonize wages with the market, have long ago given most or all of their facilities in economic activities through concession approvals to private entities.
- So far, everyone has positive experiences and higher incomes with less problems. Plitvice and Brijuni are still an exception and mostly run their own catering business. Brijuni has previously given part of these activities to concession approvals, such as a restaurant on the island of Jerolim, where the institution was difficult to operate or there were excessive losses due to dislocation, says the director.
However, before announcing public calls for the selection of concession approval holders, a financial analysis of revenues and expenditures was made.
- With the concession approval, the Institution will earn more than if it performed that activity itself, and we hope that the guests will be more satisfied and have a better service, claims Milotić.
Director Milotić confirmed that the transfer of employees to the future concession approval holder was not planned, nor was it foreseen in the tender. Namely, he explained, permanent employees will switch to work in restaurants and hotels, while the need for seasonal employees will decrease.
Furthermore, invitations were issued for cultural and artistic events in the Minor Fortress to perform the activity of tourist visits by boats, with the possibility of agreeing to the island of Jerolim, and for the activity of tourist visits to the seabed.
- The lack of manpower in previous years has forced us to consider the option of focusing on primary facilities such as hotels and restaurants in that unified central complex. Bans on fixed-term and indefinite employment, regardless of funding sources, will certainly present challenges this season as well. There is no doubt that this year's business will be difficult and unpredictable for everyone, and we hope that the Institution, as well as partners who take over certain catering facilities, will still manage to get through this demanding period, says the director of the institution Marno Milotić.
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