TUI Colourful Cultures Croatia

The city of Dubrovnik boasts a rich tapestry of history and culture and is a beacon for global travellers, earning its reputation as a premier tourist destination.

But whilst the influx of visitors, which according to recent surveys averages 36 tourists per local inhabitant, is a huge boost for the tourism industry, it is also driving up living costs for local people. The elderly custodians of the city's heritage, along with young artisans and artists, are bearing the brunt of this economic shift and finding it increasingly difficult to afford rent and living expenses on fixed incomes and constrained budgets.

TUI Colourful Cultures Croatia offers a sustainable solution to this challenge - the festivals of Arts & Crafts in the Lazareti, a group of mediaeval buildings close to the city walls.

A series of cultural events will take place which will rejuvenate and harness the city's traditional skills, providing a platform for creatives to showcase their talents and boost their income. By combining their artistry with the demands of Dubrovnik's tourism market, the project will create a symbiosis whereby cultural preservation fuels economic stability.

The project commits to bolstering the socio-economic fabric of Dubrovnik, enriching the tourist experience, and safeguarding the future of traditional arts and crafts.

TUI Colourful Cultures Croatia combines the the preservation and enrichment of Dubrovnik’s unique cultural heritage with the need to support its local artisans in the ever-growing tourism industry.  It leverages a synergy of local artistry and strategic marketing, employing pop-up events, workshops and digital platforms to create a sustainable model of cultural tourism that benefits all stakeholders.

Focusing on empowering female artisans, the project offers them greater economic independence, whilst also offering an enhanced cultural experience for tourists and a broadened global appreciation for Dubrovnik's heritage.

A series of interactive pop-up events and workshops within Lazareti and several hotels, allow tourists to immerse themselves in the essence of Dubrovnik's cultural legacy. Led by skilled seniors and innovative youth, the workshops offer an authentic slice of local life, while also serving as a conduit for artisans to earn from and share their heritage.

In addition, the DEŠA Pro doo social shop in Lazareti will exclusively retail the unique creations from these workshops, ensuring that the benefits of tourism flow back into the hands of the local community.

Over 5,000 hotel guests will engage in the cultural workshops and more than 200,000 people will benefit from a variety of cultural activities, including: Pop-Up Art & Craft events for local artisans to showcase their work at high occupancy hotels; Arts & Craft workshops for tourists in the Lazareti; A biannual Festival of Handicrafts that celebrates and educates through artisanal displays and interactive sessions; workshops in digital marketing and blog writing to enhance the artisans’ online presence and commercial reach, retail support for artisans to sell their products in a centrally located DEŠA shop, boosting visibility and sales; and a strategic media campaign to highlight the project's activities and successes.

Project Partner

Project Partner

Our partner delivering this project is DEŠA, a civil society organization working on sustainable social - economic, cultural and environmental empowerment and community building. DEŠA strengthens social capital, especially the role of women and youth as bearers of positive changes in society. DEŠA's mission is realized through awareness raising, lifelong learning and education, counseling, volunteering and direct work in the community.

FOLLOW
TRITON!

Turtle1
Your decision – your user experience at tuicarefoundation.com

We use cookies and other technologies that are necessary for services and functions on our website.

In addition, and provided you consent and select "Agree", we and our up to five third-party partners may place cookies on your device, use other technologies and collect and process personal data [e.g. IP address] from you in order to suggest personalized content to you on our website and to carry out measurements and analyses. Data transfer to third countries [e.g. USA] may also be possible, where the EU data protection level may deviate and access by authorities there cannot be ruled out.

You can find more information under "Settings" and decide which cookies and which cookie-based processing of your data you wish to reject or accept. Further information about cookies can be found in the Cookie Notice.

Imprint Privacy Notice Cookie Notice
Decline
Settings
Accept
Managing your cookie settings

Use the "Status" control to decide for yourself which cookies we are allowed to set. Save your settings by clicking the "Agree" button.

You can change these settings at any time. You can find further information about the processing of your data in our Privacy Notice.

Cookies Description Status
Necessary Necessary Cookies are required for the app to function and cannot be switched off in your systems. We need necessary Cookies so that the service you request on our app functions properly and so that you can move around our app and use its functions, such as filling out forms. Cookie Notice
Statistics These Cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so that we can measure and improve the performance of our app. They help us answer questions about which pages are most popular, which are least used and how visitors move around the app. If you allow statistical Cookies, we can use this aggregated information to improve our service and the usability of our websites for you. All information collected is aggregated and is therefore anonymous. This information may be transmitted to our partners such as Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, Google Ireland Limited, Pinterest Europe Limited, Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited (Privacy Notice) if you also agree under "Marketing". Cookie Notice
I Agree