This year’s Picokijada attracted tens of thousands of visitors from Croatia and abroad to Đurđevac, delivering record-breaking tourism results. According to data from the eVisitor system, there were 23 per cent more arrivals and 29 per cent more nights spent than last year.
Accommodation capacity in the town and suburban settlements was fully occupied during the festival week. The three-day event brought together more than two thousand participants, with visitors able to choose from a total of 46 cultural-tourism and sports events. The central part of the programme was, as before, a stage performance of the Legend of the Picoks, after which the event is named.
320 thousand euros were invested in the organisation, Matija Bažulić, director of the Đurđevac Town Tourist Board, stated. Of this, 99 thousand euros were allocated for the preparation and staging of the performance, 57 thousand euros went to extras, historical units, actors, cultural-artistic societies and associations, concerts cost around 65 thousand euros, and promotional materials, participant gifts and marketing amounted to 25.5 thousand euros.
The Tourist Board secured 220 thousand euros through sponsorships, grant applications and the rental of public spaces, while the City of Đurđevac contributed 100 thousand euros.
"We introduced new content that received very positive reactions from visitors. One of our goals was to keep food and drink prices accessible, which we managed," Bažulić said. He believes that exhibitors, caterers and craftsmen achieved good results and that visitors from the town left satisfied.
