Mislav Matišić

“We’ll come to your sea, you come to our water” is the witty slogan coined in Osijek-Baranja County, whose Tourist Board has been headed by Mislav Matišić since this year. One of the persons who have been particularly active in recent years in positioning Slavonia and Baranja on Croatia’s tourism map, Matišić is taking part in the “Tourism 2027 in My Community” panel during the Taste the Mediterranean festival.

His approach to tourism is largely based on the idea that Slavonia and Baranja should not seek to replicate established tourist destinations, but instead build their market appeal around precisely what makes them different: unspoiled nature, wine and gastronomy, rural landscapes, cultural heritage, tradition, and the renowned hospitality of the people of Slavonia. After graduating in Geography and History from the Faculty of Science at the University of Zagreb, and in Modern and Contemporary History from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Zagreb, the Osijek-born Matišić turned his professional focus to rural and regional development, demographic processes, and the revitalisation of Slavonia and Baranja. He has worked on the development and implementation of European Union projects in the fields of culture and tourism, and has been involved in associations, cultural and civic initiatives, as well as the organisation of numerous events. Among other initiatives, he launched Stop Demolishing Old Baranja, “Karašicka Republic”, and organised the Festival of Cheese and Wine, Deer & Bike, Water Polo in the Wheat Fields, “Landranje baranjskom Planinom”, Baranjske buše (local authentic cows), HeadOnEast and numerous other events.

This part of his professional biography goes a long way towards explaining his vision of contemporary tourism. For Matišić, a destination is not simply a collection of sights to be promoted, but a living space where its people, customs, food, wine and landscape come together to create an authentic tourism experience.