Visit Vrbovsko
Client: Tourist Board of the Town of Vrbovsko
Category: Tourism
Technology: WordPress, PHP, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Accessibility
About the client:
Project context
A tourist destination without a strong and visually attractive online presence is practically non-existent for the modern traveler who plans every vacation online. Visit Vrbovsko needed a modern website that would provide potential visitors with all the information they need to plan their visit — from accommodation and gastronomy, through natural and cultural attractions, to current events and useful information for renters. In addition, as a public sector body, the Tourist Board is obliged to digital accessibility standards.
My role and process
I developed a complete WordPress site tailored to the specific needs of the tourism community and its diverse user groups — from tourists planning a visit, to accommodation renters and business partners.
Content architecture and navigation
The site is organized around the destination's tourist offer with clear categories covering all aspects of the visit — the gastronomic offer of local restaurants and taverns, accommodation capacities categorized by type (apartments, holiday homes, mountain and hunting lodges, hostels and rooms), active holidays with a display of hiking and cycling routes, natural, historical and cultural attractions, useful information for visitors and a business section intended for landlords with instructions, financial reports and the e-visitor system.
Events calendar
One of the central functional elements of the site is the events calendar, which covers events by year — from 2020 to 2026. The tourist board regularly organizes and promotes a variety of events such as festivals, fairs, sports events and cultural programs that attract visitors throughout the year. The calendar is implemented as a clear and easily searchable display that allows visitors to plan their visits around the desired events in a timely manner, and the administrative team to easily add and manage content.
Interactive maps
The site includes interactive maps that allow visitors to visually explore the destination — finding accommodations, restaurants, natural attractions, and hiking trails on an intuitive cartographic display. For a tourist destination with a rich offering spread across a wider geographical area, an interactive map is an indispensable tool that helps visitors plan their stay and navigate the terrain.
Multimedia content
The site is enriched with multimedia content that evokes the beauty of the destination — video materials that show the natural beauty of Gorski Kotar, photographs of landmarks and events, and media clippings from national media such as 24sata and Jutarnji list that further confirm the attractiveness of the destination. This type of content is crucial for a tourist website because it should emotionally attract the visitor and encourage them to decide to visit.
Business section for renters
In addition to the tourist section intended for visitors, the site also includes a business section for accommodation renters with detailed instructions for registration and business operations, links to the e-visitor system, and the Tourist Board's financial reports and plans, which it is obliged to publish as a public body.
Digital Accessibility (WCAG)
As a public sector body, the Tourist Board of the City of Vrbovsko is legally obliged to implement digital accessibility standards, as confirmed by the Digital Accessibility Statement published on the site. The implementation included semantically correct HTML, appropriate color contrast according to the WCAG AA standard, full keyboard navigability, ARIA tags for interactive elements including navigation and multimedia content, and text alternatives for all visual content. Accessibility is especially important for tourist sites used by visitors of all ages and with different needs.
Responsiveness
The site is fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices. Tourists who research a destination and plan a visit almost always do so on mobile devices — searching for accommodations, checking event schedules, or looking for directions to a particular attraction in the area. The mobile experience, especially the display of interactive maps and event calendars, is a particularly important dimension of this type of site.
SEO and visibility
The foundation for organic visibility has been laid with a focus on tourism queries related to Gorski Kotar and Vrbovsko — metadata optimization, structured content by attraction and accommodation categories, and local SEO elements that help the destination appear in Google results when potential visitors search for vacation options in Gorski Kotar.
Challenges
A tourist website is a specific type of project that must simultaneously function as an inspiring medium that emotionally engages the visitor and as a practical information service that helps them plan and realize their visit. These two roles are sometimes in tension — a site that is visually attractive and rich in multimedia content must also be fast, clear, and functional.
Additionally, the information architecture of a tourism website is extremely complex — accommodation, gastronomy, attractions, activities, event calendar, media clippings, business content for renters, and legally binding documents of a public body are all categories that need to coexist in one clear navigation structure. Implementing digital accessibility on a website with rich multimedia content — videos, interactive maps, and photo galleries — is an additional technical requirement that requires a careful approach to each visual element.
Result
An attractive, functional and accessible tourist website was delivered, positioning Vrbovsko as a recognizable and attractive destination in Gorski Kotar. The website provides potential visitors with all the information they need to plan their visit, a regularly updated calendar of events that follows the tourist season, interactive maps for easier navigation, and business information for renters. It meets legal obligations for digital accessibility, and the Tourist Board independently manages the content and regularly publishes news and events.
