UNEP/EUROBATS

The event "International Bat Night" is held at the Barać Caves picnic area, with the aim of highlighting the biological importance of flying mammals and dispelling the prejudices associated with them. The goals also include attracting visitors to the destination, increasing tourist spending, generating more overnight stays, and contributing to the branding of the destination. Planned activities consist of educational and entertaining programs. In cooperation with Plitvice Lakes National Park, educational programs for children in the form of workshops and exhibitions have been organized for many years. Additionally, members of the BIOM and HBSD associations conduct activities for visitors such as bat detector walks, setting light traps and monitoring nocturnal moths, building bat houses, and similar activities. In collaboration with the Veles Speleological Society, we continuously organize speleological climbing, allowing visitors to experience being a speleologist for a day. There are also outdoor film screenings, exhibitions of photographs of protected species, music programs, entertainment for children, a zip line for children in cooperation with HGSS volunteers, and various other fun activities that change every year to innovate the content for visitors. The number of visitors has been steadily increasing, with over 900 visitors recorded last year. The expected outcome of organizing this international event is to enhance the destination's recognition in correlation with the event, increase tourist spending, and increase the number of overnight stays in the destination during the event. Records show that 60% of the total visitors are foreign visitors and visitors from other parts of Croatia (outside Karlovac County) such as Zagreb, Split, Šibenik, and others. The Bat Night event is included in the event calendar of the Plitvice Valley Tourist Board and is published and visible on the website throughout the year so that all visitors can plan their arrival and stay at the destination during the event in advance.