Croatia has become the first EU country to establish a Centre for Sustainable Tourism; which will research, develop and promote sustainable tourism policies.
The popular Balkan country has – since the pandemic – positioned itself as the sustainable tourism leader of Europe.
The driver of the move has been Nikolina Brnjac, who was quietly elected Croatia’s tourism minister during the Covid crisis.
Ms Brnjac’s early moves to rejuvenate Croatia’s tourism industry – post-Covid – have been focused on boosting shoulder season, or non-peak season, tourism traffic and to give the country’s individual regions more budget and say over their tourism promotion.
Croatia’s first Tourism Law, which became legislation earlier this year, has enshrined into law that the country’s regional destinations will be better supported by the national government.
“Before, tourism was developed solely based on economic interests. We wanted to find a way to strengthen the resilience, implement sustainable practices and move away from the perception of success based solely on the number of overnight stays and revenue from tourism – that is, we wanted to find the right balance between the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainability,“ Ms Brnjac said in an interview with Euronews Travel.
“During Covid, tourism was one of the most affected industries globally, but these crises also highlighted the need for a profound change in tourism development and management,” Ms Brnjac said in the interview.
“Strengthening the resilience of tourism by setting up instruments to ensure its adaptability to different challenges is part of a bigger picture of building sustainable tourism.”
“Before, tourism was developed solely based on economic interests. We wanted to find a way to strengthen the resilience, implement sustainable practices and move away from the perception of success based solely on the number of overnight stays and revenue from tourism – that is, we wanted to find the right balance between the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainability,” she told Euronews.
The OECD and UN have noted Croatia’s rising focus on sustainability, with the latter’s World Tourism Organisation behind the establishment of the Centre for Sustainable Tourism, which will be supported by the University of Zagreb.
“Tourism is primarily an industry that provides experiences, and sustainable tourism development equals a quality experience for our guests – with preserved natural and cultural resources, tradition, hospitality and security, along with tourist attractions and infrastructure adapted to the needs of our tourists. Sustainable tourism development guarantees value for money spent,” she added in the interview.
