Croatia passes new tourism law that encourages sustainability

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Nikolina Brnjac, Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports said as a result of the pandemic, climate change, and resource constraints, they had to make a significant change to Croatian tourism and they did this by passing the Tourism Act, the country’s first comprehensive law, as well as strategies for developing year-round tourism.

She further added that the management of sustainable tourism needs to be organized.

She said, that they are improving quality because we oppose mass tourism. They are growing the selection, visitors are staying longer, and there are more overnight stays every year. She emphasised on investment in medical tourism.

She continued by saying that mayors and prefects are the main people affected by the law since they are the ones who make decisions for their communities, and they need to know what kind of tourism they want, and must create management plans every four years.

Capacity plans must be submitted by those having a tourism development index of 1 or 2.

Accounts of ecotourism will be provided. The local population must be happy with the availability of resources, the consumption of drinking water, and the use of power through management plans and capacity planning that will be explicitly specified.

She made note of the fact that natural resources are not endless.

She emphasised that tourists now place a high value on sustainability, environmental protection, and cultural heritage.

According to research, visitors often inquire about how they intend to alter the sustainability laws and how well they manage their resources.

According to N1, travellers now pay attention to how places preserve their natural and cultural-historical legacy.

According to sustainability standards, local authorities will be able to identify projects that are particularly important for the destination, she claims.

When asked, if the local community may limit the number of tourists depending on resources, how will the numbers in tourism expand in the future, Brnjac said, “We are raising quality, we don’t want mass tourism. Over seven million overnight stays have already been achieved, which is better than in 2019. We are expanding the offer, tourists are staying more, the number of overnight stays is increasing throughout the year. We will also invest in health tourism. We are much more than sun and sea, we have a lot to offer.”

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