What potential do sports and sporting events hold for the development of tourism in Croatia?

That sports are increasingly gaining importance not only for health in everyday, stress-laden lifestyles but also in tourism movements was highlighted by participants of the International Scientific Conference STC’16 “Red, green and blue strategies in Sport Tourism” held from April 6-8, 2016, organized by the Department of Tourism at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb.

That sports are increasingly gaining importance not only for health in everyday, stress-laden lifestyles but also in tourism movements was highlighted by participants of the International Scientific Conference STC’16 “Red, green and blue strategies in Sport Tourism” held from April 6-8, 2016, organized by the Department of Tourism at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, under the auspices of the Croatian Olympic Committee and the Croatian Chamber of Economy.

During the conference, the potential of some forms of sports for the development of tourism and the region was pointed out, as well as some dangers of uncontrolled and unplanned development of sports tourism, especially regarding its impact on the environment. Conference participants were able to learn from examples from Španjolske, Češke Republike, Katara, Finske, Švicarske and other countries about the tourism development potential that cycling, golf, sporting events, and other sports activities and types of sports hold for Croatia.

It is essential to emphasize that within this conference, the initiative “Sport for the Blind Expands Perspectives” – Goalball was also launched. One of the goals of this initiative is to start the implementation of the sport Goalball at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, in collaboration with the Faculty of Education and Rehabilitation and the Faculty of Kinesiology, with the ultimate aim of implementing this activity at the University level and thereby raising broader awareness among students towards persons with disabilities.