On the second and final day of the 6th Forum of the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy in Portorož, Slawomir Tokarski, Director for European Territorial Cooperation, Macroregions, Interreg, and Implementation of European Commission Programs, reiterated the prediction that tourism will begin to recover seriously in 2023. The panel discussion titled ‘From Crisis to Recovery through Transnational Tourism Projects Focused on Sustainable Green Macroregion’ was organized by the Croatian Ministry of Tourism and Sports as the coordinator of the Sustainable Tourism theme of the Adriatic-Ionian Strategy.
Tokarski emphasized that the EU has already initiated key activities such as the gradual lifting of travel restrictions, along with the introduction of safety standards and measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
– Now we know that tourism based on numbers will give way to tourism based on the value provided by the destination, and that the return to normal will come with a more sustainable approach to managing all segments of tourism – concluded Tokarski.
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These topics were also recently addressed at the G20 forum, and the European Union has already adopted the Tourism and Travel Package, the EU Recovery Plan, the Strengthened Long-Term Budget, the Next Generation Program, and reallocations in the budget have supported activities in six countries of the Western Balkans. New IPA programs crucial for non-EU member countries also support the procurement of medical equipment.
Guests should learn from ‘locals’, and topics can also include war wounds
– I am glad that we have started talking about different tourism, although I regret that we only did this when this crisis occurred. This means that the pandemic has indeed brought something good – said journalist Alex Crevar during the discussion.
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For Crevar, a regular contributor to The New York Times, the local person is the most important resource in tourism. From his rich experience writing about destinations in North and South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe, he advocates for the introduction of a new golden rule – that the guest is NOT always right. Guests should learn from the experiences of local heritage, from local guides, and from local traditions as the most important foundations of tourism that will offer authenticity.
Through participant presentations, a number of good examples of projects that put local heritage in the foreground were presented, and particularly interesting was the example of the Slovenian-Italian project ‘Path of Peace – the Heritage of World War I Unites Europe’. The project, based on the idea of ‘Weg den Friedens’ created in 1970 in Austria, unites former wartime opponents through joint work and remembrance of the victims. The cross-border project has evolved into a transnational project idea that includes 12 countries, including Croatia.
The synergy of tourism and culture, along with investments, can create new momentum
Albania has built 10 new visitor centers in its protected areas over the past five years, and the number of registered guests in those five years before the pandemic increased from 132,000 to 1,317,000. The protected natural areas of that country cover almost 21 percent of the total territory compared to 1.7 percent in 1990. Croatia, with its 9.32 percent of territory under protection, also has excellent potential for tourism development, and some protected areas still need to be more strongly included in the tourism offer.
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– The synergistic capacity of tourism and culture can provide positive momentum, new strength and enthusiasm, initiate new ways of thinking that improve positive human relations and inspire sustainable and responsible development of EUSAIR, and have the power to renew societies and economies that have been fragmented due to the crisis and pandemic – said Natalija Havidić, Director of the Directorate for Strategic Planning, Digitalization, and EU Funds of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, concluding the discussion.
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