Presented Strategy for the Development of Sustainable Tourism by 2030

The new Strategy for the Development of Sustainable Tourism by 2030 in Croatia aims to establish sustainable tourism as an imperative and goal for the entire tourism sector, emphasized Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac on Wednesday during the first presentation of the proposal for this strategy.

The public presentation of the proposal for this strategy was held in front of about a hundred representatives of the tourism sector, as part of the public discussion on this document which lasts until August 20. After that, the received comments and proposals will be processed, and the proposal for the strategy will be presented again at the Days of Croatian Tourism (DHT) in early October, after which it is expected to be adopted by the end of this year and come into effect on January 1 of the following year, said the minister.

The vision for the development of sustainable tourism, as she added, implies quality and well-being for the local population, respect for cultural-historical and natural heritage, as well as addressing the shortage of both quantity and quality of workers in tourism and reducing the impact of climate change on tourism and its negative effects on space and housing (such as waste, traffic congestion, and others).

– Tourist habits and demand are constantly changing, and tourists are increasingly seeking destinations and facilities that care about the sustainability of the space and offerings, as well as authentic experiences and safety. The situation in the world, with all its geopolitical and climate challenges, leads to an increasing consideration and application of sustainable solutions in tourism, which can significantly contribute to the revitalization of local communities and the economic development of the entire Croatia – Brnjac stated.

According to Zvonimira Šverko Grlić from the Opatija Hotel Management Faculty, who participated in the development, this document was aligned with the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Croatia until 2030 and the fundamental documents and policies of the EU, including the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NPOO).

Key stakeholders in Croatian tourism, ministries, and other relevant institutions, as well as representatives of local communities and numerous citizens through surveys, collaborated on the development, with a total of 2,850 people participating in this work.

Šverko Grlić also stated that the strategy has four main goals, the first of which is the development of year-round tourism and its regional balance, which means reducing its high seasonality (the highest in the Mediterranean), i.e., that it occurs outside of summer and also on the continent.

The second goal is tourism with preserved environment, space, and climate, in which, among other things, spatial plans need to be consulted and possibly changed, while the third goal is a more competitive and innovative tourism with better solutions for human resources and accommodation structure, rather than the current situation where family/private accommodation dominates with 60 percent of capacity. This also requires a more favorable business and investment environment and adaptation to rapid technological changes and the development of so-called smart destinations.

The fourth goal is resilient tourism with a more effective legislative and management framework, along with the improvement of the tourist board system and data monitoring with a tourist satellite account, including integration into the EU data system and more.

From this perspective, the adoption of the first tourism law in Croatia is planned, as well as a series of solutions for better data management that will be available to entrepreneurs.

Assistant Minister Robert Pende emphasized that all the goals from the strategy are interwoven and that a new labor law is also needed for sustainable tourism, which will enable workers to stay in Croatia as much as possible.

Pende also reflected on the challenge of improving the structure and quality of accommodation, which has been the subject of much public debate, as tourism has lower revenues and quality than desired with about 60 percent of total accommodation capacity in private accommodation, thus striving for more hotels and tourist resorts that generate higher revenues and employ more.

– If the accommodation structure is adapted to the content offerings and the destination itself, we can be more successful in tourism than we are now – Pende assessed, adding that in the future, those who invest more in higher quality accommodation and new tourist products will be encouraged.

He announced that particularly “brownfield” investments will be encouraged, which also leads to sustainability, but “greenfield” investments will not be neglected, as they bring higher quality, and in this sense, all future investments and financial programs, including from NPOO, 1.25 billion kuna will go to support such projects.

Additionally, Pende stated that efforts will continue to reduce parafiscal charges and to increase the application of innovations and digitalization in the transformation of tourism.

Brnjac on the season

– This tourist season once again proves that Croatian tourism is resilient and robust, that it knows how to cope with all challenges and has good recognition in the world. It has approached the record year of 2019 with about 95 percent of arrivals and overnight stays as that year, while in financial terms, so far, in the first seven months, the value of fiscalized invoices is about 33 percent higher – emphasized the minister.

She added that the continuation of good trends is expected in the remainder of the summer and the post-season.