Could Croatia be Europe’s most sustainable travel destination? Your Tourism Minister hopes so

Nikolina Brnjac was elected Croatia’s Minister of Tourism amid the COVID pandemic, when international travel has been hit harder than ever.

Despite the challenge ahead, she focused not only on rebuilding the Balkan country’s battered tourism industry, but also on making Croatia a benchmark for sustainable travel.

Ahead of the summer season, she spoke to Euronews Travel about her plans for the future of tourism in Croatia.

A new law is helping to put Croatian regional destinations on tourists’ radar

“During COVID, tourism was one of the most affected industries globally, but these crises have also highlighted the need for a profound change in tourism development and management,” says Brnjac.

“Strengthening the resilience of tourism through the creation of instruments that guarantee its adaptability to different challenges is part of a broader framework for building sustainable tourism.”

Your team’s vision now? They hope to develop tourism that is environmentally and socially sustainable.

Croatia adopted its first Tourism Law, which came into force this year.

In a country where tourism is developed unevenly at a regional level, the objective is to decentralize the industry and adapt it to local and regional needs.

“Before, tourism was developed solely based on economic interests”, explains Brnjac. “We wanted to find a way to strengthen resilience, implement sustainable practices and move away from the perception of success based solely on the number of overnight stays and tourism revenue – in other words, we wanted to find the right balance between the economic, environmental and social sustainability.”

She hopes the Tourism Law will help local communities develop destinations, with help from the national government. They will be provided with tools to improve the quality of life of the local population and to mitigate the negative impact of tourism on the environment.

This is something that the law has also left set in stone, offering a framework for incentives for investment in tourism, based on sustainability criterion.

Croatia will host Europe’s first Sustainable Tourism Center

Croatia became a member of the European Union in 2013 and the Schengen Area in January 2023.

Brnjac worked hard together with the EU to achieve its sustainable development goals tourismsecuring grants both privately and from the bloc’s Recovery and Resilience Program and the EU’s Multiannual Financial Framework, as well as through the Croatian state budget.

“We have also secured subsidies for the green and digital transition of private tourism infrastructure worth more than €180 million,” she told Euronews Travel.

“I am confident that this investment cycle will strongly contribute to sustainability, to the green and digital transition of our tourism, which is essential for competitiveness and future success.”

Croatia has been recognized as a leader in the development of sustainable tourism, notably by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission.

The United Nations has also taken notice and the World Tourism Organization recently announced its initiative to establish a Center for Sustainable Tourism in Croatia – the first in Europe.

In collaboration with the University of Zagreb, experts will research, develop and promote sustainable tourism policies.

The center’s teams will be able to share knowledge and best practices for sustainable tourism, including Croatia’s statistical framework and its application to broader political development.

Why Nikolina Brnjac led the decision to focus on sustainability in tourism?

“According to recent research, tourists have changed their travel habits and interest in sustainable destinations is growing,” explains Brnjac. “Travelers are increasingly aware of climate change and this is also shaping their outlook on holiday travel.”

“They recognize potential impacts such as extreme temperatures, altered seasons and more unpredictable weather conditions,” she adds. “I am sure that in the future our work on sustainability will have a positive impact on the overall Croatian experience.”

She is hopeful that it will not just be tourists who will be impressed by the country’s sustainability efforts, but other nations as well.

According to Brnjac, this is already happening.

“At a political level, we have had many bilateral and multilateral contacts with colleagues dealing with tourism, who face similar challenges and are interested in learning from Croatia’s example,” she says.

Croatia is more expensive since adopting the euro – but it’s a victory for sustainability

Following the Balkan nation’s accession to the Schengen zone and the adoption of the euro as its currency in 2023, some say Croatia has become very expensive for many visitors.

Brnjac, however, says its efforts towards sustainability are reinforced by higher prices, which offer a better overall experience for tourists.

Higher costs are also helping to boost sustainability in other ways, including encouraging travelers to visit Croatia outside of the peak summer season.

“Croatia had the best mid-season results ever last year, and when we talk about the full year, the tourist results were on par with the records of the pre-pandemic years, and financially they were the best in history,” says Brnjac. .

In fact, in 2023, there were 20.6 million travelers who spent 108 million overnight stays in Croatiawhich was nine percent above the previous year.

For Brnjac, any criticism does not seem to distract her from her focus on sustainability.

“It’s not just a buzzword for us,” she says. “It is the basis for improving the quality of our products and services.”

“Tourism is primarily an industry that provides experiences, and sustainable tourism development equates to a quality experience for our guests – with preserved natural and cultural resources, tradition, hospitality and security, together with tourist attractions and infrastructure adapted to the needs of guests. our tourists.”

Higher prices may then continue, but Brnjac is determined to stay on the current path: “The development of sustainable tourism guarantees value for money spent,” she says.