Croatia is implementing a strategy with sustainability as a priority in order to avoid the mistakes of other Mediterranean countries that have led to over-tourism, according to the director of the country’s National Tourism Council, Kristjan Staničić.
Speaking to the British website Travel Weekly on the sidelines of the World Travel Market in London, Staničić said that “Croatia has changed its strategy for the future of tourism and the main focus will be on sustainability.”
“We want to avoid some of the mistakes of our competitor countries in the Mediterranean and prevent over-tourism in many of Croatia’s coastal destinations, so this is an opportunity to develop our tourism infrastructure and offer,” he said.
Croatia has adopted a new tourism law, which has “strictly defined sustainability standards” for destinations, according to Staničić.
“Each destination will have the obligation to create its own tourism sustainable development plan, based on a rigorous analysis of possibilities, from accommodation to traffic and public infrastructure,” he explained.
“Everything is linked to the quality of life of the local people, because we want to show the locals that tourism is not a bad thing, but a good thing, and we want to live with tourism in many destinations,” he added.
Croatia is not yet at the point of over-tourism that led to protests in other Mediterranean destinations this summer, he said, as it adopted this strategy at the right time.
“I am sure that in the next three years we will see a different picture of Croatia’s tourism,” he added.
Investments with a focus on sustainability
Investments in new hotels and tourist attractions between 2025 and 2027 will focus on sustainability, either through the use of renewable energy sources or green building products, ensuring the right balance between the capacity of accommodation and shared infrastructure.
Croatia saw a 9% increase in British arrivals this year, attracting more than 850,000 tourists, making the UK the sixth largest inbound market in the country.
Staničić added that British tourists spend more than the average tourist in Croatia, and there has been a notable increase in younger tourists visiting the country for sporting and musical events as well as value for money, coupled with older Brits visiting Croatia in off-peak months who are attracted by the natural attractions, cultural heritage and gastronomy.
In the future, an attempt will be made to increase bookings for the intermediate period, especially during the spring and autumn months, while maintaining the same level of visitors during the high tourist season from July to August.
He said: “We would like to emphasise that Croatia has a diverse tourism offer and product not only in the summer season. We have music and sporting events, many outdoor activities such as cycling, which is popular for groups from the UK, and high quality accommodation, gastronomy and all that when combined in one package is very attractive for travellers all year round.”
“We are focusing on sustainability and a higher level of service quality. This is our strategy and goal for the future,” concluded Staničić.
