Visitors’ numbers in Croatia are expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels according to the Croatian Tourism Ministry, but mass tourism can cause serious environmental harm, environmentalists warn.
They believe that mass tourism could overwhelm local infrastructure, including waste collection and recycling services.
Dunja Mickov of Zelena Istra told Deutsche Welle that mass tourism can lead to biodiversity loss and air pollution, among others.
But is anyone monitoring this? Who is taking action? Everything is happening too fast, the monitoring bodies are not acting, and there are no penalties for anyone who does not comply with the law.
However, the Croatian conservationist group Sunce told DW that it is attempting to help the country’s tourist industry to become more sustainable.
Croatia’s tourist sector experienced significant growth in recent years.
A spokesperson from Sunce told DW that balancing this visitor influx with the need to protect the country’s cultural heritage was challenging.
In August, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Andrej Plenkovic, revealed that the country received a total of 800,000 arrivals since the beginning of the year, spending 1.7 million overnight stays, thus accounting for 16 and 15 per cent increase more specifically.
Croatia’s membership in the Schengen Zone is among the main reasons that led to a significant increase in the number of visitors. Besides, Croatia has replaced its former currency, the kuna, with the euro, thus enhancing transaction convenience for passengers from the eurozone.
Tourism contributed more than 20 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product, contributing significantly to the country’s economy.
Authorities in Croatia are working on a comprehensive tourism law upon the recognition of the need for greater regulation of the tourism sector.
Among the proposed measures is a tourism levy that will be used in order to help pay for nature conservation efforts. The tax will be introduced only in zones heavily affected by mass tourism and not prior to 2025.
Recently, the Croatian Tourist Board started a sustainable tourism campaign. Promoting sustainable tourism has been among the main objectives within the Croatian tourism sector.
The Croatian Tourist Board campaign entitled “Experience what’s local. Explore sustainable Croatia” will be implemented for the domestic market from mid-September to mid-November, aiming at promoting sustainable travel around the country during the off-season.
According to the Croatian Tourist Board, all persons have become aware of the importance of taking care of the environment, stressing that there is still so much that can be done in this regard, especially in the world of travel, leisure and tourism.
