eco tourism in function of increasing competitive advantages of the republic croatia

8/10/2019 Eco Tourism in Function of Increasing Competitive Advantages of the Republic Croatia

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ECO-TOURISM IN FUNCTION OF INCREASING COMPETITIVEADVANTAGES OF THE REPUBLIC OF CROATIA AS A TOURIST

DESTINATION

Romina Al kier Radni Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija

Primorska 42, p.p.97, 51410 Opatija, CroatiaPhone: ++385 294 718; Fax: ++385 51 292 945

E-mail: [email protected]

Vedran Milojica Faculty of Tourism and Hospitality Management in Opatija

Primorska 42, p.p.97, 51410 Opatija, CroatiaPhone ++385 51 294 718; Fax: ++385 51 292 945

E-mail: [email protected], [email protected]

Danijel Dr pi Privredna banka Zagreb

ure porera 3, Rijeka, Croatia Phone:++385 51 751 107; Fax: ++385 51 751 019

E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

The tourist product of the Republic of Croatia is still based exclusively on the mass offer principle.Significant efforts have been invested recently in the creation of a new tourist offer which has tocontribute to the recognisibility of the Republic of Croatia on the world tourist market, as an eco-tourist destination with a unique offer, oriented towards preserving the environment, climate, sea,

and the traditional way of life of the local community. The Republic of Croatia has to base itstourist product on selective forms of the tourist offer, which fulfill the needs and desires of modernguests, and provide the possibility for faster adjustement to modern tourist movements. TheRepublic of Croatia has well-preserved natural and ecological resources, especially in rural areas,which have so far been economically undeveloped. It has a well-preserved natural basis, which isthe basis for ecological tourism development. This will enable economic prosperity of the Republicof Croatia, and preserve the existing natural spatial resources. An ecologically aware tourist is a

person who devotes big attention to nature, and influences the environment, local community, andcultural-historical heritage of the visited area to the smallest possible extent. Special attention in allfuture development strategies has to be placed on ecologically sustainable traffic infrastructures. Inorder to provide analysis of development potentials of the eco-tourist offer of the Republic ofCroatia, SWOT analysis, secondary statistic databases, and global practical examples will also betaken into consideration. A possible strategy of development of eco-tourist offer of the Republic ofCroatia will be developed through the creation of standards and valorisation of the eco-tourist offer,while upholding all the particularities of the Republic of Croatia, which have not been usedsufficiently in its tourist offer. The new tourist product has to be based on the 3E principle - ethics,ecology, environment. Sustainable development mechanisms have to be implemented, withoutthem, there is no ecotourism and eco-tourist offer. The purpose of the paper is to present positiveeffects of ecotourism as unavoidable factor of modern tourist offer. The goal of the paper isthrough the suggestion of possible strategy of development of ecotourism to build more dynamicand more successful tourist offer of Republic of Croatia as a tourist destination.

Keywords: ecotourism, eco-tourist, Republic of Croatia, tourist destination, tourist offer

JEL classification: L83, Q01
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1. Introduction

The Republic of Croatia is a country of numerous preserved areas which have not been sufficiently valorised. In order to touristically valorise these areas, the first priority isdefining developmental guidelines. In order to preserve their particularities, all

preconditions for sustainable tourism development should be ensured, which will be

achieved through eco-tourism development. Contemporary visitors look for particularitiesand individualised approach in tourist destinations. Croatia should design an offer based onits particularities, individual approach, and connection of visitors with nature, and find its

position on the contemporary tourist market. Eco-tourism has become the most populartype of vacation on the global level. While tourism focused on destinations with naturalresources basically represents a simple journey to areas with beautiful nature, eco-tourismachieves benefits for the local population in the ecological, cultural, and economic sense.The Republic of Croatia has high hopes for tourism development. Eco-tourism providesthe possibility for development of an ecologically responsible tourist offer, but also forstrengthening of the awareness of the local community and tourists, to make them devotegreater attention to preservation of the environment. Eco-tourism represents a rapidly

developing segment of the tourist offer and, according to the WTO data, realises annualgrowth of 5% worldwide, which represents 6% of the gross world product, as well as11,4% of consumption. Thus, it deserves special attention.(Adapted according to:http://www.ekoplan.gov.rs/srl/Ekoturizam-308-c52-content.htm , Accessed 21. January2012.). The above-mentioned facts show the necessity for development of this tourismform and for achieving competitiveness on the European and world tourist market. The

paper provides an overview of the natural particularities of the Republic of Croatia, anoverview of world experiences in the development of projects related to ecologicaltourism, as well as proposals for ensuring quality accommodation offer in the futureCroatian ecological tourist destinations. The goal of the paper is to point out at allcompetitive advantages of the Republic of Croatia comparing to the competition, and it isspecially manifested in the part of preserved environment, landscape architecture, lookingafter traditional way of life (which is marked by ethics and responsibility to thecommunity, but also to the environment), encouraging responsible business, etc., while the

purpose of the paper is through the development of the model of diamond of competitiveadvantages of eco tourist destination, SWOT analysis, as well as the analysis of othersignificant factors, to enable a quality creation of programme for Eco Croatia as adevelopmental model based on postulates of sustainable development. Regarding theliterature that concerns the developmnet of the eco tourist offer of Croatia, there are certaintheoretic publications which partially enters the area of eco-tourism, and among which theresearches of Borovac Zekan is pointed out (Borovac Zekan, 2007, XX CongressCROMAR, Rijeka) which talks about the importance of eco etno tourism with a goal ofcreating a recognisable touristic image of Croatia, while the authors Klari and Gatti(Klari, Gatti, 2006;149-165) are discussing in details about the perspectives of eco-tourism development in Croatia, while in the area of sustainable development they aremore numerous, about which other authors write a s well: Vuji (Vuji, 2005;16), Meler(2004;206) who talks about sustainable development of tourism and eco-tourism as a newmarket niche of Croatian tourism. In spite of the exsisting publication, it can be concludedthat there is not scientific publications that monitor the influence of sustainabledevelopment of eco-tourism on the development of a new product based on respectingethical, towards environment and local community responsible business, through creatingan innovative offer of an eco tourist destination with a goal of increasing competitiveness

and successful repositioning of the Republic of Croatia, as one of the leading ecologicallyaware tourist destinations in the future.
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2. Preconditions for Eco-Tourism development in Croatia

The basic preconditions for development of ecological and sustainable tourism inCroatia are primarily numerous preserved areas, intact nature, pleasant climate, richness offlora and fauna, but also rich tourist tradition and connection of the local population withnature. The basic problem of eco-tourism development strategy in Croatia is non-existence

of clear data on the number, type and standards of the Croatian ecological tourism offer, aswell as the potential visitors.For this reason, the paper presents the data on protected areas in Croatia from the

Reference Database of Protected Areas in the Republic of Croatia, as the only officialsource of information, i.e. the Register of Protected Natural Values of the Directorate for

Nature Protection. All the data from the Register of Protected Natural Values are public,except in exceptional cases. According to the Register of Protected Natural Values of theMinistry of Culture 230 , there is a total of 461 protected areas in different categories inCroatia, from which 12 areas are under preventive protection. The protected areasencompass 7,95% of the total surface of the Republic of Croatia, i.e. 11,4% of the landterritory and 1,3% of the territorial sea. The greatest part of the preserved surface are

nature parks (3,71% of the total national territory).

Table 1.: Protected Areas of the Republic of Croatia, according to Categories and Surface

CATEGORY NUMBER Surface

(ha - acres)

% of theCroatiansurfaceZP PZP UZP

Strict reserve 2 0 2 2 395,35 0,027 National park 8 0 8 92 176,78 1,052Special reserve 79 1 80 32 502,19 0,371

Nature park 11 0 11 325 249,10 3,710Regional park 0 2 2 142 796,26 1,629

Natural monument 117 2 119 376,09 0,004Significant landscape 79 4 83 96 906,79 1,105Forest park 33 2 35 3 420,42 0,039Monument of park architecture 121 0 121 955,9 0,011TOTAL OF PROTECTED AREASIN THE REP. OF CROATIA 450 11 461 696 778,48 7,948

Note: ZP The number of areas under protection; PZP The number of areas under preventive protectionUZP Total number of areas under protectionSource: Register of Protected Natural Values (on May 18, 2010)

Except for the independently protected Croatian areas, thanks to their exceptionalvalue and preservation, some Croatian areas have also been recognized as internationallyvaluable, which indicates great potentials of Croatia for eco-tourism development. ThePlitvice Lakes are found on the UNESCO World Heritage List because of their naturalresource base. This is the only Croatian area in this list. The Velebit Mountain is a part ofthe international network of biosphere reserves 231 , while four areas are found on the List ofInternationally Valuable Wetlands of the Convention on Wetlands of InternationalImportance, especially as habitats of waterfowls (the Ramsar Convention) - Kopaki rit,Lonjsko polje, the Neretva Delta and Crna Mlaka. The latest contribution to internationalrecognition of Croatian natural values is the inclusion of Papuk into the European

230 State: May of 2010


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Geoparks Network. Three other Croatian areas are on the Tentative List for the UNESCOWorld Heritage wider area of the Kornati, Velebit, and Lonjsko polje. In 2008, Lonjsko

polje Natural Park completed and submitted its application for inclusion on the List as amixed area of cultural and natural heritage. This application is also the first Croatianapplication for mixed World Heritage. Preparation of the necessary documents for theapplication of the area surrounding the Mura, the Drava and the Danube for the

international network of UNESCO biosphere reserves is also in the final stage. This isenabled by the Strategy and Action Plan for the Protection of Biological and LandscapeDiversity of the Republic of Croatia (Strategy and Action Plan for the Protection ofBiological and Landscape Diversity of the Republic of Croatia (NN 143/08)) - Vransko jezero Nature Park, Liko polje, and Ogulin-Plae area will also apply for inclusion on theList of Internationally Valuable Wetlands of the Ramsar Convention. The same Strategyalso comprises expert valorisation of the NP Mljet, NP Kornati, Telaica Nature Park, andLastovo Islands Nature Park for the inclusion on the List of Specially Protected Areas ofMediterranean SPA Protocol to the Convention on the Protection of Marine Environmentand the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention).(http://www.dzzp.hr/zasticena-podrucja/zasticena-podrucja-u-hrvatskoj/medunarodno-zasticena-podrucja-u-republici-hrvatskoj-256.html , Accessed 15. January 2012.). Theabove facts indicate a rich natural resource base, which is crucial for the development ofthis tourism form, and realisation of competitiveness on the tourist market.

Table 2.: Internationally Protected Areas in the Republic of Croatia

Internationally protected areas in the Republic of Croatia

International protection Name of the areaPromulgationyear

National protection

UNESCO World Heritage List Plitvice Lakes 1979 Plitvice Lakes National Park

MAB biosphere reserve Velebit Mountain 1977Paklenica National Park

North Velebit National ParkVelebit Nature Park

List of Internationally ValuableWetlands of the RamsarConvention

Crna Mlaka 1993 Special ornithological reserve Crna MlakaKopaki rit 1993 Kopaki rit Nature Park Lonjsko polje and

Mokro polje,including Krapje

ol 1993

Lonjsko polje Nature Park

Special ornithological reserve Krapje ol

Neretva Delta 1993 -Europska Geoparks Network Papuk 2007 Papuk Nature ParkSource: http://www.dzzp.hr/zasticena-podrucja/zasticena-podrucja-u-hrvatskoj/medunarodno-zasticena-

podrucja-u-republici-hrvatskoj-256.html , Accessed 15. January 2012.)

Establishment of close co-operation between the Ministry of Culture, Ministry ofEnvironment and Nature, and the Ministry of Tourism is a precondition for successfuldesigning of the offer in Croatia as a responsible and ecologically aware tourist destination.

3. Competitive advantages of Croatia as an Eco-Tourist Destination

The Republic of Croatia is a country rich in natural resources, which are crucial fordevelopment of numerous selective tourism forms, among which are exceptionallyimportant resources for the development of eco-tourism, However, these resources havenot been adequately valorised, despite their great potential.

According to the results of the conducted research Tourist Destination
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consumption in Croatia in the period from 1997 to 2007 recorded constant growth, andalso achieved a relatively good result in 2008, while a poorer result was recorded in the

period between 2009 and 2011, because of the general economic crisis. Despite the growthfrom 1997 to 2007, the market share of Croatian tourism among international competitionin the Mediterranean is weakening, especially in the segment of realised overnights inhotels and similar accommodation facilities. (Adapted according to:

http://www.mint.hr/default.aspx?id=5476 , Accessed 15. January 2012.).Croatia is facing an important task: to synchronise the quality of its tourist offer

with the standards prescribed by the European Union, in order to be equally included in themarket competition and take its rightful place in the European and world tourist flows.This will be achieved by designing a quality offer based on eco-tourism and sustainabledevelopment, with the objective to preserve and adequatly touristically valorise Croatiannatural resources.

Table 3.: Subjects and elements of competitiveness analysis

COMPANIES SECTOR/INDUSTRY STATE

FACTORS

Competitors, substitutes, possibleentrances, suppliers, customers

Production factors,demand, related sectors,market structure, random

occurences, state

Science and technology, humancapital, government, infrastructure,management, finances, degree of

openness, high valuation ofresponsible behaviour to the

environment

AREA

Target marketsUse of available

resources and globalmarkets

Workplaces, foreign investments,exchange

RESULT

Market share, profitability,sustainability and preservation of

Croatian natural resources

Internationalrecognisability, publicopinion, strength and

growth

Economic prosperity, quality of life,European eco-oasis

ASSETS

Goods and services, strategy,research, analysis of the eco-

tourism competition,

Marketing, industrial policy, strategic

association

Entrepreneurship and innovativeness,education, investments, economic

policy, national culture, economicassociations, Plan for Eco-Croatia

Source: Authors' adaptation according to: Ritchie, Crouch, 2003, derived from Porter and the WTO,downloaded from: http://www.iztzg.hr/hr/konkurentnost/o_centru/okvir_za_razumijevanje/ , Accessed 15.January 2012.)

Regarding general competitiveness, the Republic of Croatia takes the 77 th place incomparison with the analysed 133 countries. Croatian competitiveness is slightly better inthe segment of tourist economy; it is rated 43 rd. Some of the tourist competitiveness criteriaoriginate from its general competitiveness, and it comprises: safety of investments,legislation and administration, general infrastructure, labour market, and financialtransactions. According to tourist competitiveness, Croatia comes before the competitivedestinations such as Turkey, Montenegro, Egypt and Morocco, and every 50 th European
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http://hgk.biznet.hr/hgk/fileovi/19826.pdf , Accessed 15. January 2012.). In order toincrease Croatian tourist competitiveness, future tourist development must be based onfurther increase in the share on the European tourist market, but also stronger positioningof Croatia on the new market niches the so- called distant markets (China, India, Japan,etc.), which will be achieved through the eco-tourism offer based on the preservation ofCroatian resources (clean air, water, forests, pleasant climate), and by introducing the so-

called green standards and certificates in the business activities of the tourist industryAn important factor is also greater orientation of tourist suppliers in eco-tourismdestinations towards the demanding domestic market, whose demand has decreased

because of the impact of recession and of general crisis, especially insecurity ofworkplaces and salaries. Also, it is necessary to develop new entrepreneurial incubatorswhich will result in the creation of new green solutions, ideas and original events in thoffer of eco-tourism destinations, aided by stronger co-operation between the public and

private sector in Croatian tourism. The development of eco tourist offer of Croatia providesthe possibility of intensive pleasure in the beauties of natural surroundings, conductingvarious activities in the nature, fulfilling the needs for adventures, it includes the visits toecologicailly clean areas and growing trend of taking care of its own health in the form of

"healthy" nutrition and living in the accordance with nature (Vlahovi, 2006; 413) and itwill enable creation of programmes and implementation plans for achieveing competitiveadvantages of Croatia.

Figure 1. : Presentation of the Relationship between Competitiveness and Eco-TourismDestination

Source: Authors' adaptation according to: http://www.iztzg.hr/UserFiles/Pdf/Pedeseta-obljetnica-IT/02- Konkurentnost-turisticke-destinacije-Ivandic.pdf (Accessed 15. January 2012 . )

The new tourist paradigm must be based on the 3E principles (ethics, ecology, andeconomics) (http://www.zadarskilist.hr/clanci/27062008/turizam-ne-smije-biti-monokultura , Accessed 10 January 2012. ). By its structur e, sustainable developmentsurpasses the terms ethics, ecology and environment, but in the part of tourismdevelopment they make the part of the same continuum in the whole of a new tourist

product of a destination of eco-tourism of Croatia. Previously mentioned follows thatwithout application of principles of sustainable development there is no tourism as a

phenomenon in general, but also no application of ethics, nor responsible business of hotel

enterprises towards the environment, but also responsible behaviour of visitors and local population, so foundation of tourism development on the paradigm 3E makes a unique newdevelopmental direction of a tourist product which is the opposite of until now massive and
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irresponsibility in the development of tourism as a phenomena. Competitiveness of touristdestinations increases by introducing ecologically responsible business activities in eco-tourism destinations. In the example of the Republic of Croatia, competitiveness will beincreased in comparison with the competitive Mediterranean countries (Greece, Turkey,Italy, etc.). Management of contemporary, ecologically aware eco-tourist destinations mustintroduce high ecological standards and certificates into its business activities, which will

make the entire tourist destination an oasis of ecological and responsible tourism.Introduction of the offer based on the principles of sustainability and eco-tourism willachieve stronger interrelation of the visitors and the destination, the environment, and thelocal community. The local community will directly benefit from the above-mentionedapproach regarding the promotion of natural particularities, preservation of the traditionalway of life and originality of the destination. Return to nature will provide a strongerconnection between the production of Croatian (organic) agriculture and tourist suppliers,especially in Croatian coastal areas. This will also enable socio-demographic revival of theCroatian rural areas, which have been affected by strong depopulation and economiclagging behind in comparison with other parts of the country. Because of this fact, Croatianrural areas are one of the bases for future development of eco-tourism in Croatia. Preservednatural resources, rich cultural historical heritage, traditional way of life, gastronomy andenology represent insufficiently used Croatian treasures which are the foundation forachieving a new competitive power in Croatian tourism development, especially if it will

be based on sustainable development and eco-tourism principles.

4. Croatia as an Eco-Tourism Destination

Modern visitors of world and Croatian tourist destinations are constantly searchingfor experiences which will provide them a sense of connection with nature, tradition and

peaceful way of life, and complete inclusion in the life of the local community, in order tofully learn about its tradition and all the particularities offered by a certain touristdestination.

Figure 2.: Environmental considerations when deciding on holidays

Source: Eurobarometar, European Comission, Europeans and Tourism, Autumn 2009, Analytical Report,September 2009, publication: October 2009.

According to Eurostat's data from 2009, as shown in the above chart, as much as35% of the tourists from the European Union wants to experience connection with nature,the local community, and to feel other ecological experiences on their journey to


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sustainable and eco-tourism destinations. This fact, and pending EU membership, arereasons for development of this form of tourism, the offer of which must adapt to thestandards and the criteria prescribed by the European Union, with the objective ofachieving competitive advantages on the demanding tourist market.

In order to achieve successful positioning of a certain tourist destination on thedemanding tourist market, and to build an image of an ecologically aware destination, the

destination should include the entire interested public in its development, i.e.entrepreneurs, scientists, the inhabitants, as well as tourists. This is why it is especiallyimportant to design an integral strategy of sustainable development of Croatia. It should be

pointed out that the Republic of Croatia is aware of its responsibility for preservation ofnatural balance, and that it attributes great significance to the preservation of naturalresources, which will ensure achievement of the basic objective for the development ofeco-tourism, which is: preservation of the landscape and all its particularities (flora, fauna,climate, cleanness of the air, waters, etc.), and upholding the particularities of the localcommunity's lifestyle. The goal of the Sustainable Development Strategy of Croatia is toensure sustainable planning, creation and designing of policies and guidelines for thedevelopment of eco-tourism, to disable excessive urbanisation of the space (for example,the coastline), and to ensure high standards of energy management (systems of renewableenergy sources), and waste. The eco-destination concept is new and insufficientlyexplored. There are no unambiguous forms for its implementation. The goal of destinationmanagement planning is to point out all the benefits of eco-tourism development for acertain area, and the local community. Successful eco-destination development will be

possible if integrated and permanent co-operation is ensured between all the participantswhich manage the tourist destination, especially taking into consideration particularities ofeach area, especially sensitive ecosystems, socio-demographic and economic conditions,urban planning, inclusion of the local community in the process and ensurance of a

permanent monitoring system, which will enable continuity of the process of eco-touristdestination development, adequate for the needs of the local community and the visitors, aswell as an innovative process. SWOT analysis of Croatian eco-tourism is presented below.

Table 3.: SWOT Analysis of Developmental Possibilities of Croatian Eco-TourismSTRENGTHS WEAKNESSES

Well-preserved natural resources Insufficiently developed railway network

Mild climate, richness of flora and fauna Insufficient use of RES

Vicinity of the emitive tourist markets Lack of awareness of the local community

Favourable traffic connections Lack of interest by the government and touristsuppliers

Numerous intact areas and preserved oasesInsufficient financial support of developmentagencies, Croatian Bank for Reconstruction andDevelopment, credit lines of commercial banks

Great quantity of clean drinking waterThermal waters and spasRich heritage

Lack of educational programmes on ecology andecological and sustainable tourismStatistical lack of recognisability of selectiveforms of the tourist offer (rural, ecological, etc.)

Non-existence of national standards for ecologicaltourism in the segment of hotel accommodation


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OPPORTUNITIES THREATS

Accession to the European Union travellingwithout borders, high ecological standards,financial perspective cohesion funds

Postponement of the accession to the EuropeanUnion and inability to accept high environmentalstandards and ecological standards, and funds forrural development and protection of the

environment

Developing the Croatian offer as a highly awareecological tourist destination

Lack of interest by the local community andtourist suppliers

Designation of new protected areas in Croatia Insufficiently educated local population

Linking of the offer of coastal and ruraldestinations through eco-tourism developmentProduction of ecologically grown food

Climate changes and ecological disasters

Source: Authors' analysis

The results of the presented SWOT analysis indicate numerous opportunities andstrengths of the Republic of Croatia for eco-tourism development, which are primarilyconditioned by rich resource base (clean water, air, pleasant climate, richness of flora andfauna), and numerous possibilities, for example, ensurance of the production ofecologically grown food which will be offered in the restaurants throughout Croatia. Inorder to realise these possibilities, additional regulations and standards should be adoptedwhich will ensure exceptional quality of the offer and preserve ecological particularities.However, there are certain threats, such as ecological disasters, climate changes or non-useof the EU funds allocated for preservation of ecological biodiversity of Europe.

The objective of Croatian tourism development must be based on particularities,innovativeness and recognisability of the offer in relation to competitive tourist

destinations which have already recognised the advantages of this tourism form. Croatiahas about 97% of rural space, rich in its natural resource base, but insufficientlytouristically valorised; thus, eco-tourism development provides a dual opportunity, whichis: protection of the landscape and the way of life of the local community, andimprovement of economic and socio-demographic image of rural Croatia, along withstrengthening of all the comparative advantages of the Republic of Croatia as a touristdestination. Special attention should also be devoted to building and promoting the so-called green hotel industry in Croatia, which will achieve recognisability of the Croatiahotel industry and ensure comparative advantages in comparison with the competition. According to the presented SWOT analysis, the objective of Croatian eco-tourismdevelopment is:

The basic objective of tourist development of ecologically aware touristdestinations must be preservation and protection of natural and other destinationresources, which are usually limited;

Focusing tourist development activities towards sustainable development and eco-tourism;

Devoting special attention to preservation of the protected areas in Croatia; Ensuring education of the local population and tourists, considering that eco-

tourism has an educative component which raises awareness of tourists and of the local population on the importance of preservation of nature;

Constantly working on the improvement of the quality of life of the localcommunity through stimulation of innovations, and inclusion of the interested public inall ecological activities of the tourist destination;


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Keeping in mind the fact, in the promotion and designing planning of the touristoffer, that eco-tourism has the smallest possible impact on the environment andsociodemographic particularities of tourist destinations;

Eco-tourism is realised in smaller groups there is no mass tourism, overloading oflocal infrastructure, pollution, etc.

Accession of Croatia to the European Union will also help in the realisation of thisPlan, as well as inclusion of more Croatian areas in the European ecological network

NATURA 2000.European Union is obligated to protect biodiversity and stop its disappearance in

Europe by 2020. Two strong European regulations are a foundation for this EU policy:Directive on Birds and Directive on Habitats. These two directives represent the mostambitious initiative started with the goal to preserve valuable habitats and wild bird speciesin the EU Member States. During the past 25 years, there are about 26000 NATURA 2000areas, which cover more than 850 000 km 2 of the EU surface. This is the largest network of

preserved areas in the world. Thanks to these two directives, the countries are able to co-ordinate their ecological activities, regardless of political or administrative barriers. Theentire process is scientifically-based, enforceable, and based on the management approachwhich takes into consideration the interests and needs of the people. (Adapted accordingto: http://www.natura2000.hr/PageTemplates/PageContent.aspx?pageId=37&langID=1(Accessed 21 January 2012.). Accession to the European Union will enable Croatia to

participate in the programme more actively. Namely, there is a strong correlation betweeneco-tourism development and NATURA 2000 ecological programme. The areas whichimplement the NATURA 2000 programme are a magnet for eco-tourists and attractattention to areas rich in natural resources, which often provide different programmes,

brochures and information to visitors, information, expertise and advice on wildlife speciesand nature, and attract foreign investments, which stimulates diversification of economicactivities on the local level. Some of the successful world NATURA 2000 projects are onthe island of Azora (habitats of whales and dolphins), the Canary Islands (over 30% of theislands have been marked as an ecological network area), Lapland (300 square kilometresof protected forests), and others. The Croatian candidate for the NATURA 2000

programme is Gorski kotar, which is the most important locality for preservation of wildanimals bears, wolves and foxes.

Eco-tourism development may also be stimulated through pre-accession andcohesion funds for the development of rural and other underdeveloped areas. These fundsare: the European Regional Development Fund, European Social Fund, Cohesion Fund,European Fisheries Fund, European Fund for Agricultural Guarantee and the EuropeanFund for Rural Development 232 . All of the above-mentioned funds have certain

components which will be useful for the preservation of Croatian ecological particularitiesand the attractive Croatian offer of eco-tourism.

5. Negative effects of Tourist Development on the Environment

The current Croatian offer was based on mass tourism, i.e. the sun-sea-sand offer.The new paradigm of tourist development must be based on the paradigm of sustainability,i.e. the 3E system ecology, ethics and sustainable energy.

Croatia takes the 12 th place in the world according to preservation of nature, and the5th place according to drinking water supplies.( Ham, Frajman- Jaki , 2008;521-536) It is estimated that about 50% of ecologically richest and most sensitive areas in the European

Union are located in European coastal regions (Petri,How to...,232 For more information see: http://www vlada hr/preuzimanja/referedum za ulazak u eu/s
http://www.vlada.hr/preuzimanja/referedum_za_ulazak_u_eu/s%20ve_sto_ste_htjeli_znati_o_europskoj_unijihttp://www.vlada.hr/preuzimanja/referedum_za_ulazak_u_eu/s%20ve_sto_ste_htjeli_znati_o_europskoj_uniji


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http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/62283 , Accessed 15 January 2012.) Unfortunately, recent touristdevelopment in these areas also had some negative aspects. Numerous negative impacts oftourist development are visible in many coastal Croatian areas, in terms of excessiveurbanisation of space and illegal building of holiday appartments, the so- called secondaryresidences. Tourism is a specific phenomenon which is exceptionally sensitive to crises(the example of the Croatian War for Independence, the Kosovo crisis, the world economic

crisis from 2009 until present day), which have a negative impact on the economic perspective of employees in tourism and the destination itself. In order for tourismdevelopment and the related economic activities to be useful for the entire community, itmust complement other industries. There are numerous negative impacts of tourism on thelandscape and natural resources. For example, water and air become polluted, there is

production of noise, visual degradation of the space, overpopulation (saturation).Tourism development greatly depends on spatial resources. The area allocated for

tourism must be beautiful and attractive in terms of natural and cultural beauties andvalues. The space may remain so only if it is not crowded and devastated by urbanisation.When the goal is to create great concentration of tourists, tourism ruins the environment,which is one of the most important elements of its sustainable development, because eachconcentration of people changes the space. If this border is crossed, changes in space turninto devastation. A great problem is intensive construction of secondary residences on theCroatian coast. A negative example is also granting concessions to hotels on beaches andthe coastline, which has a negative impact on the space, the local population, but alsocreates negative social impacts. Croatia is very diverse and unique, but it must be pointedout that this beauty is not inexhaustible, because it is evident that it has been disappearingwherever building took place (for example, the island of Vir). This is, naturally, related togeneral culture of the population, whose ecological awareness must be continuously

boosted through educational and cultural programmes. Although the standards in manyaspects of the hotel industry are much greater in relation to the competitive touristcountries, this quality level is not accompanied by the arrangement of the area surroundingthe hotels, which records a decrease in natural landscape resources. This is primarilyvisible in excessive construction of the area surrounding hotels. Historical monuments, asignificant resource base for tourism development, are also in bad condition. In order toimprove the tourist offer, roads are being built, parks and green areas are arranged, hotelsare renewed, and, thanks to all of these activities, new workplaces are opened. However,

bad developmental strategy for tourism may lead to great problems, such as cutting offorsts for reasons of infrastructure development and building of accommodation facilities,

pollution, appearance of aggressive species which are not indigenous to the area, whichcould harm the ecosystem (for example, allochthonous game on Krk and Cres wild boarsand bears), reduction of water supplies, and others. Each mass appearance of people leads

to waste disposal problems, problems with the sewage, accommodation, transport.Excessive number of tourists in ecologically sensitive areas often causes great harm to themain attraction the environment itself.

6. The need to design programmes for Eco-Croatia

After presenting the above, the authors point out the need to design and activelyimplement the programme/strategy for Eco-Croatia. This programme would representactive co-operation of all the interested participants on planning and implementation ofecological standards in tourism development in ecologically sensitive Croatian areas. Thisis an interdisciplinary approach, which is continuous and permanent. In the planning stage,

it is necessary to engage scientists and practitioners of various professions and profiles(geographers, demographs, economists, employees in tourism, ecologists, and all the otherinterested participants). One of the main tasks of the strategy would be connecting the
http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/62283http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/62283


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offer of production of ecologically preserved food with the tourist offer. Likewise, it isnecessary to ensure connection between rural and eco-tourism, in the way to provide thestandards for construction, arrangement, and offer in hotels to ensure building ofaccommodation facilities in the traditional manner (wood, stone), the offer of home-madeand ecologically grown food, application of renewable energy sources in hotels, on familyfarms, and in the entire tourist destination. These standards would represent a kind of an

upgrade of the existing European and world eco-tourism standards (for example, the BlueFlag, HACCP...). Local entrepreneurs and foreign investors should be included in theimplementation of the programme, and stimulate building of the so- called ecological orgreen hotels, to exempt investors of additional duties (VAT, lower interest rates, lowerutility fee, etc.).

Upholding of high ecological standards, strict monitoring and categorisationrequirements, will enable protection of natural resources (air, water, sea, forests) andachievement of significant competitive advantages of Croatia in relation to the similarEuropean and world tourist destinations. Hotels which successfully apply the new, green

business principle (the USA are the leader in this segment), achieve better business resultsand provide a significant contribution to the protection of the environment. In order for theentire project of ecologically responsible hotels to be successful, the visitors must also actin an ecologically responsible manner. In green hotels, lights, air-conditioning andtelevision in the room are automatically turned off when guests leave the room, liquidsoaps and shampoos are used in the bathrooms, water consumption is also regulated, sothat it is motion-activated and temporally limited, towels and linen are not changed everyday. The objective is related with the very foundations of eco-tourism, which are

prevention, or at least reduction of the pollution of the environment, and, where possible, positive influence on sustainability of local ecosystems.

The plan for Eco-Croatia should contain and be oriented on the following components:

1. Stop the pressure of people and limit growth; rehabilitate the land and the coastalarea;

2. Protect the land and the sea and stimulate setting up of the regional touristecological tax in order to protect the environment;

3. Introduce the standards for the so- called eco-green hotels of Croatia; 4. Reduce harmful effects to the environment and the landscape to the greatest

possible extent;5. Restore the historical, cultural, and natural heritage and include it into the tourist

offer;6. Stimulate complete renewal of residential, rural and tourist areas;

7.

Improve public transport and encourage people to walk or use bicycles in thecentres of tourist destinations;8. Introduce sustainable development standards into the key sectors for protection of

the environment: water, energy and waste;9. Invest into human capital and sources of knowledge; increase and diversify the

financial system;10. Modernise the local administration and increase the capacity of the planned public

and private investments.

In order for the implementation of the Plan for Eco Croatia to be successful, it isnecessary to determine tasks and measureable goals determined by time and financial

indicators. Following, a possible proposition of measures and actions for successfulimplementation of programmes for Eco Croatia has been given.


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Figure 3.: Implementing activities for the implementation of the Plan for Eco Croatia

Source: Authors' analysis

Implementation of Eco Projects for Eco Croatia is a long-term process which willinclude all interested public (business subjects, banks, public institutions, localcommunity) with the goal of achieveing competitive advantages of a destination ofEcotourism in relation to the copmetitive countries, while strengthening the awareness ofwhole local community about the importance of constant implementation of basic settingsof sustainable development in business, especially in tourism development, and preservingthe resource basis as a foundation for tourism development. Project for Eco Croatia must

be supported on all levels of authorities, financed through pre-accession and cohesionfunds of the European Union, through favorable crediting lines of HBOR and business

banks, as well as tracked through constant monitoring and improvement of all individualmeasures and steps from the side of scientific and expert public.

Amounts that are necessary for conducting the project are changeable andadjustable individually for every eco tourist destination in Croatia, and they depend on theterms of the financial market, the interest of potential tourists and carriers of offer in thetourist destination.

It is necessary to encourage investmens (through liberation of parafiscal givings, paying of VAT, utility fees, ensuring favorable lines of credit, etc) and stimulateestablishment of special interest group Green hotels of Croatia. The goal is to satisfy the


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offer. It is about small hotel establishements the size of 40 bedrooms, built in the style oflocal architecture, with the condition of using natural materials in building, and in workusing renewable energy sources, introducing renewable energy sources, ecologicalstandards, and so called green business. Furthermore, these hotels will, during its businesscycle actively participate in the promotion of a destination of ecotourism, and promote thevalues offered by.

Besides previously mentioned, for successful application of the plan for EcoCroatia and strengthening competitive competencies of Croatia it is necessary to create agroup of activities presented in continuation of the pa per in a shape of Porters diamond ofcompetitive advantages.

Figure: Porters diamond of competitive advantages of eco-torism in Croatia

CroatianEco-tourism

offer

Government,Local

authoritiesManagementof eco-touristdestination

Possible outputs-achieving

competitive

advantages ofCroatia

EXSISTENCE OF RELATED AND SUPPORTING

INDUSTRIES

Offer carriers in the destination of eco-tourism (restaurants, touristagencies, family farms, "green" hotels, sports and cultural activities,offer related to free time, workshops)

Tourists and visitors of a destination of eco-tourism

Promotion of eco-tourism as a special segment within the tourist

product of Croatia

Source: Adapted according to: Porter, M., E. (1998) The Competitive Advantage of Nations. New York: Free Press, MacMillan

Through creating a diamond of competitiveness of eco-tourist destination of Croatiaall the factors important for achieveing competitive advantages of Croatia will come into

play, profiling Croatia as one of the world's leading destinations of eco-tourism in thefuture.The above mentioned will enable easier implementation of the Plan for Eco Croatiawhich has been presented previously in the paper. The goals of introducing the diamond ofcompetitive advantages are, among other, strengthening the cooperation among all offercarriers in the tourist destination of eco-tourism of Croatia (through public-private

partnership), enabling further sustainable development which will enable furtherdevelopment of Croatia and at the same time preserving the resources. The diamond ofcompetitive advantages stresses all the advantages of Croatia in the part of natural,technological and human resources, and enables the forming of a high quality, unique, rich


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operation of all participants. The above mentioned offer will, besides its own innovativesolutions, be based on international experiences and world practice, especially in the lightof forthcoming accession of Croatia to the European Union, when significant assets ofCohesion funds of the European Union will be available, to be used, among other, for the

protection of environment and tourist development. Efforts must specially be directedtoward a more significnt inclusion of Croatia in the programme of ecological network

NATURA2000, which has been pointed out in the paper as a very significant example ofthe world practice, increasing the number of protected areas in Croatia, which will preservethe rich resource basis for the development of ecological tourism in Croatia.

By determining the basic constituents of the plan and its implementation in theCroatian tourist offer, and through application of model of Porters Diamond ofcompetitive advantages of destination of eco-tourism of Croatia it is estimated that it willensure ecological preservation of Croatia and its successful repositioning on the touristmarket. The above measures are a proposal of the future measures for ensuring sustainabletourism development, and development of Croatia as a whole. The interested public should

be included in development, and development should become a subject of further andcomprehensive studies, with the goal to improve the tourist offer in comparison with the

best practice tourist destinations in Europe and the world.

7. Conclusion

Eco-tourism has been growing daily, which is indicated by the WTO data, and theexamples of best practice tourist destinations in Europe and the world. Ensurance ofsustainable development in each country, including the Republic of Croatia, is especiallysignificant.

The Republic of Croatia is a country rich in natural resources which are notsufficiently valorised. They represent a key precondition for development of a competitiveand unique tourist offer. Designing and stimulating an ecological tourist offer through the

programmes of the Croatian ministries and EU funds will contribute to generaldevelopment and rise in the prosperity and the standard of life of the Croatian citizens. Inorder to increase competitive advantages of Croatia in relation to the competition,

preconditions for permanent sustainable tourism development should be ensured, whichcan be achieved through development of the eco-tourism offer which will have no negativeimpacts on the environment and the local community.

In order to achieve successful integral development of the Republic of Croatia,including tourism development, it is very significant that it fully uses its natural resourcesin the new, European context, which will be achieved by adaptation of the existing touristoffer to the prescribed and implemented standards in the EU Member States. This willenable successful repositioning of Croatia on the world tourist market. The authors thinkthat this development must be based on the preservation of the existing resources, raisingecological awareness of the local community, and introducing responsible and ethical

busness activities in tourism, which can be achieved through implementation of the basiccomponents of the plan for Eco- Croatia presented in the paper. The ultimate goal will besuccessful respositioning of the Republic of Croatia as an ecologically aware destination,of high ecological, social, accommodation- and other standards, different and unique incomparison with the competitive countries close to the target markets, which provides thevisitors reunion with nature. The future success of development of the Croatian eco-tourism offer must be based on the 3E principle (ethics, ecology, and economics),application of top ecological standards and certificates, application of renewable energy

sources, creation of the standards for eco- destinations and eco-hotels, etc., as well as oncontinuous research of the tourist market and comparison with the countries implementingthe best practice.


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