On 16 October 2024, representatives of the Plitvice Lakes National Park participated in the workshop “Strengthening the Resilience of Tourism to Climate Change” held at the Hotel Gacka in Ličko Lešće, organised by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. This workshop is the 12th workshop on the aforementioned topic, which has been held since 2022. The workshops are conducted based on the obligations of the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy in the Republic of Croatia for the period until 2040 with a view to 2070 (OG 46/20), and with the aim of raising awareness among experts involved in the tourism sector about the impact, risks and opportunities for climate change adaptation and strengthening the resilience of local communities in the tourism sector. The workshop was attended by representatives of municipal and county tourist boards, representatives of the protected areas of the Plitvice Lakes National Park and the Northern Velebit National Park, a representative of the Lika Destination Cluster, and other interested parties. Online presentations were given by Željko Šimek from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition on the topic of the strategic and legislative framework in the field of climate change adaptation, and Natalija Šimunović from the Ministry of Regional Development and European Union Funds on the topic of presenting national guidelines for climate proofing. Jelena Šobat presented on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports on tourism reform and ecological certification. Vedran Katalinić gave a presentation on behalf of the Northern Velebit National Park on sustainable development in the function of tourism, and Željka Nikšić on behalf of the Lika Destination Cluster, i.e. the Lika Coop agricultural cooperative, on the topic of local products in the function of strengthening the resilience of destinations to climate change.
As the winner of the Green Destinations Silver Award, which we received as the Plitvice Lakes National Park in 2023, we were invited to present our own experiences and the process of going through the criteria (standards). The aim was to inform the participants about our path to sustainability, the activities we have initiated or the sustainable practises that are still under development and with which we are trying to achieve better compliance with certain criteria that need improvement. The topic of the development of the Plitvice Lakes National Park Management Plan 2019 – 2028 was also interesting for the participants, as it provided an overview of the participatory approach to the development of the plan, in which a significant contribution was made through workshops with stakeholders. At the workshop, Maja Vurnek, PhD, gave a presentation on behalf of Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Tourism communities are facing new challenges in the development of destination management plans and we hereby encourage all tourism stakeholders to achieve sustainable practises and implement sustainable policies in the industry to strengthen the resilience of tourism in challenging times where climate change has a significant impact and for which it is necessary to develop an adaptation and mitigation system.
Under the link https://youtu.be/uuhitMypss4?si=GCK9BPuOJ96BRl9O you can watch the recording of the 12th workshop with presentations, while all previous workshops with presentations are available at https://mint.gov.hr/odrziviturizam/upravljanje-i-edukacija/23013.
More information on sustainable tourism can be found on the website of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports.
