Green Destinations Gold Award for Plitvice Lakes National Park
Plitvice Lakes National Park, as one of the most recognized and most visited protected areas in Croatia, a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, and a renowned green tourist destination, has successfully applied for recognition of its sustainability policies and achievements through the Green Destinations Award program. This program evaluates sustainable tourist destinations at an international level in accordance with environmental, socio-economic, and cultural criteria.
The Path to the Gold Award
After a period of extensive preparation and the submission of detailed dossiers covering more than 75 sustainability criteria, followed by an independent on-site audit, the Green Destinations Gold Award was attributed to Plitvice Lakes National Park. This award indicates excellence in all fields of sustainable destination management, such as nature and heritage conservation, waste management, energy, and climate action. It also recognizes the Park’s efforts to sustain the attractiveness of its tourism in the future. Not only visible and tangible aspects are measured, such as natural heritage, but also policies and management plans that take sustainable development principles into account.
Recommendations for the Future
As one of the improvements for the future, it was recommended to focus on:
- Monitoring sustainability indicators (environmental, economic, social, and cultural).
- Measuring inhabitant satisfaction.
- Encouraging the use of public transportation and low-emission alternatives.
- Involving the private sector in sustainability measures.
- Promoting recognition of good environmental practices among entrepreneurs.
Building on Previous Success
Since 2023, Plitvice Lakes National Park has been included in the Green Destinations Award program, first receiving the Silver Award. In 2024, the Park entered the Top 100 Destinations Sustainability Stories competition with the story “A Ticket that Opens Doors of Lika Destination – branding initiative for sustainable tourism development.”
This Green Destinations Gold Award is a major step forward toward fully evidence-based and independently verified certification of sustainability performance, in accordance with international standards set by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
Official Ceremony
The Award will be officially presented to Plitvice Lakes National Park during the Green Destinations Global Conference 2025 in Montpellier, Occitanie, France.
About Green Destinations
The Green Destinations Award & Certification Program challenges municipalities, counties, regions, and protected areas to promote responsible destination management on an ongoing basis and to encourage the tourism sector to implement sustainable practices. Participating destinations engage in a sustainability management system, with independent verification of performance and progress every two or three years, accompanied by recommendations for improvements. With support from regional partners and representatives, more than 120 destinations in 25 countries have already received Awards and Certification.
Since 2018, Green Destinations Certification has been accredited by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC).
More information: www.greendestinations.org
