Nikolina Brnjac was elected as Croatia’s Minister for tourism amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, when global tourism was hit harder than at any other time.
Despite serious challenges, Nikolina has had the option to modify the Balkan nation’s ‘obliterated’ tourism industry and making Croatia a standard for sustainable travel.
Right now, Nikolina Brnjac is trying hard to sustain the country’s Tourism Industry. Another task is to help put territorial Croatian destinations on travelers’ radars.
“During COVID, tourism was one of the most affected industries globally, but these crises also highlighted the need for a profound change in tourism development and management.
“Strengthening the resilience of tourism by setting up instruments to ensure its adaptability to different challenges is part of a bigger picture of building sustainable tourism”, Brnjac said.
Nikolina Brnjac and her team are hoping to foster the tourism industry that is environmentally and socially sustainable. Croatia has embraced its very first The travel industry law which came into force this year.
Croatia plans to decentralize the industry and adapt it to local and regional needs. Before, tourism was developed solely based on economic interests in the country.
“We wanted to find a way to strengthen the resilience, implement sustainable practices and move away from the perception of success based solely on the number of overnight stays and revenue from tourism – that is, we wanted to find the right balance between the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainability”, she said.
Nikolina Brnjac hopes the Tourism Law will help local communities to develop destinations, with the help of the national government. They’ll be given tools to both improve the quality of life of the local population and to mitigate the negative impact of tourism on the environment.
Croatia became a member of the European Union in 2013 and of the Schengen Area in January 2023.
UN General Assembly Holds A Successful Tourism For Sustainable Development..
Brnjac has worked hard in conjunction with the EU to reach her goals for sustainable tourism, securing grants both privately and from the bloc’s Recovery and Resilience Programme and EU Multiannual Financial Framework, as well as through the Croatian state budget.
“We also secured grants for green and digital transition of private tourism infrastructure amounting to over €180 million,” she tells Euronews Travel.
“I am confident that this investment cycle will strongly contribute to sustainability, to the green and digital transition of our tourism, which is essential for future competitiveness and success.”
Croatia has been recognised as a leader in the development of sustainable tourism, not least by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission.
The United Nations has taken notice too and the World Tourism Organisation recently announced its initiative for establishing a Centre for Sustainable Tourism in Croatia – the first in Europe.
“Travellers are increasingly aware of climate change and this is also shaping their perspectives on holiday travel. They recognise the potential impacts, such as extreme temperatures, altered seasons, and more unpredictable weather conditions”. I am sure that, in the future, our work on sustainability will have a positive impact on their overall experience of Croatia.”
She’s confident that it won’t be just sightseers who will be intrigued with the country’s endeavors on sustainability, but other countries, as well.
As indicated by Brnjac, that is now happening.
Brnjac, though, says her efforts towards sustainability are bolstered by the higher prices which offer a better all round experience for tourists.
“Croatia had the best shoulder-season results ever last year, and when we talk about the entire year, tourist results were on par with the record-breaking pre-pandemic years, and financially, it was the best in history,” says Brnjac.
In 2023, there were 20.6 million travelers who made 108 million short term visits in Croatia, which was nine percent up on the earlier year.
“Tourism is primarily an industry that provides experiences, and sustainable tourism development equals a quality experience for our guests – with preserved natural and cultural resources, tradition, hospitality and security, along with tourist attractions and infrastructure adapted to the needs of our tourists.”
