The number of visitors arriving in Croatia is expected to go up to levels recorded before the pandemic.
According to a recent statement by the Croatian Tourism Ministry, despite the rise of tourism being beneficial for the economy, it can cause serious damage to the environment.
Numerous environmentalists across the country have raised concerns regarding serious environmental harm.
In their words, mass tourism could lead to overburdening the local infrastructure. In addition, environmentalists have cautioned that recycling and waste collection services might also be overwhelmed.
Mass tourism
In the words of Dunja Mickov of Zelena Istra, mass tourism can cause a loss of biodiversity and give rise to air pollution as well.
She went on to question if anyone in Croatia was monitoring the rise in pollution levels and taking action to curb the damage being caused by tourism.
Dunja believes that the monitoring authorities in the country should keep a close eye on mass tourism and its consequences, as well as come up with an action plan to penalize those who do not comply with the law.
Croatian conservationist group
Sunce, a Croatian conservationist group, has stated that it is striving to ensure that the tourist industry in the country adopts more sustainable practices.
One of the spokespersons for the party said that it is challenging to balance the number of visitors entering the country as well as protecting the cultural heritage that attracts them.
Back in August, Andrej Plenkovic, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, revealed that since the start of the year, the country had received no less than 800,000 tourists.
These travelers had spent a total of €1.7 million on overnight stays, which accounted for 16 and 15% increases as compared to the previous year.
Surge in visitors
The reason why Croatia is experiencing a surge in foreign travelers is because of its membership in the Schengen Zone.
In addition, the country has replaced its previous currency, called the Kuna, with the euro, which has further enhanced the ease of transaction convenience among travelers moving through the eurozone.
Currently, tourism in Croatia is contributing to 20% of the gross domestic product, which is a significant chunk of the economy.
Moreover, authorities in the country are striving to release a comprehensive tourism law since they have realized that there is a dire need to regulate the tourism sector.
One of the proposed measures for greater regulation is to implement a tourism tax that will be used to help pay for the conservation efforts made for nature.
The tax will, however, only be introduced in zones that have been heavily affected due to mass tourism.
Moreover, the authorities have revealed that the tax will be levied starting from 2025.
As of now, the Croatian Tourist Board has started its own sustainable tourism campaign, which has been on the agenda of the Croatian tourism sector since the previous year.
The campaign will be implemented for the local tourists, starting later in the month and aims to promote sustainable travel throughout the country during off season.
