Sustainable tourism during COVID-19 – Cres and Mali Losinj join the valuable project
SuSTowns project presumes that smaller island towns will face a decline in tourism, which is why they need to act appropriately and on time. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making the plans for sustainable tourism even more important. Some scientific theories say that when tourism traffic reaches its peak, all that is left for it is either to stagnate or to drop. Up until the Coronavirus, the global tourism sector grew for 10 years in a row, with Mediterranean countries recording the largest increase in traffic. It was presumed that the tourism sector would reach its ceiling sometime in 2020, but due to the pandemic, the fall came earlier.
In normal circumstances, increase in arrivals and stays means increase in supplies, which further means a larger impact on the environment and local communities. This is why it’s important that tourism development is planned accordingly, while also respecting the basic principles of sustainability. The largest tourist centers reached their limits of sustainability – a good example of this would be Venice or Dubrovnik. During summer, their citizens can’t use the usual services. Similar problems exist on the islands – to reach their doctors in Rijeka, citizens of Kvarner Islands sometimes wait a couple of hours for the ferry to arrive.
Led by the Municipality Association of Lazio region, 10 partners from 7 Mediterranean countries came up with the SuSTowns Project. Project is worth almost 2.8 Million €, financed 85% by European Fund for Regional Development. SuSTowns is abbreviated from English Project – Enhancing SUStainable tourism attraction in small fascinating med TOWNS. The goal of the project is to develop and test tools which would enable smaller towns to grow as a tourist destination, while also protecting their natural resources and beauty. OTRA agency is the Croatian partner in the project, based on a mutual partnership of Cres island and Losinj Island. OTRA disposes an amount of 226.000 €.
OTRA’s director emphasizes that tourism sustainability is a well-known concept for a lot of people on Cres and Mali Losinj. Good examples are Visitors Center for Griffon Vultures and “Blue World” institute which studies dolphins. The leading tourist companies stick to these principles. Cresanka company has several eco-certificates and awards like EcoCamping, Blue Flag and so on. They’ve also removed all single-use plastic from their offices. Jadranka company from Losinj has multiple awards and recognitions. It was recently announced that the largest solar power plant is going to be built on Cres Island, with plans for several more. Furthermore, cities of Cres and Mali Losinj also implemented a system for waste disposal, one of the first in Croatia. However, there’s always room for improvement. Therefore, within SuSTowns project TQM method (Total Quality Management) will be implemented. Method is usually used in private sector, but with more intent of using it in the public sector.
TQM is not only aimed at guests, but to everyone affected by tourism, including the local community. The life quality of the locals shouldn’t be affected by giving the guests better services. By the end of 2020, cities of Cres and Mali Losinj will develop one new tourist package, offering new products and services they will try to overcome the crisis, and try to get ahead of the competition.
Source: Novi List
