April the 15th, 2025 – More and more Croatian destinations are being awarded for their sustainability efforts as the country attempts to free itself from its overtourism shackles.
As Borivoje Dokler/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, at the recently held leading ITB tourism fair in Berlin, Krka National Park was awarded the Green Destination gold plaque. In addition, the gorgeous Mljet National Park and the chronically overlooked Vukovar-Srijem County received a silver plaque.
Croatian destinations are being awarded for their sustainability efforts on a larger scale, with the country currently boasting nine tourist destinations with the Green Destinations recognition. There are two with gold, five with silver and two with bronze status, and several are still going through the certification process. In addition, Croatia was declared the most desirable destination for 2025, owing to the votes of more than one million users of the European Best Destinations portal. Mljet National Park also took an enviably high 8th place on the list of most desirable European destinations.
croatian destinations, sustainability and the green destination certificate
The Green Destination certificate is an international recognition that confirms excellence in the management of sustainable destinations. The certification programme is based on the guidelines of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) and progress is tracked through measurable sustainability indicators. The certificate assesses key aspects of sustainable management, including nature and heritage protection, waste management, energy efficiency and the fight against climate change. It also recognises a given destination’s efforts to preserve its attractiveness to visitors through the implementation of policies and plans based on the principles of sustainable development.
Nella Slavica, director of the Krka National Park Public Institution, pointed out that the Golden Green Destinations isn’t only an amazing achievement for them, but also for Croatia as a whole.
“We’re proud to have become the second national park in the entire world with this prestigious recognition. It confirms our commitment to sustainable tourism and the preservation of natural and cultural heritage. It’s the result of many years of hard and systematic work on sustainable development, visitor management, nature protection and cooperation with the local community.
sustainability-conscious visitors
In addition to bringing even greater recognition to the park on a global level, this recognition will attract visitors who value sustainable destinations. It ensures better tourism management and resource conservation for the local community. Personally, it’s confirmation to me that we’re on the right track and that our efforts and dedication are bringing in good results. It’s also a huge responsibility. We need to continue developing sustainable tourism and introducing innovative practices into our business, so that we can continue to be an example to others,” stated Nella Slavica. She added that the stringent certification process was extremely demanding and included 84 strict criteria divided into six categories.
The idea for the application came to them in the spring, was realised throughout the summer, and the recognition arrived in early autumn last year. “It was a relatively short period, which, I must admit, was quite intense. After the initial introduction to the criteria and the platform itself, the process of collecting material and writing descriptive documents followed. Colleagues from numerous services and departments worked and collaborated on this. We concluded the application in the summer.
I was very optimistic because I believed that Green Destinations would recognise not only the knowledge, but also the many years of dedicated work and effort. That effort has been put in by all employees of the National Park, who want to create a sustainable way of visiting that includes the protection of our natural values while maximising the visitor experience. However, the golden recognition that we received on the first attempt filled all of us at the Park with delight and great satisfaction,” revealed Nella Slavica.
“This certificate enables better promotion of the Park through global platforms and networks of sustainable tourism. It also opens up the possibility of cooperation with other destinations that share the same values and encourages the development of new sustainable tourism products,” she said.
the world is choosing sustainable paths
“Sustainability is the direction in which tourism is heading worldwide. Over more recent years, we’ve witnessed dissatisfaction among local residents and restrictions on the number of visitors to some of the world’s most famous destinations. We’ve been thinking about sustainable development for years and managing things accordingly.
On the one hand, we’re working on spatial and temporal dispersion of visits in order to relieve the pressure on our most famous and most visited site, Skradinski buk. In that same vein, we’re presenting the upper reaches of the Krka River to visitors in order to encourage them to visit those areas of the Park as well. The most important steps we’ve taken in this regard are the limitation of the number of visitors to Skradinski buk and the restriction of swimming there. We’ve also had the successful implementation of the Unknown Krka – Hidden Treasures of the Upper and Middle Krka River project.
With all that being said, we also need to take the satisfaction and interests of the local population into account. The Park encompasses the area of as many as four cities and three municipalities, it also includes numerous business partners, tourist agencies and people in the catering and hospitality industry. Sustainable tourism is a concept that successfully unites all these stakeholders, to use the Green Destinations dictionary,” explained the director of the Krka National Park, before promising that sustainable development will remain their permanent direction.
croatia’s green island is awarded for precisely that
Ivan Sršen, director of the Mljet National Park Public Institution, also agrees that sustainable tourism is a necessity, not just a trend. “Given its exceptional natural heritage, Croatian destinations have all the predispositions for the development of sustainability and tourism in this direction. We want to encourage responsible behaviour and sustainable business models. National parks play a key role in this as leaders of environmental standards and as models of sustainable development that other Croatian destinations will emulate,” believes Sršen. He then emphasised that the silver medal from the ITB Berlin fair is fantastic recognition for the Park and confirmation of many years of hard work on preserving nature and developing environmentally friendly tourism.
“This award makes us especially happy, as it testifies to the development of the destination through the cooperation of the Mljet National Park Public Institution with the local community and the local government unit. That’s all being done while taking into account everyday life and investments in island conditions marked by challenges in transport connections with the mainland, among other things. This recognition shows that we are recognised at the international level as an example of good practice, which further motivates us to continue with the sustainable management and protection of this unique space”, said Sršen, adding that a number of strict criteria had to be met to win the recognition.
“The biggest challenge was to prove our quality and the systematic communication between the local community and the Mljet National Park Public Institution. This was especially true in the context of the set of questions on the topic of social well-being. One of the key criteria for receiving the medal was a clear definition of the rights of the local population and the way in which the National Park communicates and includes them in the planning and development processes. The specificity of Mljet as an island, as well as the National Park, is highlighted by its small number of inhabitants and the strongly connected local community. That community relies to a large extent on oral communication.
a spring in mljet’s step
“Although this close, informal exchange of information is fully functional within the community, it was extremely difficult to translate it into formal documents and systems that the evaluators required as evidence. Finding a way to adapt such a model to international sustainability standards required a lot of additional effort and adjustments,” revealed Sršen. They came up with the idea for the application at the end of 2023 and immediately decided to start the adaptation process.
They started preparing the documentation in the spring of 2024, and the application was officially submitted in August.
“This medal represents a major international recognition and further confirms Mljet National Park as a leading Croatian destination in regard to sustainability in tourism. Our goal is to attract visitors precisely because of the sustainable development of the park – because of its untouched nature, environmentally friendly infrastructure and responsible resource management.
The recognition has brought us greater visibility among environmentally conscious travellers, as well as among institutions that support sustainable tourism. We expect that an increasing number of visitors will choose Mljet National Park precisely because of its commitment to nature conservation, which will also contribute to the development of the local community in the long term. In addition, the award opens the door for us to participate in European projects related to sustainable development and access to additional financial resources, which will allow us to further improve sustainable practices within the park,” said Sršen.
a bit of the spotlight is given to zagreb county
In addition to Croatian coastal destinations being awarded for their sustainability, continental destinations are also Green Destinations certified. Last year, the bronze certificate was awarded to Zagreb County, for which sustainability is a key component of all activities, noted Ivana Alilović, Director of the Zagreb County Tourist Board.
“We’ve been working intensively on strengthening the competitiveness and excellence of this destination through stakeholder education, encouraging local production, digitalisation and strong involvement in European sustainable networks.
We’re placing special emphasis on the development of our Destination Management Plan, which has been in the development phase since October 2024. This planning document is of utmost importance because it provides a long-term overview of tourism development based on regenerative principles, ensuring a balance between economic development and the quality of life of the local community,” said Ivana Alilović, highlighting that Zagreb County is one of only 40 destinations selected at the EU level as part of the prestigious D3HUB project – the European platform for the green and digital transition of tourism.
“Our role in this project ensures direct access to innovation, knowledge and exchange of experiences with leading European regions. That provides Zagreb County with a strategic advantage in implementing modern and sustainable solutions,” she said, adding that this certificate has significantly contributed to international recognition. That was seen through the county’s appearance at the Swiss International Holiday Exhibition in Lugano and the Destination of Excellence award.
“The demand for stays in Zagreb has increased, especially among guests looking for sustainable experiences. It is important to point out that we’re the most economically powerful destination in Croatia. The first heritage hotel was opened in Sveti Ivan Zelina, which further confirms the quality direction we’re following”, stated Ivana Alilović.
eastern croatia gets the limelight
Vukovar-Srijem County received the silver Green Destinations certificate, becoming the third continental Croatian destination with this sustainability recognition. Majda Jakša, director of the Vukovar-Srijem County Tourist Board, revealed that the direction of tourism development at the national level is very clear and based on sustainable development.
“That’s why the umbrella strategic document is called the Strategy for the Development of Sustainable Tourism by 2030. All Croatian destinations, including Vukovar-Srijem County, will follow this national direction of tourism development and management. Ultimately, regardless of whether it’s at a national or global level, sustainable tourism management is imperative for every destination that wants to be competitive in the market,” concluded Majda Jakša.
