Through collaboration between UN Tourism (the United Nations agency responsible for coordinating tourism policies), the Croatian Government, and the University of Zagreb, the Sustainable Tourism Research and Development Center is born. It’s a place for meetings, research, and discussion on responsible tourism issues. The memorandum of understanding for the establishment of the research institute was signed in Zagreb by the Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations World Tourism Organization, Zurab Pololikashvili.
Croatia, long committed to sustainability and innovation, is part of the United Nations Committee on Tourism and Sustainability, which it chaired from 2019 to 2023. With the establishment of the Research Center, the country strengthens its leadership and is ready to lead the change towards increasingly responsible and sustainable tourism.
Objectives of the Research Center
The Center will therefore be an important collaborative platform where key public and private actors in the tourism sector and civil society and academia will contribute to addressing future challenges. Among the priorities already identified is the need to reduce the environmental impact of tourism. Initiatives aimed at minimizing waste production and plastic use and increasing the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency, will therefore be encouraged.
But the Center’s attention will also be focused on other essential points on the path to sustainability: first and foremost, the importance of accelerating adaptation to climate change is not overlooked, and for this reason, the Center will support every adaptation strategy aimed at improving the resilience of tourist destinations and communities. Another goal to pursue is the protection of social sustainability and local communities: from this point of view, it is essential to work to safeguard cultural heritage and the livelihoods of local communities and promote equitable distribution of benefits.
Through rigorous research activities – always thorough, relevant, and up-to-date – and careful data analysis, the Center will therefore provide policymakers with all the necessary elements to develop the best tourism policies, capable of balancing economic development needs with environmental and social aspects.
