Promotion of sustainable tourism through the campaign “Experience local. Explore sustainable Croatia!”

The goal of the campaign is the promotion of sustainable destinations and sustainable ways of traveling.

After the positive promotional results achieved during the first two seasons of the “Experience domestic. Explore rural Croatia!”, the Kristjan Staničić, director of HTZ, together with its partners, decided to dedicate the third season of the campaign to sustainability and sustainable ways of traveling, hence the new name of the campaign “Experience locals. Explore sustainable Croatia!”. Activities within this campaign intended for the domestic market will be carried out from mid-September to mid-November.

“We carried out this campaign for the first time in 2021, when the focus of the promotion was lesser-known destinations and localities of Croatian rural areas. After two years and positive feedback and results, we decided to keep the current format of the campaign, but at the same time put sustainability at the center of the promotion, i.e. the promotion of sustainable destinations, localities and products and services that are an important part of the increasingly popular sustainable travel. The above is in line with the guidelines of the new Strategic Marketing and Operational Plan of Croatian Tourism, in which special emphasis is placed on sustainability,” said Kristjan Staničić, director of HTZ, adding that sustainability implies care for the environment, destinations, and the local population.

For the purposes of the campaign, eight thematic video clips were made where examples of sustainable tourism in Croatia were highlighted, and suggestions of destinations and locations were also given by the system of tourist boards, while taking into account the criteria and principles of sustainability such as optimal use of environmental resources, preservation of natural heritage and bio diversity, respecting the sociological and cultural authenticity of the community, carrying out ecologically educational actions, introducing cleaner, cheaper and healthier forms of transportation, etc.

The video includes destinations and localities such as Hvar, Lastovo, Lika, Mali Lošinj, Međimurje, Istria, Central Croatia and Papuk. In addition to the promotional character, the created video materials also have an instructive and educational part, considering the emphasis on the importance of coordinating tourist trips and a sustainable approach to tourism.

“We visited the length and breadth of Croatia and tried to check how sustainability works in practice. From individuals to large facilities and entire destinations to public institutions – everyone has become aware of the importance of taking care of the environment around us. Although it may be five to twelve, it is still not late and there is still much we can do. Go on a journey with us and find out how!”, is one of the messages of the “Experience the local” campaign. Explore sustainable Croatia!”.