Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli, accompanied by State Secretary Tonči Glavina, congratulated the residents of Lošinj and Drniš, towns that can serve as an example to other destinations. “We must emphasize the importance of responsible, sustainable and quality tourism that begins precisely at a local level, a level we wish to encourage to implement sustainability principles in its strategic documents and practices, in order to preserve for future generations the fundamental resources important for the development of tourism and economy. Sustainable development is not only green operations but also responsible management of all processes in the destination that will eventually, by reducing seasonality and increasing employment, contribute to heritage conservation and bring socioeconomic benefits to its residents and local communities,” said Tourism Minister Cappelli.
The organizers, Green Destinations, TravelMole, Travellife and ITB Berlin, have again given the opportunity to all top 100 destinations to demonstrate to the world their sustainability and best practices, at the world’s largest tourism trade fair – “Awards for the Best Sustainable Destinations in the World”. After considering all the registered destinations, the assessment panel rewarded the best of the top 100 in several categories: ITB Earth Award, Best of Culture & Communities, Best of Cities, Best of Nature, Best of Ecotourism, Best of Seaside, Best of the planet – the best green destination of each continent (Best of Africa, Best of the Americas, Best of Asia – Pacific, Best of Europe).
“Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100“ is a collective initiative of global sustainable tourism world organizations, and to enter the Top 100 sustainable destinations it is necessary to meet 15 main criteria that make a destination responsible and green, and in the following topics: nature, animals and scenery, climate and environment, culture and tradition, local community and hospitality, social well-being and sustainable destination management, which constitute the essence of the green destination standard. The assessment panel consisted of an expert team of Top 100 sustainable destinations and a selection panel comprised of 13 international leading experts in tourism and sustainability. Mali Lošinj has already in 2016, with the certificate of Sustainable Destinations Global Top 100, become a part of the largest green destination community in the world.
“Lošinj has, with its destination brand management, for years ‘sailed’ towards sustainability. We wanted to improve and take a step further, and therefore started to use European standards. This is why we have, among the first in Croatia, become involved in the European Commission’s project: ETIS – European Tourism Indicators System for sustainable destinations. All this would not be possible without close cooperation with the partners and the residents of the destination as key participants in numerous projects in the field of sustainable cultural, sports and medical tourism. We are glad that Lošinj was again recognized this year as one of the top sustainable destinations in Europe, as this is proof that our sustainability strategy is effective,” stated Dalibor Cvitković, Director of the Mali Lošinj Tourist Board.
