Lastovo and Kornati are developing what has been an increasingly hot topic in the tourism industry – a sustainable eco-tourism package.
In Croatia, on Saturday, September 23, the first group of eco-tourism experts will come to Croatia and try out the future eco-tourist package of Lastovo Nature Park, reports eZadar on September 20, 2017.
This is the first of the seven pilot tests held this year in protected areas in six Mediterranean countries covered by the project DestiMED, implemented by WWF Adria in Croatia, and funded by the EU Interreg Mediterranean Program. The project brings together a network of 13 protected areas that, in co-operation with local communities living in or around these areas, will develope eco-standards and eco-tourism as well as tools to track the success of the project.
The promotion of people’s lives in harmony with nature and positive traditions is what this project will aim to achieve in the protected areas of the Nature Park of Lastovo and the National Park Kornati, where the programme “Kornati Sailing Adventure” will be tested out later this year.
Experts will stay on Lastovo for six days trying out the package “Lastovo – Positively Wild”.They will be staying at a farmhouse, spending time with the local community and nature watchers, making souvenirs, talking to the last builder of wooden boats and enjoying local delicacies under the starry sky. After exploring all the charms of the island, the experts will give their assessment of the quality and sustainability of the package and suggest improvements. The package was designed for the needs of the project by the local ecotourism cluster with the help of WWF Adria.
Experts will also help in gathering data for the innovative approach to measuring and reducing the impact of tourism on natural resources held by the communities in the protected areas. This new tool is based on environmental footprint and was developed within the DestiMED project by IUCN in co-operation with Global Footprint Network, a globally recognized organization for the environmental footprint.
DestiMED is based on the success of the MEET network (Mediterranean Experiences of Ecotourism), a non-profit organisation for destination management, focused on further development and promotion of a high-quality portfolio of ecotourism experiences in the protected areas of the region.
Seven pilot areas whose tests will be held this fall, along with Kornati and Lastovo, include The Colline Metallifere Mining Park and the Torre del Cerrano Marine Park in Italy, the Menorca Biosphere Reserve and Terres De L’Ebre in Spain, and the Greek Samaria National Park.
Photos: PP Lastovo
Source: Ezadar
