Mirjana Kovačić

Analysis of Cruise Tourism on Croatian Rivers

Cruise trips have been rising in popularity since the 1970 sand are currently a trend in the tourism market. This is particularly true of river cruises, which record a constant growth in the number of ship calls. The general upward trend in the number of river cruise passengers and dockings is also present in Croatia. Prerequisites for the development of cruising on Croatian rivers include, in addition to other geographical features, also the length of navigable water ways, but a systematic approach to this issue is needed for further development. The authors investigate the level of development of infrastructure on Croatian rivers and analyze the passenger and ship traffic on them. Special attention is given to the importance of cruises for tourism on European rivers and world wide. In accordance with the Croatian Tourism Development Strategy until 2020, the authors explore geographical and other conditions necessary for the development of river cruise tourism. The aim of the paper is to point to the importance of building infrastructure for accommodation of vessels sailing on Croatian rivers, and in particular to the need to improve tourism offer in river destinations.

The Evaluation of the present anchorage condition and the development tendency in Zadar County

As result of consistently more rigorous and demanding regulations on protection of marine environment and coastal landscape, as well as following the requirements for integral management of coastal area and sustainable development of nautical tourism, any new intervention in the highly sensitive littoral area is subject to strict assessments. Accordingly, the development of new infrastructure objects of nautical tourism in is frequently questioned. Due to the continual increase of nautical vessels that sail and permanently or temporarily stay at the east coast of the Adriatic Sea, the reception capacity of nautical ports is limited and consequently navigators, especially those with bigger vessels, deploy anchorages as their destination points. Respecting the current reality and the necessity to develop nautical tourism as an important economic function in Croatia, this paper offers a systematic analysis of the anchoring issue.The authors research the method and need for anchoring on free and institutional anchorages and evaluate the role of anchorages in the economy. The aim of the paper is to analyze the current situation based on the example of the Zadar County, especially the spatial-geographical conditions for the development of anchorages in the Zadar County. The goal of the paper is to establish the interdependence between the institutional anchoring and development of nautical tourism in the Zadar County.

Spatial and environmental preconditions for the establishment of nautical tourism ports

This paper analyses the spatial and environmental characteristics of the Croatian Adriatic from the aspect of nautical tourism development. Analysis of the characteristics important for nautical tourism development will deal with the most attractive locations on the Croatian Adriatic, and it will recommend and suggest further development of all the elements of nautical tourism together with its complementary activities – nautical economy. The trends observed in nautical tourism in the more developed Mediterranean tourist countries may be expected or are already present in Croatia as well. That experience facilitates the design of the development direction for Croatia. Namely, geographical, historical and the surrounding specific features of the Croatian coast, the mentality of the local inhabitants, the level of economic development which includes the development of communal, traffic and social infrastructure, etc., imposes to the planners certain limitations which were not present in those countries, or were not of the same shape and extent. The authors analyse spatial possibilities in the function of nautical tourism development. They analyse legal features and suggest solutions that support development of nautical tourism that respects the area and its acceptance and other possibilities.

Social and economic forms of beach managing in Croatia

Beaches are natural resources that significantly enrich the tourist offer of countries gifted by nature near the sea. Apart from economic significance, beaches also have recreational importance, and are, therefore, vulnerable to various adverse influences that result from natural changes or manmade activities. Beach management is mainly entrusted to authorities and in Croatia to public administration. As beaches are public good, they may be subject to concessions and concession approvals. Beach management in Croatia is defined by numerous institutional provisions with the aim to protect beaches and their sustainable use. The authors in this paper explain general knowledge on beaches, integrated beach management and models of beach management in Croatia. They analyze the existing system of beach management, and propose improvements that are socially responsible and economically efficient. Proposed improvements are applicable to other countries that face problems related to public administration and its management of public good, i.e. beaches.

Proposal of socio-economic model of development of small, periodically inhabited and uninhabited Croatian islands

Croatia is a country with more than a thousand islands, a small number of which are inhabited and provides for a good livelihood throughout the year. Some of the islands are occasionally inhabited, while others are uninhabited and have no or poor traffic links. The authors of this paper analyse the survey “Small, occasionally inhabited and uninhabited island and islets” (2007) carried out by the Hydrographic Institute of Croatia. The authors examine opportunities for the balanced revival of the islands, taking into consideration the fact that there will always be differences in their prospects and their level of development. Evidently, islands closer to the mainland have an advantage over the more distant islands, and the occasionally inhabited islands have an advantage over the uninhabited ones. The prospects of remote islands are inversely proportional to their distance from the mainland, unless an island possesses some special advantages or enjoys a special status. By grouping islands according to their population density, it is evident how much they differ by their characteristics. That is why the development of each island should be considered individually, and potential development scenarios should be constructed separately. The basic guidelines are enabling and constraining factors of development, including market conditions and requirements, the force of their mutual influence, as well as the potential development of activities within an Adriatic-based orientation. The authors propose measures for the revitalization of occasionally inhabited and uninhabited islands. They highlight opportunities for further development, based especially on developing forms of special-interest tourism, through a global approach to . Faculty of Maritime Studies, University of Rijeka, Croatia Hydrographic Institute of the Republic of Croatia , Croatia Island Sustainability II 143 www.witpress.com, ISSN 1743-3541 (on-line) WIT Transactions on Ecology and The Environment, Vol 166,