The world of today faces rising issues of ecological, safety, economic, and energy crisis. This is the inevitable environment in which we need to adapt our living and our businesses. The speed by which the changes take place is especially hard to follow and comprehend.

Concerning its massive volume, tourism remains one of the industries that leave a significant impact on the environment, local community, and the overall economy. However, tourism also has a force to shift trends, provoke change and introduce concepts that promote sustainability, rather than being characterized as a lucrative industry that leaves a questionable impact.

 

Croatia and Tourism

The explosion of global tourism coincided with Croatia’s accelerated development after the country gained its independence at the beginning of the 90s. Leaving many other industries behind, Croatian tourism galloped each year in investments and projects. The primary goal was to ensure that the country can properly welcome the rising number of tourists. Market after market, Croatia was being (re)discovered by the whole of Europe, the Far East, and the Americas… Accommodations were renovated and built, highway routes were added, low-cost airlines spread their network, and island connections improved. The continent of the country remained to the day less appealing to the hungry world of tourists that were looking for that little piece of Mediterranean as it once was.

 

The Mediterranean Dream

So many people are therefore in the search of this Mediterranean dream: lively and busy at night by the seaside, silent during the afternoon siesta in the little town’s sun-paved streets, simple nurturing meals right from the gardens where the scents and freshness speak the sweet language of citruses, the figs, the rape tomatoes…, lively local conversations, and that one-of-a-kind attractive Mediterranean mentality… Over time, this dream somehow began to shrink, change, and take other forms; it was beginning to become pure imagination or even wrongful memory – did it ever exist at all? It was almost nowhere to be found. Why?

What happened is massive: overall infrastructure overload, busy summer months and simply put so many people. Overtourism began to show its face. Somewhere it only knocked on the door, while in some places it started to overtake life. The locals could not access their basic services, park their cars, and even have a swim. They could not afford a coffee by the seaside, and could not buy themselves a new home. All are rented or will be rented. The leading industry was tourism and the whole chain of supporting services to tourism. The young families, the people working elsewhere (other than in tourism), and the elders need(ed) to choose, to adapt or to escape.

 

Where does all the money go?

The question is: how come the locals do not prosper at the same rate as the industry of tourism that brings so much (cash)flow to the destination? The answers are purely mathematical. The volume and the sales go through many hands (intermediaries), all of which take a substantial amount of revenue so that the real executor of the service (for example a local restaurant hosting cruise ship groups) receives sometimes the smallest proportion.

These sales chains are mostly global corporations that have grown so strong that they occupy marketing channels and have strong visibility in sales and distribution. They do invest a lot in these positions, but one cannot but conclude that it somehow ends unfair towards the persons who in the end carry out the service, maintain the levels of excellence in name of others, and spend their valuable resources to satisfy growing demand.

This accelerated rate by which this process was evolving needed to result in something new. More and more people are looking for a stable solution to reconciling tourism with the local community and the balanced use of resources. Thankfully, there is a rising philosophy, concept, and actual right-doing to fight the extent of overtourism: a limited amount of soul is added to business (not really the language of the economy, right?).

 

Soulful travel is good for the community

Soulful travel requires effort from the provider as well as the client, but the outcomes are so powerful: the newly learned skills in art and crafts, strong impressions of the personal transformation, the changed traveler that later goes home and continues to apply the change.

The responsible, considerate and sustainable tourism is the one we should all opt for in the end. This concept also requires the client’s consciousness about the impact he/she can do on the community. If the services are contracted by an honest, direct and local agent, this ensures that the local community gets the most benefit from the business. When the local community earns enough, it can re-invest locally and improve the quality of life. This in return comes back in developing a destination that attracts projects that are good for society and the environment. In this way the benefit cycle is concluded. Win-wins can exist. It is really important how you choose to spend your money.

As for Croatia today, it still has so many corners that are physically not on tourists’ maps, but that is not where its real heritage value lies. It lies in fact in the people, customs, traditions, language, and history. These values can be discovered, but only by a person that dedicates time to this sort of discovery. This kind of person is a slow traveler. Manifesta works on this and hopes to shine as an example of an undisputable value system by which people always come first.

Has tourism gone too far?

 

The problem with traditional tourism

Overtourism, greedy mega developers, and all-inclusive resorts often marginalize local communities and damage fragile environments. Why? Because many foreign investors and mass tourism companies care about short-term profit more than long-term sustainability.

According to the UN, when a typical international traveler visits a developing country, only $5 of every $100 of their travel spending goes to local communities. When tourism dollars don’t stay local, local communities miss out on the opportunity to invest in themselves. Travel is the world’s largest industry, generating over $7 trillion in global GDP. Imagine the good we could do if more of that spending stayed local.

 

The rise of impact travel & community tourism

When travel dollars stay local, good stuff happens. Fortunately, there are already more than 50,000 local lodges and community tourism activity providers around the world using travel to make a positive impact.

The positive impact of empowering local communities and entrepreneurs is clear. If you know where to look, you can find incredible ecolodges owned by indigenous communities in the Amazon; homestay networks empowering women in rural Nepal; boat trips with local guides in Costa Rica that help preserve thousands of hectares of primary forests; and so much more. The cherry on top? These impactful experiences make for a more memorable and meaningful trip.