Original Scientific Article
SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTourist
Destination:ExampleoftheIslandofPag
AleksandraKrajnović
University of Zadar, Department
of Economics, Croatia
akrajnov@unizd.hr
IvicaZdrilić
University of Zadar, Department
of Economics, Croatia
izdrilic@unizd.hr
NikolinaMiletić
University of Zadar, Department
of Economics, Croatia
nikolina.miletic94@gmail.com
The purpose of this paper is to explore the issue of sustainable development of
tourism in island destinations through the example of the island of Pag in Croa-
tia.Thispaperaimedtofindouttheextentofsustainabletourismdevelopmenton
the island of Pag and to discover the factors influencing it. The primary research
sought to determine what are the opinions and views of key tourism stakeholders
aboutsustainabletourismontheislandofPag.Thekeyresearchquestioninthepa-
peris:Whichmodeloftourismdevelopmentisoptimalforthesustainabledevelop-
mentoftheislandofPagasatouristdestination?Themethodofqualitativeanalysis
was used, as well as primary research that combined interviews with experts and
surveys. Furthermore,a comparativeanalysis of the researchresults has been per-
formedusinginterviewsandsurveyresults.Theresearchtookplaceduring2019on
theislandofPag.KeystakeholdersoftourismontheislandofPagwereinterviewed,
aswellasanemployeeoftheTouristBoardoftheCityofPag.Accordingtotheem-
pirical research, it was found that sustainable tourism is developing poorly on the
islandofPag.Sustainabletourismdevelopmentimpliesresponsiblemanagementof
thearea,withanemphasisonnaturalandculturalheritage,andaimstomeetthe
needsoftouristsandneedsofcurrentandfuturelocalcommunities.Sustainability
andsustainabledevelopmentoftourism,especiallyintheislandsasextremelyfrag-
ilegeographical,economic,andsocio-culturalentities,areofparticularimportance.
Indoingso,itisnecessarytoapplyanintegratedapproach.
Keywords:sustainabletourism,masstourism,sustainabletouristdestination,
seasonability,sustainabletourismonislands,theislandofPag
https://doi.org/10.26493/2335-4194.14.23-37
Introduction
Sustainable tourism presents one of the major chal-
lengeswhenitcomestothesocial-economicandsocio-
cultural development of each country and region fo-
cused on the development of tourism. However, this
term, so often mentioned in real life and presented
in strategic development plans, often remains at the
level of the formal principle, since its application en-
counters numerous difficulties. Sunaraet al. (2013, p.
83) considered that ‘although sustainability is one of
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |23

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
themostcommonconceptsintourism,aproblemoc-
curs when it is applied in real life.’ The same authors
state that the concept of sustainable development is
based on meeting the needs not only of the present
but also the future generation. ‘It is important for a
tourist destination to come up with a unique tourist
offerthatwillmeettheneedsoftourists,withoutpro-
ducing any negative impact on the environment, but
rather govern the protection and sustainability of all
tourismresources’(Sunaraetal.,2013,p.84).
Themainsustainabilitychallengesoccurprecisely
atthelocallevel,wheredifferent,oftenconflicting,in-
terests arise when it comes to a tourist destination.
Therefore, in this paper, the island of Pag in Croatia
wastakenasaspecificexampleofarapidlydeveloping
touristdestinationonwhichtotestthesustainability,
or,respectively.sustainabledevelopmentoftourism.
Thepurposeofthispaperistoexploretheissueof
sustainabilityandsustainabledevelopmentoftourism
in island destinations. The primary research sought
to determine what are the opinions and views of key
tourism stakeholders about tourism on the island of
Pagandaboutthelevelreachedandkeyproblemsin
the development of island tourism on Pag. The re-
searchquestionsposedinthispaperare:Whatissus-
tainabletourism,andwhatisitssignificanceinthede-
velopment of tourism on islands? What are the goals
of sustainable tourism, and how are they related to
strategic planning in a tourist destination, based on
the principles of an integrated approach to manage-
ment?Whatarethegeographicalcharacteristicsofthe
islandofPag,andwhatarethespecificsofthedevel-
opmentoftourismontheisland?Towhatextentdoes
the island of Pag care about the sustainable develop-
ment of tourism? Which of the three key principles
ofsustainability–economic,socio-cultural,andenvi-
ronmental– do tourism stakeholdersvalue the most
when it comes to sustainable tourism? How impor-
tantisitforthedevelopmentofsustainabletourismto
unitethebrandoftheislandasarecognizabletourist
destination?
The paper presents the results of the primary re-
searchperformedbythemethodofacombinationof
expert interviews and surveys. Then, a comparative
analysis of the research results was performed using
interviews and survey results. The research was con-
ducted in 2019 on the island of Pag in Croatia. Key
stakeholdersoftourismontheislandofPagwerein-
terviewed,aswellasanemployeeoftheTouristBoard
oftheCityofPag.
By researching the relevant literature, a research
gap can be noticed when it comes to the develop-
ment of tourism on the islands, especially when it
comestotheAdriaticislandswiththeirspecifics.More
comprehensive research that holistically looks at the
issue of sustainable island tourism in the Adriatic
dates back to twenty or even thirty years ago (see,
for example, Mikačić, 1994; Vlahović, 2001). When
it comes to foreign literature, the theory offers in-
teresting case study analyses, such as Tioman Island,
Malaysia (Ng et al., 2017); Lakshadweep archipelago,
India (Kokkranikal et al., 2003); the Island of Do-
minica(Lambert,2009);CatBaIsland,Vietnam(Mai
&Smith,2015)andothers.Aninterestingstudyispre-
sentedinthebookIsland Tourism and Sustainable De-
velopment: Caribbean, Pacific, and Mediterranean Ex-
perienceseditedbyApostolopoulosandGayle(2002),
thathighlightsthekeyproblemsofsustainableisland
tourism based on the experiences of the Caribbean,
Pacific,andMediterraneanislands.Thesameauthors,
in the introductory part of the book, point out that,
‘as tourism is undoubtedly a vital component of the
Caribbean,Pacific,andMediterraneaninsularregions,
ourunderstandingofthewaysitoperatesinthecom-
plexcontextofdevelopmentisquitelimited’(p.12).A
well-known theorist Cohen (2017, p. 7) speaks about
a similar research gap, stating: ‘Island studies and
tourism studies have overlapping interests, but there
waslittleinteractionbetweenthem.[...]Itissuggested
that greater attention to this issue might be a facili-
tatingfactorintheconvergenceofislandstudiesand
tourismstudies.’Thispaperwasalsowrittenasacon-
tribution to the researchof theserelatedphenomena
– island studies and understanding the sustainability
ofislandtourism.
SustainableDevelopmentofIslandTourism:
LiteratureReview
Čavlek & Vukonić (2001) state that sustainable tour-
ismistheabilityofatouristdestinationtoremainbal-
24 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
ancedwiththeenvironment,i.e.theabilitytoremain
competitive in the market despite the emergence of
new and less-visited destinations and to attract both
returningandfirst-timevisitors,thusachievingenvi-
able economic results while protecting and enhanc-
ingnaturalresources.Backin1969,Beckernotedthat
small islands exert a powerful attraction on tourists;
their characteristic ‘gestalt of remoteness, difference,
distance,distinctcultureandheritage,wildernessen-
vironment, and small size [constitutes] an attraction’
(Brown&Cave,2010,inCohen,2017,p.8).Onthene-
cessityofaholisticapproachtoresearchingtheprob-
lemsofislandtourismdevelopment,LimandCooper
(2008, p. 89) state that it is important to answer the
question: ‘How a complex and dynamic tourism sys-
temcanbedevelopedthattakesadestinationtowards
anoptimalsustainablestatetosatisfybothvisitorsand
thelocalcommunity.’
Oneofthekeyresearchquestionsinthispaperwas
whethertourismstakeholdersbelievethatsustainable
tourismshoulddevelopmoreonaneconomic,socio-
cultural, or environmental basis. A similar approach
is taken by the editors of the book Island Tourism:
Toward s a Su stainable Perspective, Carlsen and But-
ler(2011),whostructuredthebookaccordingtothese
threeprinciples.Theypointtothegrowinginterestin
research on sustainable island tourism development
andstatethattheprobablereasonforthisis‘thefact
thatislandsformperfect“livinglaboratories”thaten-
able researchers to isolate the causal and immediate
effects of tourism development on the community,
environment and economy of islands, and to study
them at a level of detail that is not possible in other
tourism destinations’ (Carslen & Butler, 2011, p. xii).
Among earlier authors, we should point out the the-
sis of the Mikačić, who in her 1994 workemphasizes
theessenceoftheissueofsustainabletourismonthe
Croatian islands, stating: ‘Tourist facilities on the is-
lands account for one-fourth of the overall Adriatic
tourist offer.[...] Although its development hasgen-
erallyfollowedthecoastalone,ittookamoremodest
formsothattheislandsescapedmanynegativeeffects
ofmasstourism.Inordertoretaintheexistingadvan-
tages,theislands’developmenthastobeharmonized
with the environment while qualitative factors have
to be given priority’ (Mikačić, 1994, p. 517). Vlahović
(2001,p.229)states:‘Ontheislands,itisnecessaryto
have long-term development programs, which auto-
maticallyincludetheelaborationfromspatialplansto
the elaboration of implementing spatial plans in in-
dividualnarrowertouristlocationsandzones.’Advo-
catingforanintegratedapproachtomanagement,or,
as the author himself defines: ‘measures and actions
for holistic and more harmoniousdevelopment(“in-
tegrated development”),’ he defines island resources
as a ‘wealth of nature and culture’ and concludes: ‘In
fact,it isthemost valuable spatialreserveforthede-
velopment of the highest quality types and forms of
tourism,ofcourse,providedthatnaturalandenviron-
mentalvaluesarepermanentlypreserved.’
When it comes to tourism on the island of Pag,
the researchin thispapercan be linkedtoearlierre-
search presented in the paper by Bašić et al. (2015).
Inthispaper,theauthors,amongotherthings,exam-
ined the opinions and attitudes of key stakeholders
in the tourism of Pag, related to the branding of Pag
asaspatialentity.Respondentsansweredthat‘theis-
land of Pag should be presented on the tourist mar-
ketaccordingtoauniqueumbrellabrand’andfurther
stated:‘Itisnecessarytojointlyadvertisetheislandas
awholeandnotasbeforewhereeachtouristcommu-
nity“worksforitself”.’Theyalsobelievethatbranding
theislandofPagwouldachievebetter,higherquality
and sustainable tourism of the entire island destina-
tion.Fromtheconductedresearch,theauthorsstated
thatverylittleworkwasdoneonbrandingtheislandof
Pagasaspatialunitbackthen(2015),since,astheau-
thorsstate,‘thereisnosinglemasterplanfortourism
developmentontheislandofPagandits dmo (Des-
tinationManagementOrganization)thatwouldputit
intopractice’(Bašićetal.2015,p.102).
Among the more recent literature,the researchof
KrstinićNižićandFugošićcanbehighlighted,which
presentedamodelofsustainabledevelopmentofanis-
landdestinationontheexampleofKrk.Theystatethat
‘itispossibletoincorporatedevelopmentstrategiesof
lowerlevelsintoalevelcoveringawiderarea,thusen-
couragingthedevelopmentofallpartsoftheislandof
Krk,notjustthedevelopedones.Thisshouldserveas
anexampletootherunitsoflocalself-governmentin
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |25

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
theRepublicofCroatia,aswellasintheworld,toshow
thatitispossibletoactinharmonyandlinewiththe
same objective by improving the quality of living for
thepresentgeneration,butalsoforthegenerationsto
follow’(KrstinićNižić&Fugotić,2019,p.105).
SustainableTourismvs.MassTourism:
AHolisticApproach
Bramwell and Lane (1993) noted that tourism has
been increasingly turning towards sustainable devel-
opment. They conclude that it offers some solutions,
that is, it reduces misunderstandings and problems
amongstakeholderssuchastourists,thelocalcommu-
nity,andtheentiretourismsector.KrstinićNižićand
Drpić (2013, p. 160) emphasize‘the needto highlight
thesystematicimplementationofmeasuresandactiv-
itiesinthetourismindustryoftheRepublicofCroatia,
in ensuring sustainable development of a destination
and in strengthening environmental awareness of all
stakeholders.’Krajinović(2015)makesasimilarstate-
ment, saying that sustainability is a very demanding
and complex term included in numerous strategies,
so every tourist destination should be engaged in its
implementation as much as possible and concludes:
‘The key factor in the sustainable development of a
destinationisthecooperationpreciselyandhasasig-
nificant impact on the process performance success’
(Krajinović, 2015, p. 69). As statedby Vukonić(2010,
p. 37): ‘Tourist destinationsare most often guided by
examplesfoundintheprofessionalliterature,however,
theseexamplesmostoftencomefromunderdeveloped
areas that are sparsely populated, hence making sus-
tainability management simpler. For this reason, it is
impossibletoacceptsuchexamplesasanexplanation
ofsustainabletourism,andespeciallynotasamodal-
itytointroduceandmanagesustainabledevelopment.’
Inthisway,hebuildsonsimilarearlierthesesofJafari
(1989) who asserted, ‘Some authors have stated that
the tourism biggest problem is its massive participa-
tion.However,whenitcomestosustainabletourism,
theproblemisnotinitsextentbutintheeffectiveness
oftourismmanagementofadestinationwithanem-
phasisonitsspecificities.’Jadrešić(1999)emphasized
evenearliertheproblemofmasstourism,which,inhis
opinion, is still dominant, stating: ‘Although nowa-
Table 1 DifferencebetweenMassandSustainableTourism
Masstourism Sustainabletuorism
Unconstraineddevelopment Controlleddevelopment
Quantity Quality
Prominentseasonality Developmentoftourist
preseasonandpostseason
Reducedamountof
experience
Resourcespreservation–
higherlevelof
consciousness
Massmarketing
communication
Consumerdirect
communication
Massmarkets Specializedmarkets
Fastdevelopment Slowdevelopment
Largegroupsofpeople Individualsandfamilies
Oldtouristhabits Newtouristhabits
Existentdestinations Emergingdestinations
Planneditinerary(travel
program)
Spontaneousitinerary
Short-termtourismform Long-termtourismform
Notes AdaptedfromPopesku(2011)andButler(1999).
days tourists are starting to avoid mass tourism by
lookingforpreservedanduntouchedplacesfortheir
holidays,masstourismisstillnotdeclining’(Jadrešić,
1999, p. 63). Although he wrote about this problem
twodecadesago,theproblemofmasstourismisstill
ubiquitous.Withincreasingmassiveparticipation,the
destination begins to lose quality and attractiveness
and then competitiveness, so tourists are in pursuit
of new destinations. Therefore, tourist destinations
mustmakeanefforttodevelopsustainabletourismfor
manyreasons.Thetendencytoachieveenvironmen-
talandsocialbalanceisessentialforthepreservation
ofthedestinationforthebenefitofthelocalpopula-
tionandfuturegenerations.Thechangefrommassto
sustainable tourism is a long-term process of contin-
uous improvement, and the differences between the
two forms of tourism areshown in Table 1 (Popesku,
2011;Butler,1999).
PrinciplesandGoalsofSustainableTourism
For sustainable tourism development, it is necessary
to have a quality strategy development by applying
26 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
three important principles of tourism sustainability:
environmental, economic and socio-cultural princi-
ples(Klarin,2017):
1. Environmental sustainability:effectiveuseofnat-
uralresourcesofadestinationwhicharecrucial
forthedevelopmentoftourism.Itisaquestionof
maintainingandprotectingbiodiversityandnat-
uralwealth.
2. Socio-cultural sustainability:aboveall,itconcerns
buildingandpreservingrelationshipsofthelocal
community, tradition, and cultural heritage. In-
tercultural respect and providing satisfaction to
touristsisessential.Trainingandeducationpro-
gramstoimproveandmanageheritageandnat-
uralresourcesareadvised.
3. Economic viability: it is reflected in maintaining
theeconomyofatouristdestination,thatis,en-
abling sustainable business activities, increasing
employment, and thus revenues for the purpose
ofachievingeconomicwelfare.
Breslaueretal.(2015,p.99)state:‘Localpopulation
and community, tourists, providers of products and
services in the destination are some of the most im-
portantfactorsforsustainabledevelopment.Hence,it
isveryimportanttoemphasizetheimportanceofsus-
tainable development and to encourage them to act
under its objectives. Only those tourist destinations
thatknowhowtomanagetheirtouristareaandmake
optimal use of its resources will be able to survive in
thefuture.’
Although the goals of sustainable tourism devel-
opmentwerelookingatthebroaderperspectiveinthe
past,todaytheyaremoreorientedtowardsthelocal
community. They are focused on increasing tourist
satisfaction and social-economic benefits, preserving
natural and cultural heritage, and reducing the un-
pleasantimpactsoftourismonthelocalcommunityin
general.Thepublicationoftheumbrellatourismorga-
nizationWorldTourismOrganization(2005)entitled
M a k i n gT o u r i s mM o r eS u s t a i n a b l e :AG u i d ef o rP o l -
icy Makerslistsanddescribes12sustainabletourism
goals:
1. Economic viability:maintainingthecompetitive-
nessoftouristdestinationsandbusinessentities
inordertoachievelong-termeconomicadvance-
mentofthelocalcommunity,andthusthesatis-
factionofthevisitors;
2. Enhancing local prosperity:encouraginglocalen-
trepreneurshipandincreasingthepositivesocial-
economiceffectsonthelifeofthelocalcommu-
nity;
3. Improving quality of employment: ensuring and
improvingtheconditionsofemploymentintour-
ism,leadingtoanimprovementinthequalityof
servicerenderedtotourists;
4. Achieving social equity: the need to ensure so-
cial equity, thatis, a fair distribution of the eco-
nomicandsocialbenefitsandopportunitiesaris-
ingfromtourismthroughoutthedestination;
5. Tour i st f ulfilment: ensure a satisfactory experi-
ence for tourists by providing security and no
discriminationofanykindwhatsoever;
6. Increasing the quality of local governance: more
intenseinvolvementofthelocalcommunityin
decision-making,planning,implementationand
controlofsustainabletourismgoals;
7. Community well-being:improvingandmaintain-
ingthequalityoflifeoflocalcommunities,avoid-
inganyformofsocialdiscrimination;
8. Cultural wealth: preservation and protection of
culturalwealthandtraditionofthedestination;
9. Ensuring physical integrity: preserving and im-
provingthequalityofruralandurbanspace,tak-
ingcareofprotectedareas,conductingeducation
ontheimportanceofenvironmentalprotection;
10. Conservation of biodiversity: protection of pre-
served natural areas, biodiversity, and habitat,
flora and fauna while reducing the negativeim-
pactoftourismonnature;
11. Efficient use of resources: reducing the use of
scarce and non-renewable resources in tourism
activities,andincreasingtheuseofrecyclingma-
terialsandrenewableenergy;
12. Ensuring environmental purity: minimizing air,
waterandlandpollution,andmorefrequentuse
ofeco-friendlytransportationandrecycling.
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |27

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
Fromtheforegoing,itcanbeconcludedthatallthe
sustainabledevelopmentgoalsareinterconnectedand
equallyimportantfortheimplementationofasustain-
abletourismdevelopmentpolicy.Theycoverenviron-
mental,economic,andsocialfactors,meaningthatto-
gethertheyformastrategyimportantforthefurther
progressofthedestination.Theislandshavetobeper-
ceivedandstrategicallydefinedasauniquegeograph-
ical, strategic, and marketing unity in tourism. The
sustainable development of tourism on the islands is
theonlyopportunityfortheirrevivalbecauseshould
tourism be unsustainable, it could destroy the natu-
ralandculturalheritage.Suchamovewouldresultin
tourists being uninterested in arriving and spending
holidaysontheislandsandthusdamagingthequality
oflifeinthearea.
SustainableDevelopmentofIslandTourisminCroatia
‘TheCroatianislandshavegreatpotential,notonlyfor
thedevelopmentoftheareabutalsofortheoverallde-
velopment of the Republic of Croatia’ (Vlada Repub-
likeHrvatske,2018,p.3).TheRepublicofCroatiahas
outlined in several strategic documents the principle
of sustainability as one of the basic principles of de-
velopment.However,the specific campaign‘The Ini-
tiative of Islands’ is especially described in sequence.
‘The Initiative of Islands’ is a campaign launched in
2015, bringing togethervarious companies,organiza-
tionsandassociationsfromtheCroatianislandswhich
want to promote sustainable development and raise
thequalityoflifeontheislands.Representativesofthe
islands of Hvar, Šolta, Vis, Brač, Korčula, Olib, Las-
tovo,Mljet,Cres,Prvić,Lošinj,KrkandSilbaarecur-
rentlyparticipatinginthiscampaign.’Thegoalofthe
‘The Initiative of Islands’ is to primarily educate its
members on the importance of sustainable tourism
development,whichisbeingsoughtthroughemploy-
ment,reinvestment,linkingtourismwithorganicfood
production,etc.Onewayistocreateavirtualplat-
formthatwouldprovidetheislanderswithallthenec-
essary information in one place. It is a very interest-
ingandsuccessfulaction,asevidencedbythefactthat
thelaunchingofsimilarcampaignsinothercountries
suchasGreeceandSpainisconsidered(Održivitur-
izamuHrvatskoj,n.d.).
The islands have numerous opportunities for the
development of sustainable tourism, but in the rest
of Croatia and on the islands, tourism shows notice-
able features of seasonality. Additional problems are
theemergenceof depopulation, the abandonmentof
traditionalactivities,andthereducedqualityoflifein
thearea.‘Itisforthisreasonpreciselythattourismis
an activity thatneedsto be developedtherein order
torevitalizetheislandsandtourismandstimulatethe
developmentorrenewalofothereconomicactivities’
(Zupancetal.,2000,p.134).
Vidučić(2007)statesthatCroatianislandtourism
needstoaddresscertainissuessuchas:
1. Howtoprotectthespacesofarpreserved?
2. Whataretheadvantagesforthedevelopmentof
aparticularregion?
3. Whatarethelimitationsofdevelopment?
4. What role does government and local adminis-
trationplayinthedevelopment?
5. Should the development be construed on cul-
tural,historicalandeconomicacknowledgement
orsomenewassumptionsmade?
6. Howtocreatedevelopmentthatwillnotbringit-
selfintocollapse?
In the same way, the author states: ‘Each of the
C r oa ti a ni s l a n d si ss pec i ala n do ffe r su n i q u ec o n t e n t ,
soforthisreason,itisnecessarytodetermineadevel-
opment strategy individually, provided that the nat-
ural and cultural heritage is preserved. All this can
beachievedslowlyandwithsmallinvestments,since
large investments, especially in infrastructure, could
adverselyaffectthelifeandenvironmentoftheisland.
The cooperation of the local community, unique is-
landtourismsupplyandspecificislandentrepreneur-
ship supported by state incentives are what the sus-
tainable development of the Croatian islands should
beabout.Thetaskoftheisland’stouristdestinationis
tomaintainitsauthenticity,cultureandtraditionand
build its reputationupon, whereat sustainabledevel-
opment should endorse such a way of life’ (Vidučić,
2007, p. 43). There are numerous benefits to sustain-
abletourismintheislands,andsomeofthemarelisted
in Table 2 according to the principles of sustainable
tourism.
28 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
Table 2 BenefitsofSustainableTourismDevelopmentoftheIslandAccordingtoItsPrinciples
Environmentalsustainability Socio-culturalsustainability Economicviability
Ensurescoastalenvironmentintegrity Helpsreducedepopulation Enablestraditionalislandproducts
additionalvalue
Ensuressustainableuseofnatural
resources
Restoresislandoldculturalcustoms
andactivity
Improvesdemographicstructure
Protectsnaturalprotectedareas Advocatesshareholders’collaboration Raisesislanddestinationstandard
Controlsandreducespollution Helpstoresolvemisunderstandings Ensuresbettertrafficconnection
Caresforindigenousarchitectureand
ruralislandscenery
Improveslifequalityontheislands Reducesenergy,transportand
communicationcosts
Notes AdaptedfromUnitedNationsEnvironmentProgram(unep)(2010)andFaričićandMagaš(2004).
IslandOfPagasaSustainableTouristDestination
GeneralCharacteristicsoftheIslandofPag
‘TheislandofPagislocatedbetweentheVelebitChan-
nelandKvarnerić,anditssurfaceis284.56squarekilo-
metres,making it the largestisland in northernDal-
matia’(Faričić,2003,p.47).‘Pagispartofthenorthern
Dalmatianislandgroup,andwiththelongestcoastline
it is the fifth largest island in the Republic of Croa-
tia. The Pag Bridge connects the island to the main-
land, whereas the ferry connection between Prizna-
Žigljen and the catamaran route operating between
NovaljaandRijekaareessentialfortrafficconnectiv-
ity’(Lončar,2009,p.6).
‘According to the administrative-territorial divi-
sion, the island of Pag is the only island divided into
twocounties,andthemainadministrative,economic
andtransportcentreoftheislandistheTownofPag.
The County of Zadar covers the central and south-
ernpartsoftheisland,whichconsistsoftheTownof
PagandtheMunicipalityofPovljana,whilethenorth-
ern part of the island belongs to the County of Lika
andSenj,i.e.thetownofNovalja,withthesettlements
of Metajna, Zubovići, Kustići, Vidalići, Caska, Gajac,
StaraNovaljaandPotočnica’(Magaš,2000,p.35).
ThespecialfeaturesoftheislandofPagarenumer-
oussourcesofdrinkingwaterstreamingbelowthesea
levelfromVelebitmountain,andtheproximityofthe
mountain determines the climatic conditions on the
island.Namely,althoughtheMediterraneanclimateis
predominantontheisland,theeasternpartoftheis-
land is completely bare due to strong wind (Lončar,
2009).
TourismSpecificitiesoftheIslandofPag
‘ThetouristadvantageoftheislandofPagandtheun-
derlyingfundamentonwhat[sic]Pagbuildsitsbrand
is precisely the diverse cultural and natural heritage
and numerous cultural and historical monuments.
AmongthemostimportantfeaturesthatPagcanbe
commended with appertain: the world famous Pag
cheese,laceandcostume,Benedictinemonastery,the
baškotin,1PagCulturalSummer,theSummerCarnival
andPagFolkDrama.Theislandthusoffersitsvisitors
numerousfacilitiesforrestandenjoyment’(GradPag
& Institut za turizam, 2015, p. 63). According to the
list of categorized tourist facilities from 2019 and is-
landofPagdata,thereare12hotelswithatotalof1053
beds,1apartmenthotelwith32bedsand4campsites
with a totalof10,251 accommodationunits on the is-
land of Pag (Ministarstvo turizma i sporta Republike
Hrvatske,n.d.).
ThetouristboardsoftheTownofPagandtheTown
of Novalja are one of the main promoters of the is-
land,attractingpotentialtouristsbyorganizinginter-
esting events. According to the author of this paper,
one of the most useful websites for visitors to the is-
land is Visit Pag Island, which in one place offers all
theservicesontheislandthatmightinteresttourists.
Forexample,itoffersgeneralinformationabouttheis-
land(economy,historyandculture),possibleaccom-
modation, itineraries,activitiesandtours,interesting
events, excursions, and gastronomy of the island of
1TypeofsweettoastproducedintheBenedictinemonastery
whereitcanonlybepurchased(seehttps://pag.hr).
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |29

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
Table 3 RankingofNovaljainthe‘Top10’Researchesof
theCroatianNationalTouristBoardforJuly2019
‘Top10’research Ranking
‘Top10’destinationinCroatiabytotaltourist
turnoverinJuly2019
7thplace
‘Top10’destinationinCroatiabytouristcamp-
ingturnoverinJuly2019
7thplace
‘Top10’destinationinCroatiabyfamilyac-
commodationinJuly2019
4thplace
‘Top10’destinationinCroatiabynon-
commercialaccommodationinJuly2019
4thplace
‘Top10’destinationinCroatiabyturnoverof
domestictouristsinJuly2019
4thplace
‘Top10’destinationinCroatiabyturnoverof
foreigntouristsinJuly2019
6thplace
Notes AdaptedfromHrvatskaturističkazajednica(2019).
Pag. On Pag, there is a part of the island dedicated to
thoseseekingpeaceandquietfortheirvacation,but
theislandalsooffersnumerousservicesforthoseea-
gerforgoodfun.Theworld-renownedZrće(Novalja)
‘partydestination’hasbeenknownformanyyearsfor
attracting an increasing number of tourists, which is
why it is a leader in occupancy of accommodations
over the rest of the island. This is confirmed by the
fact that according to the Croatian Tourist Board is-
sueonstatisticalindicatorsoftouristturnoverforthe
monthof July(2019), Novalja is in almost every‘Top
10’research2intheresultsbydestination(Table3).
‘Thestrategicgoaloftourismdevelopmentonthe
island of Pag is to create a unique tourism product
basedonrichcultureandhistoricalheritageinorder
to divergefrom other destinations.This is the origin
of a vision of Pag as a sustainable destination that,
accordingtotheneedsandexpectationsofhighlyseg-
mented buyers of tourism products, such as sun and
sea,sportsandrecreation,gastronomy,cultural,nau-
tical and health tourism, provides a healthy and dy-
namicholiday.Inaddition,thequalityoflifeofthelo-
2According to the information on the course of the season,
which shows the indicators of tourist turnover achieved at
monthly intervals, the Ministry of Tourism compiled a list
ofthe‘Top10’destinationsaccordingtodifferentcriteria.
Table 4 PrinciplesofSustainableTourismontheIsland
ofPag
Principle Item
Spatial-environmental Viability
Use of responsible practice
Socialsustainability Partnership
Preservingthespiritoftheplace
Economicviability Innovationandquality
Coordination
Notes AdaptedfromGradPag&Institutzaturizam(2015).
calpopulation,traditionandenvironmentalconcerns
mustnot be forgotten.The island alsohasnumerous
opportunities to develop selective forms of tourism
suchashuntingandfishing,health,ruraltourismand
protected cultural heritage tourism’ (Grad Pag & In-
stitutzaturizam,2015,p.24).
PrinciplesofSustainableTourismDevelopment
ontheIslandofPag
‘ThetourismoftheislandofPagisbasedonraisingthe
quality and standard of living of the local population
bypromotingactivitiesbasedontraditionandsustain-
ableuseofnaturalresources[...]Thedevelopmentof
sustainabletourismontheislandemphasizesenviron-
mentalprotection,cultureofquality,theuniquenessof
thedestination,growthofentrepreneurshipandstake-
holder partnership’ (Grad Pag & Institut za turizam,
2015,p.53).Thestrategicplanfortourismdevelop-
mentofthetownofPagfrom2016to2020(GradPag
& Institut za turizam, 2015), defines the principles of
sustainabletourismontheislandofPag,whicharede-
scribedbelow.
The environmental principle of sustainable devel-
opmentoftheislanddefinestheoptimalwayofusing
and managing the space, both natural and cultural
heritage.Italsoinvolvescaringforthepreservationof
developmentpotential,theimplementationof‘green’
business practices,and encouragesresidentsand vis-
itors to reduce adverse environmental impacts. Ac-
cordingtothedocumentoftheUtilityCompanyPag3
Strategy of Development of the Utility Company Pag
3Established in 1995, and performs activities such as collec-
30 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
llc from2016to2020 (KomunalnodruštvoPag,2015),
themainobjectiveofenvironmentallysustainablede-
velopmentisthepermanentpreservationoforiginal-
ity and biodiversity, the conservation of aquatic and
wetlandhabitats,andtheavoidanceandreductionof
wastegeneration.
Thesocialandculturalprincipleoftheislandaims
to preserve the unique features of the local commu-
nity such as the traditional costume of the Town of
Pag, Pag lace protected by unesco, and various cul-
turalmanifestationssuchasthePagCulturalSummer.
The quintessence is the creation of a tourist offer in
compliancewiththe‘spirit’ofthedestinationandthe
lifeof thelocal community. Atthecoreofthesocio-
culturalprincipleistheprincipleofpartnership,aimed
atstakeholders’cooperationforthepurposeofdevel-
opingislandtourism(GradPag&Institutzaturizam,
2015). Precisely this cooperation between stakehold-
ers plays a very important role on the island since
Pagisdividedintotwocountiesandistheonlyisland
wheretwodifferentregionalgovernmentsoperate.In
theabove-mentionedpaper,Bašićetal.(2015)propose
thecreationofasingledestinationmanagementorga-
nization,thatis,theDestinationManagementOrgani-
zation(dmo),whosetaskwouldbetomanagetourism
throughouttheisland. Suchanapproachwouldvery
likelysolvetheproblemofunevendevelopmentonthe
island.
‘The goal of the economic principle is to increase
thenumberofinvestmentprojectsandthepositiveef-
fectsofeconomicactivityontheenvironment.Thein-
novationandqualityofallbusinessentitiesarekeyel-
ementsofcompetitiveadvantage.Itisveryimportant
toalign public and privateprojectswith thegoal,vi-
sion, and mission of the island tourism development
andthefocusisonseveralsmallersustainableinvest-
ments’(GradPag&Institutzaturizam,2015,p.54).
Accordingtothe‘TownofPagActivityPlan,’which
is described in the strategic plan for tourism devel-
opment of the town of Pag, some of the investments
are the improvement of the system of tourist infor-
mationcentres,beachcleaning,developmentandim-
tion, treatment, distribution of water, etc. (see https://kd-
pag.hr/).
provement of the hotel offer, development of health
andtouristfacilities, elaboration ofdetailedplansfor
the most important tourist zones on the island and
others(GradPag&Institutzaturizam,2015).
EmpiricalResearch
ResearchObjectiveandMethodologicalFramework
Thispartofthepaperdescribestheresultsofprimary
researchthatofferaholisticviewontheissueofisland
sustainabilityandislandtourismontheexampleofthe
islandofPag.Ofparticularinterestisthequestionof
whetherrespondentsbelievethatthesustainabilityof
theislanddevelopsunderallthreecriteria/aspectsof
sustainable development – economic, socio-cultural,
and environmental – and what importance they at-
tachtoeachoftheseaspects.Cohen(2017,p.26)states:
‘Tourismresearchershaverelatedtotheroleoftheis-
lands’ inhabitants in tourism development, but paid
scarce attention to the wider effects of tourism pen-
etration upon island societies. [...] Most tourism re-
searchersshowlittleconcernfortheeffectsoftourism
onlocalsocio-culturalchange.’Inthissense,aninter-
view/survey questionnaire is structured, which con-
sistsofthesamequestionsinordertobeabletoper-
form a comparative analysis. They are structured in
suchawaythattheresultsoftheresearchcanbeused
to determine the basic limiting factors of sustainable
tourismdevelopmentontheislandofPag, andtoas-
sess their importance, according to the respondents.
Furthermore,respondentswereaskedabouttheselec-
tionoftheselectiveformoftourismthatwouldmost
contribute to the development of off-season tourism
in the function ofsustainable development.The par-
ticipantswereaskedtoassesstheextentofsustainable
tourismdevelopmentontheislandofPag,aswellasto
choose the principle according to which they believe
thattourismontheislandshouldbedevelopedtothe
greatestextent.Thequestionnaire/interviewconsisted
of4complexquestions.Theresearchhasbeencarried
out in a broader sense as part of an internal univer-
sityprojectonthedevelopmentofsustainabletourism
attheDepartmentofEconomics,UniversityofZadar,
Croatia,andinanarrowersenseaspartoftheresearch
for the master’s thesis Island of Pag as a Sustainable
Tourist Destination(Miletić,2019).Theprimaryre-
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |31

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
search has been conducted by a method of combin-
ing expertinterviews and surveys. Then, a compara-
tiveanalysisoftheresearchresultshasbeenperformed
usinginterviewsandsurveyresults.Theresearchwas
conducted in August 2019 on the island of Pag. Key
stakeholdersintourismontheislandofPagwereex-
amined,employedinthefollowinginstitutionsandor-
ganizations:informationcentres,hotels,touristagen-
cies andcamps. Anexpert fromthe Tourist Boardof
theCityofPagwasinterviewed.Atotalof21respon-
dents participated in the survey. The results of inter-
viewingexpertsfromtheTouristBoardoftheCityof
Pagarespecificallyseparatedandcomparedbecauseit
wasassumed,sincetheTouristBoardistheumbrella
organizationfortourismdevelopment,itsopinionag-
gregates the opinions of many other stakeholders –
members of the Tourist Board. Since the aim of the
researchwastolookholisticallyattheissueofsustain-
abilityontheIsland,theopinionoftherepresentatives
ofthetouristcommunityisofspecialimportancefor
the goal of the research. Therefore, according to the
authors,itshouldbesingledout.Thesmallernumber
ofrespondents–tourismexpertsontheislandinthe
surveycanbepartiallyjustifiedbythefactthattheis-
landofPagdoesnothavealargenumberofcommer-
cial accommodation facilities, which makes the issue
ofsustainabletourismevenmorechallenging.
ResearchResults
This section of the paper displays results of the sur-
vey and especially analyses the feedback of respon-
dents from the Town of Pag Tourist Board. The first
partoftheanalysisexploresthegreatestproblemsfac-
ing islands that hinder the development of sustain-
able tourism.There werefiveproblemsoffered:mass
tourism, lack of investment projects, uncontrolled
apartmentisation, loss of quality labour in tourism
anduneventouristdevelopmentoftheisland.Respon-
dentsrated1to5ontheimportanceofeachproblem,
noting that rating 1 meant that the problem was in-
significant on the island, and rating 5 indicating that
theproblemwasofthehighestimportance.
Thefirstproblemmentionedwasmasstourismon
theislandofPag,andtheresultsoftheassessmentof
importancebytherespondentsareshowninFigure1.
Greatestimportance 
Greatimportance 
Mediumimportance 
Smallimportance 
Unimportant 
Figure 1 AssessmentofMassTourismImportance
ontheIslandofPag
Greatestimportance 
Greatimportance 
Mediumimportance 
Smallimportance 
Unimportant 
Figure 2 TheAssessmentoftheLackofInvestment
ProjectsProblemImportanceontheIslandof
Pag
According to the results obtained, it can be con-
cludedthatmasstourismdoesnotposeagreatthreat
to the island of Pag. None of the respondents rated
themassivescalewith5,i.e.didnotconsiderittobe
a problem of the utmost importance. A respondent
from the Town of Pag Tourist Board evaluated the
masstourismontheislandwithrating4,whichmeans
that such respondents considered this problem to be
ofgreatimportance.However,themajorityofrespon-
dents(55),whoanonymouslycompletedthesurvey,
considerthatmasstourismasanislandproblemisof
little importance, i.e. their answers indicate they be-
lievethattherearebiggerproblemsontheislandthan
masstourism.
Figure 2 shows the information on the problem
of lack of investment projects on the island of Pag.
Opinions of anonymous respondents were divided,
as 43 rated this issue with 3 or of medium impor-
tance in scale, and 29 said the problem was almost
insignificantwheretheislandofPagisconcerned.Of
the21respondents,14saidthatthelackofinvestment
projectsisofthegreatestimportanceontheisland.A
respondentfromtheTownofPagTouristBoardcon-
sidersthistobeofmediumimportance,whichimplies
theneedtosolveit.
When it comes to the problem of uncontrolled
apartmentisation,therespondentsgenerallyagreethat
thisisoneoftheissuesthatneedtobeaddressedmore.
32 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
Greatest importance 
Greatimportance 
Mediumimportance 
Smallimportance 
Unimportant 
Figure 3 AssessmentofUncontrolledApartmentisation
ProblemontheIslandofPag
Greatest importance 
Greatimportance 
Mediumimportance 
Smallimportance 
Unimportant 
Figure 4 AssessmentoftheLossofQualityLabour
ProbleminTourismontheIslandofPag
38sayitisaproblemofmediumimportance,while
29 say that its importance is the greatest. Only 5
oftherespondentsratedtheproblemofuncontrolled
apartmentisation with 1, meaning that such an issue
doesnotposeamajorthreattotheislandofPag.Itis
veryimportanttopointouttheansweroftherespon-
dentfromtheTown ofPag TouristBoard,whorated
this problem with 5, that is, assigned the highest im-
portancetotheuncontrolledapartmentisationamong
allmentionedproblemsinthesurvey.
According to the results of an empirical study on
the loss of quality labour in tourism as a problem of
theislandofPag,48ofrespondentsdescribeditasa
problemofgreatimportance,while33consideredit
tobeofmediumimportance.5ofthoseinterviewed
anonymously think that the problem is unimportant
ontheisland,while5ofthe21respondentsthinkthe
opposite,thatis,thelossofgoodlabourintourismis
a great problem on the island of Pag. The rest of the
respondents, 9 of them, rated the problem of loss
of quality labour in tourism as of small importance.
TheopinionoftherespondentfromtheTown ofPag
TouristBoardisinaccordancewiththeopinionof33
ofanonymousrespondents,namelytheyconsideritto
beaproblemofmediumimportanceontheislandof
Pag.Recently,qualitylabourisleavingnotonlyfrom
thetourismindustrybutfromalleconomicareas.
Thelastprobleminthequestionnaire,ratedbythe
Greatestimportance 
Greatimportance 
Mediumimportance 
Smallimportance 
Unimportant 
Figure 5 AssessmentoftheUnevenTouristDevelopment
ProblemontheIslandofPag
respondentswithascorefrom1to5,wastheproblem
ofuneventouristdevelopmentoftheislandofPag,and
theresultsarepresentedinFigure5.
When asked about the problem of uneven tourist
developmentontheislandofPag,21respondentspro-
vided an answer, 20 of them anonymously, 1 respon-
dent did not respond, and one respondent from the
Town ofPag TouristBoardanswered.Figure 5 shows
that40ofrespondentsthinkthatthisisanissuethat
needstobeaddressedassoonaspossible,thatis,they
described it as a problem of greatimportance on the
island.Likewise,20thinkthatthisproblemiscom-
pletely unimportant. It is very important to empha-
sizetheopinionoftherespondentoftheTownofPag
Tourist Board, who agrees with the opinion of 5 of
anonymous respondents, that is, believes that the is-
landhasanalmostevendevelopmentoftourism.
Thepronouncedseasonalityisoneofthebiggest
tourismproblemsintheRepublicofCroatia.Accord-
ing to the ‘Croatia 365’ project, tourist destinations
should be promoted with their specific features in
order to stimulate the off-season tourist movement.
Also, in solving the above-mentioned problem, it is
desirabletodevelopselectiveformsoftourismindes-
tinations. The survey included the question of what
point of advantage, or what endeavour, could reduce
theseasonalityintourismoftheislandofPag.
Respondentsweregiventhepossibilityofmultiple-
choice,butamaximumof3.InFigure6,development
projects were ranked in order of importance by the
opinionsofanonymousrespondents.Accordingtothe
results,theadvantagebywhichtheislandofPagcould
bepromotedtoreduceseasonalityisthedevelopment
of ruraltourism (61.9 of respondents).The respon-
dentfromtheTownofPagTouristBoardcitedthede-
velopment of health tourism, construction of bicycle
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |33

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
Other 
Developingbusinesstourism 
Buildinghighercat. hotelswithadditionalservices 
Developinghuntingandfishingtourism 
Buildingbicycle pathsandpromoting cycling 
Developinghealthtourism 
Usingitsculturalheritageandtradition 
Developingruraltourism 
Figure 6 DevelopmentMeasuresAimedatReducingthe
SeasonalityofTourismontheIslandofPag
Economic Principle 
Social-culturalprinciple 
Economy principle 
Figure 7 RankingtheImportanceofSustainableTourism
PrinciplesontheIslandofPag
pathsandcycling,culturalheritageandtraditionasa
desirablewayofpromotionduringtheoff-seasonpe-
riod.
Figure7liststherespondents’answersontheim-
portanceofaparticularprincipleofsustainabletour-
ismdevelopmentontheislandofPag.
Accordingtotheempiricalsurvey,asmanyas55
of respondents believe that the island of Pag should
be moreenvironmental,30 sayit isa socio-cultural
problem,and15saythatitistheeconomicprinciple
duetoa problemof poordevelopmentofsustainable
tourismontheislandofPag.Therespondentfromthe
Town of Pag Tourist Board agrees with the opinion
of most anonymous respondents and responded that
the environmental principle was one that the island
should pay more attention to. Environmental care is
anessentialdeterminantforthefurtherdevelopment
of the island, while preserving the quality of the en-
vironment is a prerequisitefor long-termsustainable
development.Thefigurealsoindicatestowhatextent
sustainable tourism is currently developed on the is-
landofPag.
Accordingtotheresultsoftheanonymoussurvey,
47.6 of respondents stated that sustainable tourism
is developing poorly on the island, while 19 believe
thattheislandofPagisdoingverywellinleadingthe
sustainable tourism development policy. None of the
respondentsansweredthatsustainabilityisdeveloping
Notatall .
Poorly .
Well .
Verygood .
Excellent .
Figure 8 DevelopmentofSustainableTourism
ontheIslandofPag
excellentlyontheisland,andparticularlyinterestingis
theresponseoftherespondentfromtheTownofPag
TouristBoardwhobelievesthatsustainabletourismis
notdevelopingatallinthisregion.
Discussion
Theconductedempiricalresearchprovidedintriguing
answers,andtheopinionsoftherespondentsconfirm
or respectively reject the hypothesis stated: The is-
landofPagissuccessfullyimplementingasustainable
tourism policy, regardless of the problems encoun-
teredasatouristdestination.Accordingtotheresults
of the empirical research, the respondents described
thedevelopmentofsustainabletourismontheisland
ofPagasverybad,andthisisfurtherconfirmedbythe
respondentfromtheTownofPagTouristBoard,who
believesthatsustainabilitydoesnotapplyatallinthe
processofislanddevelopment.Forthisreason,thehy-
pothesisisrejected.Inordertochangethissituation,
itisfirstofallnecessarytosolveissuessuchasuncon-
trolled apartmentisation, the loss of quality tourism
labourandinequalitiesinislanddevelopment,which
wereratedasofgreatimportancebytherespondents,
in order for sustainability to develop. By establish-
ingauniqueorganizationofdestinationmanagement,
theselimitationscouldberesolved,andsustainability
coulddevelopsmoothlyandproperly.Thebackbone
of tourism sustainability is found in three principles
that must be equally promoted, namely, the environ-
mental,economic,andsocio-culturalprinciples.Most
respondents (55) consider the environmental prin-
cipletobetheleastdevelopedprincipleontheisland
ofPag.Thisisanotherargumentconfirmingthepoor
developmentofsustainabletourisminthearea.How-
ever,intheperiodaftertheprimaryresearch,twosig-
nificantchangesweremade.Theyaredescribedbelow.
34 | AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
Thefirst dmos asthecentraldestinationmanage-
mentorganizationshaveenteredthelegislationofthe
Republic of Croatia. The amended ‘Law on Tourist
BoardsandthePromotionofCroatianTourism’(‘Za-
konoturističkimzajednicamaipromicanjuhrvatskog
turizma,’2020)states:(Art.1):‘ThisLaw,accordingto
the model of destination management organization,
regulates the system of tourist boards, organization,
tasks,andmannerofworkoftouristboardsandbasic
principles of their financing and management.’ (Art.
2): ‘2. Destination management organization is de-
fined as an organization that brings together stake-
holders from the public, private and civil sectors for
thestrategicandoperationalmanagementofthedes-
tination and the realization of a common, previously
agreedvision.3.Theprincipleofdestinationmanage-
ment implies the tourism activities of stakeholders,
unitary purposeful business cooperation, to develop
anintegratedandcompetitivedestinationproduct.’
Furthermore, key Pag tourist stakeholders have
unitedtouniquelybrandtheisland,whichtheyachie-
vedbyactivatingtheVisitPagportal(http://www.visit
-pag.com),andtoimplementotherintegratedprojects.
Forexample,theleadersofPag’stouristtownssigned
anAgreementontheassociationoflocaltouristcom-
munitiesfromtheislandofPagintheimplementation
of the project ‘Development of Outdoor Tourism on
the Island of Pag’ which aims to develop and shape
the island into a unique, harmonized and market-
establisheddestination.Themediastate:‘Itis,wecan
freelysay,ahistoricalmomentinwhichalltheisland’s
tourist boards signed such a multi-year joint project
forthefirsttime,whichisimportantfortourismand
quality offer of the entire island of Pag’ (Udruživanje
lokalnih turističkih zajednica u provedbi projekta ‘Raz-
voj outdoor turizma na otoku Pagu, ’ n.d.).Thesigning
of this Agreement was approved by the Commission
oftheMinistryofTourismoftheRepublicofCroatia,
whichprovidedthepreconditionsforapplyingforthe
Fund for United Tourist Boards of certain areas for
joint development of tourism products and destina-
tion promotion, established in 2020. The Agreement
presents,indetail,theactivitiesthatshould,withthe
financial support of the Ministry of Tourism of the
Republic of Croatia, be implemented by the end of
2023. ‘This is a logical continuation of the previous
continuous cooperation, since the tourist boards of
the island of Pag have more than three years ago set
out on a joint path of cooperation under the motto
“Pag Moon Island – A Common Vision”. This fully
respects the intention of the Ministry of Tourism of
theRepublicofCroatiatoencourageprojectassocia-
tion of tourist boards in an area because tourism ex-
ceedsadministrativeboundariesandthereforelegisla-
tivechangeshavebeenmadetoenablejointpresenta-
tionanddevelopmentofdestinationswhich,although
special in their way, form a complete tourist story’
(Udruživanje lokalnih turističkih zajednica u provedbi
projekta ‘Razvoj outdoor turizma na otoku Pagu, ’n.d.).
Conclusion
Sustainabletourismdevelopmentimpliesresponsible
managementofthearea,withanemphasisonnatural
and cultural heritage, and aims to meet the needs of
touristsandneedsofcurrentandfuturelocalcommu-
nities.Withthedevelopmentofsustainability,destina-
tionsmaximizetheirpotentialwhilecreatingabalance
between three important principles: environmental,
economicandsocio-cultural.Forthisreason,sustain-
ability has recently been one of the most commonly
usedtermsintourism.
Croatia is a destination that repeatedly attracts
manytouristsforitsbeauty.Still,amassivescaletour-
ism and seasonality problem emerges and hinders
the development of sustainability. Through various
projects, the most famous being ‘Croatia 365,’ Croa-
tiaisstrugglingagainsttheseasonalityproblem.Due
toitsauthenticity,theCroatianislandsareoneofthe
greatpotentialsintermsoftourism.Oneofitsassets
is the island of Pag, building its tourist identity on
cheese, salt and lace as traditional elements. On the
otherhand,theislandbrandisbeingalsobuiltbyNo-
valja,asaworld-famouspartydestination.
According to the empirical research presented in
thispaper,sustainabletourismisdevelopingverypoor-
lyontheislandofPag.Itissoduetonumerouslimita-
tions,suchasexcessiveapartmentisation,lossofqual-
itylabourintourism,massivescaletourism,andoth-
ers. Among the significant problems that make sus-
tainable tourism poorly developed is the division of
AcademicaTuristica,Year14,No.1,June2021 |35

AleksandraKrajnovietal. SustainableDevelopmentofanIslandTouristDestination
islands in two counties and generally uneven devel-
opment.Asmanyas47 .6oftherespondentswho
participated in the primary survey presented in this
paper believe that sustainable tourism is developing
verypoorlyontheisland.Oneoftheimportantmea-
suresin the areaofsustainabilityisthe ideaofestab-
lishinga dmo,anorganizationthatwouldtakecareof
tourismdevelopment,basedonwhichtheaboveprob-
lems would be minimized, and the development of
sustainable tourism would proceed. Consequentially,
the dmo would have a broader perspective, and pay
attentiontothebalanceamongalltheprinciples,espe-
cially the environmental one, which the respondents
ratedastheleasttendedprincipleintheislandofPag.
The most important task of the dmo in Pag would
be to ensure a balanced development of tourism in
all parts of the island. By establishing such a unique
organizationofdestinationmanagement,sustainabil-
itycouldbedevelopedsmoothlyandproperly.Inthis
sense, the Republic of Croatia has already taken cer-
tainsteps,bothinimprovingthelegislationinthefield
of destinationmanagementand on the island ofPag,
wheretourismstakeholdershavejoinedforcestounite
marketing activities for sustainable tourism develop-
ment.
Asamajorlimitationoftheprimaryresearchcon-
ducted in this paper, the authors emphasize the fact
that the survey did not cover all tourist stakeholders
ontheisland.Theauthorsrecommendfurthersimilar
researchandcomparisonsbetweenthedevelopments
of island tourism sustainability in Croatia with other
competitiveislandtouristdestinations.Asascientific
implicationofthispaper,theauthorspointtothequest
for a unique model of sustainable tourism develop-
ment in island tourist destinations and a contribu-
tion to the scientific debatein thisregard.As practi-
calimplications,theresultsoftheresearchpresented
herecanservepolicymakersatalllevels,aswellasthe
strategicmanagementoftourismentitiesontheisland
informulatingguidelinesforfurtherdevelopment.
Finally, it should be emphasized that the sustain-
abilityandsustainabledevelopmentoftourismthemes,
especiallyintheislandsasextremelyfragilegeograph-
ical,economicandsocio-culturalentities,isofpartic-
ularimportance.Thecomplexityofthetermsustain-
ability is best described by a quote from the author
Smolčić Jurdana (2003, p. 161): ‘Sustainable develop-
mentisnotacurrentstatebutanever-endingprocess.’
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