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Zagreb - In the continuation of the European Inter-parliamentary Conference on “Challenges of Sustainable Tourism: Promoting Cultural Heritage and Environmental Protection” presentations were made by Hrvoje Carić (Institute for Tourism, Zagreb, Croatia), Ugo Soragni (Head of Regional Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Landscape of the Veneto Region, Italy), Panos Livadas (Secretary General of the Greek National Tourism Organization, Greece), Matija Franković (Head of State Institute for Nature Protection, Croatia) and Sandra Vlašić (UNDP – Programme Officer of the United Nations Development Programme, Croatia).
In his opening address, Hrvoje Carić from the Zagreb Institute for Tourism presented the research carried out by the Institute. The focus of research is aimed at scientific analysis in the context of sustainable tourism in Croatia and in the rest of the world. “Our main interests include tourism and the environment, redefinition of sustainability as well as significance of sustainable tourism”, Carić stated.
He recalled the problems that the tourism sector is currently facing, particularly related to environmental pollution.
Ugo Soragni, Head of Regional Directorate for Cultural Heritage and Landscape of the Veneto Region, presented the current projects of the Italian Ministry of Culture, which are related to the protection of cultural heritage and the environment. Soragni pointed out that these projects primarily include tourism diversification, digitalization of tourist attractions and offers, comprehensive natural resource protection and spatial planning development. Additionally, Soragni presented the legal framework regulating the protection of cultural heritage and the environment.
The Secretary General of the Greek National Tourism Organization Panos Livadas presented the financial income from tourism in Greece for the year of 2013 and part of 2014. After presenting positive statistical indicators in the current and previous year, Livadas confirmed that tourism is a fundamental pillar of the Greek economy. In conclusion, he stated that the future of Greek tourism consists of encouraging entrepreneurship in tourism, stimulating employment as well as facilitating the bureaucratic procedures.
In his address the Head of State Institute for Nature Protection Matija Franković elaborated the mechanisms and legal framework for biodiversity conservation in the Republic of Croatia.
“Biodiversity is a capital on which we should build our prosperity”, Franković stated.
The Programme Officer of the UNDP Sandra Vlašić presented the practical examples from the projects UNDP is currently working on. Vlašić pointed out that what all the projects have in common is integrated development based on cultural and natural resources. She concluded that UNDP’s projects’ themes include environmental protection, conservation of local traditions, organic cultivation of agricultural crops and regional networking of tourist offers.
Photogallery https://www.flickr.com/photos/127497980@N04/
Official Web Site: http://www.sabor.hr/europska-meduparlamentarna-konferencija