IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2023i1p31-d1303295.html

Revitalizing Rural Tourism: A Croatian Case Study in Sustainable Practices

Author

Listed:
  • Marina Funduk

    (Institute for Development and International Relations, Lj. F. Vukotinovića 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia)

  • Ivana Biondić

    (Institute for Development and International Relations, Lj. F. Vukotinovića 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia)

  • Abra Lea Simonić

    (Institute for Development and International Relations, Lj. F. Vukotinovića 2, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia)

Abstract

Dubrovnik-Neretva County, renowned for the City of Dubrovnik, grapples with tourism challenges affecting its UNESCO-listed Old City. This study advocates for promoting less-explored inland areas to ease the strain on the heritage site and alleviate coastal tourist pressure. By diversifying tourism and supporting sustainable rural development, the region can spur economic growth, foster local businesses, and improve infrastructure through EU and national funding. The research explores financial investments in less-developed areas, emphasizing sustainable tourism practices for socio-economic and environmental benefits. The analysis highlights the project’s positive impact on sustainable tourism development inland, preserving natural heritage, and fostering economic benefits for local communities. According to the cost–benefit analysis, the proposed idea outperforms all alternatives with new attractions and enhanced infrastructure, contributing to overall municipal growth. External funding is crucial for viability, with a negative net income until 2040, offset by municipal support. Economic indicators justify social and economic benefits, emphasizing project resilience. The active tourism centre project, emphasizing eco-friendly outdoor activities, highlights the role of cost–benefit analysis in rural tourism infrastructure investment, recommending external funding for success.

Suggested Citation

  • Marina Funduk & Ivana Biondić & Abra Lea Simonić, 2023. "Revitalizing Rural Tourism: A Croatian Case Study in Sustainable Practices," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-15, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2023:i:1:p:31-:d:1303295
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/1/31/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/1/31/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ko Koens & Albert Postma & Bernadett Papp, 2018. "Is Overtourism Overused? Understanding the Impact of Tourism in a City Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, November.
    2. Wookhyun An & Silverio Alarcón, 2020. "How Can Rural Tourism Be Sustainable? A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-23, September.
    3. Dario Bertocchi & Nicola Camatti & Silvio Giove & Jan van der Borg, 2020. "Venice and Overtourism: Simulating Sustainable Development Scenarios through a Tourism Carrying Capacity Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-15, January.
    4. Betsabé Pérez Garrido & Szabolcs Szilárd Sebrek & Viktoriia Semenova & Damla Bal & Gábor Michalkó, 2022. "Addressing the Phenomenon of Overtourism in Budapest from Multiple Angles Using Unconventional Methodologies and Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-19, February.
    5. Seweryn Zielinski & Yoonjeong Jeong & Seong-il Kim & Celene B. Milanés, 2020. "Why Community-Based Tourism and Rural Tourism in Developing and Developed Nations are Treated Differently? A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-21, July.
    6. Gartner, William C., 2005. "A Perspective on Rural Tourism Development," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 35(01), pages 1-10.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Simona Catalina Stefan & Atefan Catalin Popa & Andreea Breazu & Corina-Elena Mircioiu & Camelia Madalina Beldiman, 2025. "Unlocking Romania s Tourism Potential: A Data-Driven Analysis of Competitiveness Factors," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 27(S19), pages 1292-1292, November.
    2. Wenming Liu & Jingjing Li, 2025. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Knowledge Dynamics in Rural Tourism Supply Chains: Challenges, Innovations, and Cross-Sector Applications," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(2), pages 6732-6764, June.
    3. Fidel Martínez-Roget & Brais Castro, 2025. "State-Led Tourism Infrastructure and Rural Regeneration: The Case of the Costa da Morte Parador (Galicia, Spain)," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-19, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Betsabé Pérez Garrido & Szabolcs Szilárd Sebrek & Viktoriia Semenova & Damla Bal & Gábor Michalkó, 2022. "Addressing the Phenomenon of Overtourism in Budapest from Multiple Angles Using Unconventional Methodologies and Data," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-19, February.
    2. Janwar Moreno & Jairo Parada & David Daniel Peña-Miranda, 2025. "Agent-Based Model Applied for the Study of Overtourism in an Urban Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-26, April.
    3. Maximilian Benner, 2020. "The Decline of Tourist Destinations: An Evolutionary Perspective on Overtourism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-14, May.
    4. repec:bjc:journl:v:12:y:2025:i:11:p:435-448 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. José Fernandes & Pedro Chamusca & Rubén Lois & Helena Madureira & Juliano Mattos & Jorge Pinto, 2024. "Tourism-Led Change of the City Centre," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-15, January.
    6. Manuel de la Calle-Vaquero & María García-Hernández & Sofía Mendoza de Miguel, 2020. "Urban Planning Regulations for Tourism in the Context of Overtourism. Applications in Historic Centres," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(1), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Jessica Bollenbach & Dominik Rebholz & Robert Keller, 2025. "The road not taken: Representing expert knowledge for route similarities in sustainable tourism using machine learning," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 35(1), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Monika Widz & Teresa Brzezińska-Wójcik, 2020. "Assessment of the Overtourism Phenomenon Risk in Tunisia in Relation to the Tourism Area Life Cycle Concept," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, March.
    9. Niezgoda Agnieszka & Żemła Michał, 2024. "Deconcentration strategies as tools for preventing gentrification as perceived by residents of tourism destinations," International Journal of Contemporary Management, Sciendo, vol. 60(1), pages 201-210.
    10. Teresa Santos & Filipa Ramalhete, 2024. "Urban Transformation: Analyzing the Combined Forces of Vacant Building Occupancy and Socio-Economic Dynamics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-19, May.
    11. Sebastian Raimondo & Martino Biondani & Carlo Giupponi, 2026. "Tourism carrying capacity as dynamic property of complex socio-ecological systems," Working Papers 2026.06, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    12. Francesca Leccis, 2023. "Urban Regeneration and Touristification in the Sardinian Capital City of Cagliari, Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-29, February.
    13. Raimondo, Sebastian & Biondani, Martino & Giupponi, Carlo, 2026. "Tourism carrying capacity as dynamic property of complex socio-ecological systems," FEEM Working Papers 391379, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    14. Evaristo Haulle & Credo Simbert Nchimbi & Gabriel Kanuti Ndimbo, 2024. "Engendering Rural Tourism as a Viable Strategy for Poverty Alleviation and Rural Development in the Southern Tourist Circuit of Tanzania," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(4), pages 21582440241, October.
    15. Silvia Cerisola & Elisa Panzera, 2025. "Heritage tourism and local prosperity: An empirical investigation of their controversial relationship," Tourism Economics, , vol. 31(5), pages 964-983, August.
    16. Wei Zheng & Hongliang Qiu & Alastair M. Morrison, 2023. "Applying a Combination of SEM and fsQCA to Predict Tourist Resource-Saving Behavioral Intentions in Rural Tourism: An Extension of the Theory of Planned Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-23, January.
    17. Jing Pan & Haoran Yang & Zihao Wang & Bo Peng & Shaoning Li, 2025. "Optimizing Sustainable Tourism: A Multi-Objective Framework for Juneau and Beyond," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-19, August.
    18. Bruno S. Frey & Andre Briviba, 2019. "Historical Replication Preserves Cultural Heritage," CREMA Working Paper Series 2019-09, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    19. Shiwei Shen & Marios Sotiriadis & Qing Zhou, 2020. "Could Smart Tourists Be Sustainable and Responsible as Well? The Contribution of Social Networking Sites to Improving Their Sustainable and Responsible Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-21, February.
    20. Wenming Liu & Jingjing Li, 2025. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Knowledge Dynamics in Rural Tourism Supply Chains: Challenges, Innovations, and Cross-Sector Applications," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(2), pages 6732-6764, June.
    21. Hugo Padrón-Ávila & Raúl Hernández-Martín, 2019. "Preventing Overtourism by Identifying the Determinants of Tourists’ Choice of Attractions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-17, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2023:i:1:p:31-:d:1303295. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.