Crisis management – key to sustainable development of tourist destination

Economic development in Republic of Croatia requires frenetic changes within the economic system. Therefore, crisis management is aimed at indentifying problems and finding effective solutions to promote economic development during the recession. The current global economic crisis, as well as the perennial „Croatia's economic crisis“, Sets a number of challenges for the creation of adequate tourism policy. Incentive „impulse“ of economic policy leaders is slow to reflect on the tourism „aggregate“, so a valid question is: is it not to late for the „blue ocean strategy“. The concept of socially responsible business forms latest trends in tourism development that should be considered in the context of the development of tourism and the latest economic and socio-cultural trends. Changes in the global tourism market had a lesser effect on the intensity of travel and more on the structure of tourism consumption. Croatian tourism has good foundation in its selective forms for development in times of crisis, by that thinking of the attractive tourist potential, unique natural and culturo-historical heritage. Focus of tourism is moving from sun and sea to the cities as centers of cultural development of regions. It is necessary to more intensively evaluate this potential in order to create a recognizable identity of Croatian tourist offer which would increase the competitiveness and facilitate market positioning. Key hypothesis of this paper is that Croatian tourism should focus on developing centers (cities) and their cultural tourism, which is becoming the main motivator of arrivals to destinations and the initiator of tourism development within the whole region. The study was conducted on 25 town's tourist associations in Croatia. Aim is to point out that the responsible management and crisis management in the recessionary economic environment is requirement for the competitiveness of tourist destinations and potential opening of „blue ocean“ to Croatian tourism.