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Tourism and organic food production in Croatia: case study of the Cetina Region

Croatia is an emerging tourist destination where attractive beaches, rich culture and culinary delights form a perfect combination for a great vacation. As the number of tourists visiting Croatia continues to grow, their demand for food is following suit. However, more than half of the food purchased in Croatia is imported, while agricultural land in many Croatian regions is neglected. As the largest number of Croatia's tourists comes from the European Union, which spent 22 billion Euros on organic food in 2014, this study looks at opportunities and challenges for organic farming in Croatia as an alternative to conventional agriculture in the context of how this will improve opportunities for tourists and the tourism industry. Through literature review, semi-structured interviews and personal observations, this study attempts to answer questions about the importance of organic food in tourism within the European Union, as well as in Croatia. The Cetina Region is chosen as the case study due to its geographical location, high unemployment rate and level of neglect of agricultural land. Lack of vision, interest and higher education, as well as different policy issues, some of which are the legacy of the previous political system, emerge as the possible reasons for today's state of the Cetina Region.

organic food production, Croatia, rural development, food in tourism, agriturism

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