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The Phenomenon of the Over-/Undertourism as Rural Tourism Development Indicators in Croatia: the Lika-Senj County Case Study

The purpose of this case study is to present the phenomenon of overtourism in Croatia with special focus on tourist destinations in Lika-Senj County. The recent development of undertourism at rural destinations that actually gravitate toward overtourism destinations shall also be examined. Based on the case study, potential rural tourism development indicators in Croatia are discussed. This is an interdisciplinary paper that sets forth from a historical-sociological perspective. It incorporates a basic analysis of archival materials, available data and secondary literature pertaining to the development of tourism in over-/undertourism destinations in Europe and Croatia. Then, the phenomenon of over-/undertourism in rural Croatia is demonstrated with the help of desk methods – analysis and interpretation of statistical data and literature. This is followed by a discussion on the formation of potential indicators that could measure the level of rural tourism development. It concludes with a presentation of the possibilities of rural tourism development in general. Namely, undertourism destinations are increasingly luring those tourists who, fleeing from Simmel’s blasé attitude of urbanity, seek an isolated and safe (rural) destination. The rural area, specifically the village in the sense of a physical and socio-cultural entity, has long been acknowledged as a place of refuge from socio-economic crises and natural disasters. The same modus operandi occurred in the wider world as well as Croatia during the Covid-19 pandemic and particularly after the earthquake in the capital city Zagreb, when tourism capacity in Mountain Croatia registered an increase in arrivals and overnight stays. Here we see potential for thoughtfully planned sustainable tourism destination development in rural, sparsely populated areas that offer a preserved natural landscape and accommodation in solitude. The paper has no practical implications at this moment, but it has a strong perspective due to the potential connected to the policy implications. The discussion on the selection and formation of potential indicators that could demonstrate the degree of tourism development in a specific (rural) destination may serve as the foundation for the creation of a developmental strategy, i.e., a tourism development strategy, particularly in rural towns and municipalities in Croatia. Most small towns and municipalities in rural Croatia have no such strategies. The originality of the paper is particularly apparent in the discussion of the phenomenon of over-/undertourism in specific rural areas, which the scholarly community in Croatia, particularly from the historical-sociological standpoint, never discusses.

Over-/Undertourism, Rural Tourism Development

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