engleski

New Geographic Concepts of Developing Tourism on the Small Croatian Islands

The paper takes into consideration the basis of the contemporary knowledge of the Croatian islands. The authors has presented the essential features of geographical and tourist evaluating of the small Croatian islands. The characteristics of traffic system, the relation between the littoral zone and islands, supply and help policy and environment problems have been pointed out. Special attention has been paid to the new geographic concepts of developing tourism on these islands. The paper deals with some recent problems of the developing tourism on the small islands (the ones with 3 or less settlements on them) of the Croatian Adriatic. The islands (35) belonging to the group are presented on the list. They cover an area of ca 260 km2, and have only 5600 inhabitants in 42 settelemnts (1991) see Table 1. The geographical problems of recent development have been connected with the isolation and dispersion of the zone, singularity of each island, poor natural resources, lack of water, dry summers, etc., and socio-geographical and economical decrease (depopulation, closing of industries, fisheries, schools, etc.(. In the 18th and 19th centuries this zone was much more developed and well known for its agriculture and maritime activities (fishing and navigation). The climax of inhabitation was at end of 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, and was accompanied by a specific balance between density of population and natural possibilities of the development. The result was the degradation of the natural holm oak forests and maquis, as well as a higly expressed agrucultural expansion to the last piece of the arable and pastureland. Depopulation in the 20th century, which has been the result of the isolation, expressed emigration and the collapse of local economy on these islands, resulted finally in almost no natility, a high mortality rate and prevaluation of elderly population. It led to some kind of revitalisation of the natural forests and maquis, and to certain attemps to proclaim some of the islands nature reserves. The problem is how to redevelop these islands and include them in the general process of growth along the Croatian coast. Some planning documents have been trying to define the basis of revitalisation, but unsuccessfully so far. Introducing of tourism is only one of the some attempts to preserve these islands of being totally collapsed demographically and economically.

tourism ; small Croatian islands

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