On Friday, 18 September 2026, a round table discussion titled “Climate Change and Tourism - How Can and Should Destinations Adapt?” was held at the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb. The event was attended by Dr Mira Zovko from the Institute for Tourism.
The discussion brought together representatives of academia, climate change experts, and stakeholders from the public and tourism sectors, with the aim of exchanging knowledge and experiences on the impacts of climate change on tourism and the need for adaptation of Croatian destinations.
Dr Mira Zovko highlighted that tourism is both a climate-vulnerable sector and an area that requires systematic and timely adaptation. She particularly emphasised the need to distinguish between physical climate risks, such as heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, storms and sea-level rise, and transition risks associated with policy and market changes.
One of the key challenges is the fragmentation of governance. Effective adaptation requires stronger cooperation between the tourism, environment, energy and water management sectors, as well as adequate institutional and financial support.
For Croatian destinations, it is important to move from identifying climate vulnerability towards active climate risk management. This includes the use of climate projections, regular risk assessments, investments in the resilience of water and energy systems, enhanced wildfire resilience, and the development of a diversified tourism offer.
The round table was part of the institutional research project KlimaPriPro, implemented at the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan 2021–2026, with funding from the European Union through the NextGenerationEU instrument.