THE PATHWAY TO THE RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURES: THE GREEN TRANSFORMATION OF TOURISM DESTINATIONS

Maja  Račić; Eli  Marušić; Jerko  Glavaš

doi:10.59267/ekoPolj2601151R

Authors

Maja Račić University of Split, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Croatia https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2771-2853
Eli Marušić Faculty of Maritime Studies, Croatia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1814-3443
Jerko Glavaš Faculty of Economics, Trg Ljudevita Gaja 7, 31000 Osijek, Croatia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9227-1227

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59267/ekoPolj2601151R

Keywords:

green economy, sustainable development, rural areas, island economies, resilience

Abstract

Global development in recent decades has beencharacterized by increased resource consumption andgrowing environmental pressures, highlighting the need forsustainable economic and social progress. Tourism, despiteits significant contribution to economic growth, often putspressure on natural resources and ecosystems, underscoringthe need for sustainable development in territories withsubstantial rural characteristics, such as islands. Thispaper examines the role of green transformation as adriver of economic resilience and sustainable developmentof Croatian island economies. Research was conductedamong stakeholders in island destinations who are involvedin tourism planning, development and management, usinga structured questionnaire survey. The results from PartialLeast Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM)show that green transformation of tourism positivelyinfluences all four sustainability dimensions of destinationdevelopment, with the strongest effect on environmentalsustainability. These findings support decision-makers inshaping development strategies for island destinations.

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