Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.33128/ag.84.4-5.1
Touristic valorisation of the natural heritage of Hutovo blato Nature Park
Anđelko Vrsaljko
orcid.org/0009-0008-9783-4082
; Sveučilište u Zadru, Odjel za turizam i komunikacijske znanosti, Zadar, Hrvatska
Sažetak
Hutovo blato was declared a Nature park in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995. This paper gives an overview of the park’s ecological features with a special emphasis on the landscape, its biological and hydropower as a paradigm for the development of special forms of tourism suitable for Hutovo blato Nature Park. A prerequisite for their development is most certainly the analysis of the relevant research data as well as the park’s data along with the questionnaire survey, SWOT analysis and interviews with park directors. All of these elements offer a strong support for wildlife tourism, nature-based tourism, adventure tourism and ecotourism. However, there are restrains to the ecotourism’s development which need to be dealt with in order for the progress to take place because two of the five crucial factors are at an disadvantageous level (interaction between visitors and the local population; financial and ecologic sustainability. The Internet, leaflets and oral communication are traditional means of the promotion of the landscaping, biological and hydrological diversity of the park. These should be reinforced with the activities provided by the tourist boards and agencies which are currently excluded. Therefore, it is necessary to establish and maintain contact with the stakeholders in order to create an authentic and acclaimed touristic product in which a holistic approach is a priority. Our research was conducted via on-line form designed to examine the possibility of developing special forms of Hutovo blato tourism while the respondents were the former park visitors. There were 240 respondents, of whom there were 134 women and 106 men. A 24-item The Hutovo Blato Tourism Development Survey inquires about the visitors' demographic data, their opinion on Hutovo blato landscape, biological and hydrological diversity as well as the diversity contributions to the development of specific forms of tourism in Hutovo blato. Regarding the valorisation of biological heritage, flora and fauna, 53.3% of visitors favoured wildlife tourism, which includes the observation of endangered flora and fauna, while 46.7% of visitors chose ecotourism which included elements of education and conservation / protection. Considering landscape and biodiversity, 63% of respondents said that they considered nature-based tourism a specific form of tourism to be developed, while 36.7% gave preference to adventure tourism because of its developmental potential with regard to the landscape and the hydrological diversity of the park. Furthermore, the survey shows that the largest number of respondents (40%) wants to include a landscape-richness education program in the tourist offer, 26.7% think it would be good to include an educational program on the park's fauna, 23% show interest in the educational program on hydrological diversity of the park and 20% of the participants would like to include an educational program on the flora of the nature park in the tourist offer. All of these answers indicate that we should seriously consider the design of a unique tourism product that includes specific forms of tourism appropriate for the park, such as wildlife tourism, ecotourism, nature based tourism and adventure tourism.
Ključne riječi
landscape diversity; biodiversity; water diversity; tourism
Hrčak ID:
303113
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.5.2023.
Posjeta: 414 *