Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.24141/1/3/2/7
Analysis of Golf Tourism Development in Terms of Sustainable Development Management
Aleksandar Racz
orcid.org/0000-0002-3118-2623
; University of Applied Health Sciences, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
The concept of sustainable development of all segments of society presumes the establishment of a positive relationship between economics and ecology, alongside bioethical responsible behaviour of all the involved stakeholders. The interdependence of tourism and the environment with the aim of achieving sustainable development involves linking the development policy with natural resources management, but also increasing the local capacity in accordance with realistic environmental capabilities. The main aim of this paper was to critically analyse ‒ from the viewpoint of the theoretical concept of planning sustainable tourism development ‒ the development plan of the tourist destination Biograd na Moru, in particular the sustainability of the planned development of golf tourism at the Baštijunski brig site, and to critically analyse the plans for the construction of a golf course with accompanying catering and tourist amenities from the aspect of ecological, sociocultural, economic and technological sustainability as integral segments of development sustainability.
The additional aim of the paper was to carry out a conformity analysis of the increase of local tourist capacities through the construction of golf resorts within the realistic possibilities of the environment. This paper uses secondary sources of information that were subjected to induction, deduction, analysis and synthesis procedures, as well as to comparison, descriptor and classification methods. In the practical part, an on-thespot inspection of the project location and potential critical points was carried out, primarily in the boundary areas between the future golf resort, the nature park Vransko Lake, Baštijunski brig waste landfill and the ecological network area of HR1000024 Ravni kotari, HR2000914 Ornithological reserve, Vransko Lake and Jasen for the purpose of obtaining immediate insight into the situation and the assessment of the potential impact of the project on the environment.
According to the author, the results of the analysis show that the planned construction of the Baštijunski brig golf course with accompanying catering and tourist amenities is not fully adjusted with the concept of sustainable tourism development, especially from the aspect of ecological, economic and technological sustainability, and can lead to the transformation of the tourist destination. The analysis also points to the conclusion that planned repurposing of the site and increase of local capacities through the construction of the Baštijunski brig golf resort, along with the construction of cluster golf courses at the county level, is not fully in line with the realistic possibilities of the environment. In this regard, the development of cyclotourism, adventure tourism, ecotourism, and in particular bird watching, with a strong reliance on regional specificities and natural riches, provides a strong alternative to the current development path that could not be environmentally sustainable in the long term and it is questionable whether it contributes to sustainable development of tourism.
Keywords
sustainable development management; golf tourism; environmental pollution; nature park; NATURA 2000
Hrčak ID:
190927
URI
Publication date:
18.12.2017.
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