ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABLE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT IN MEDITERRANEAN THROUGH CONSUMELESS PLUS PROJECT: THE CASE STUDY OF ISTRIA COUNTY

Abstract

The Mediterranean area is one of the most important tourist destinations in the world, so the importance of planning tourism and its effects in this area is needed. The benefits of tourism are primarily valued in economic terms, but tourism can positively impact local or regional socio-cultural life and the local environment. In order to achieve these positive effects, in recent years, the principles of sustainable tourism have been implemented in the governance of tourist destinations in different ways. However, applying theoretical principles of sustainable tourism in practice is not a simple job. The example of the EU project Interreg Med ConsumeLess Plus is one example of how to bridge this gap. ConsumeLess Plus is a capitalization project of the ConsumeLess project, which transfers created ConsumeLess model to four new regions in the Mediterranean. The paper aims to present the application of the ConsumeLess model in Istria County.