Ivan Šulc
Despite their great natural value and attractiveness, European mountain regions are affected by depopulation and economic difficulties. The development of ski tourism in the post-war period has led to new economic development in some mountain areas, while other areas have been marginalised in terms of socio-economic development.
This study focuses on the modernisation of the Lika mountain area in Croatia, a typically marginalised karst mountain region severely affected by depopulation, war, economic decline and other negative socio-economic processes. It was part of a broader research work within the project Establishing Criteria for the Evaluation of Modernization and (Post-) Transition Processes in Croatian Rural Areas through a Case Study of the Rural Lika Area, funded by the Croatian Science Foundation.
This presentation shows the results of semi-structured interviews on personal stories of people related to Lika: (1) those who never left the region, (2) those who left the region permanently, (3) those who left the region and returned, (4) those who moved to the region. The interviews were conducted face-to-face in 2022 and the results presented in this presentation relate to the perception of tourism in Lika. The findings relate to respondents’ perceptions of the current situation of tourism in the region, their future vision of tourism and the main perceived limitations to tourism development. There is a significant difference in perceptions and views on tourism in relation to the experience of living outside the region, as well as the main perceived resources for tourism development.