Great news for Croatia and Croatian tourism comes from Marrakech (Morocco), where the 8th session of the Council for Global Geoparks of UNESCO was held these days, which accepted the proposal to include the Biokovo-Imotski Lakes Geopark on the list of world geoparks. Thus, Croatia can now be proud of as many as three geoparks on the UNESCO list, which includes the previously listed geoparks of Papuk and the Vis Archipelago, which once again confirms the exceptional natural wealth of our country.
"Croatia is globally recognized as a tourist destination with exceptionally preserved nature, and the news about the inclusion of the third Croatian geopark on the UNESCO list further confirms this fact. Natural resources are the most valuable resource of every country, and we can be proud of the wealth of our flora and fauna, as well as the preservation of large areas of our country, many of which remain untouched. I congratulate all the colleagues who contributed to this exceptional success with their work and knowledge, and we will certainly use every opportunity to communicate this when planning future promotional activities", said Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board.
Ivana Ćapin, Executive Director of Biokovo-Imotski lakes Geopark, is also proud of this success. She stated that this gives the park a completely new dimension in the world. "This is a great reward for all of us who have dedicatedly worked on this from the very beginning, and at the same time a great motivation for further action because now new potential is opening up for us for the entire area, especially for the Imotska Krajina area," said Ćapin.
Her statement was followed by Slavo Jakša, Director of the Public Institution PP Biokovo, who said that the area of the geopark is of exceptional cultural, historical, and natural importance because it includes a great geological diversity and habitats of numerous species of plants and animals. Mayor Ivan Budalić confirmed that the City of Imotski actively participated in financing the activities that preceded this result from the first day and who announced the construction of a modern visitor centre within the geopark as the next step and goal.
"Obtaining the UNESCO designation significantly raises the level of visibility of the destination and creates conditions for the development of geotourism as a specific and very interesting form of selective tourism. Namely, this type of tourism primarily focuses on the geological and geomorphological features of the landscape as a tourist attraction and is one of the fastest growing market segments within special forms of tourism. In addition, the Geopark Biokovo-Imotski lakes provides many benefits and development opportunities for the entire area, from the development of agriculture, catering and service activities to the improvement of cooperation with other parks and partners", concluded Luka Kolovrat, Director of the Tourist Board of Imota.
Let us add that UNESCO's Council for Global Geoparks plays a key role in evaluating received proposals and nominations, and its members meet once a year to determine whether nominated geoparks meet all the prescribed criteria and standards for inclusion on this prestigious list.
