Director of the Institute for Tourism, Damir Krešić, PhD, participated in the cross-border conference “Bridge of Energy – Zaprešić & Brežice,” held in Zaprešić, which brought together representatives of national and local authorities, experts from the energy and tourism sectors, as well as members of the academic and business communities from Croatia and Slovenia. It was emphasized that sustainability, energy efficiency, and smart resource management have become prerequisites for development, while accessibility in tourism is no longer an added value but a standard of destination quality.
At the panel “Accessibility as a Standard, Not an Exception in Tourism,” Damir Krešić, PhD, stressed that inclusiveness is not a social category but a measure of a destination’s maturity, and that accessibility must be embedded in the design of tourism products and management strategies rather than addressed through subsequent adjustments. The conference concluded with the message that competitive destinations will be those that succeed in being green, smart, and inclusive at the same time.
The central theme of the event was the ENVIRO project, presented as an example of successful cross-border cooperation between Zaprešić and Brežice and as a development platform linking energy, tourism, and local development. The total value of the project amounts to EUR 1,533,156.79, with 80% co-financing provided under the Interreg Slovenia–Croatia programme (ERDF).