Respect Lošinj presented: a new guide for a sustainable stay puts the emphasis on everyday habits that protect the island
The Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj presented the brochure Respect Lošinj, a new guide intended for visitors who want to direct their stay on the island towards a more responsible relationship with nature, space and the local community. The presentation was held as part of the program “Meet the Apsyrtides”, an educational cycle for renters and tourism stakeholders, and the central message of the entire event was simple: sustainability in tourism does not begin with grand declarations, but with everyday decisions that, during the season as well as outside it, directly shape the quality of life on the island.
The new brochure arrives at a time when sustainable tourism on Croatian islands is no longer merely an added value in promotional materials, but an increasingly important criterion for destination development. On Lošinj, this direction has for years been linked with the identity of the island of vitality, and the Respect Lošinj guide was designed as a practical tool for guests who want to understand how the island’s natural beauty can be experienced without unnecessary burden on the environment. The focus is on concrete, everyday actions: saving water and energy, responsible waste separation, careful behaviour towards the sea and the coast, and choosing ways of getting around that put less strain on space.
Such an approach is especially important for a destination like Lošinj, whose tourist attractiveness is largely based precisely on its preserved landscape, biodiversity, air and sea quality, and the combination of natural and cultural distinctiveness. For visitors planning a longer stay on the island, especially in Mali Lošinj and the surrounding area, such information becomes part of the overall destination experience, just as important as facilities, gastronomy or the choice of
accommodation in Mali Lošinj and other parts of the archipelago.
The program “Meet the Apsyrtides” as a combination of education and field experience
The presentation of the guide was part of the second trip of this year’s program “Meet the Apsyrtides”, held on 14 March 2026. It is a cycle of free one-day educational trips that the Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj organizes during March for private renters and other tourism stakeholders. The program is designed through four themed Saturdays, and its goal is not only to get to know the area but also to strengthen the competencies of those who directly shape the destination experience.
The importance of such a concept lies in the fact that the tourism sector on islands no longer depends only on the attractiveness of natural and cultural sites, but also on the knowledge of the people who receive, inform and guide guests. When renters, guides, hospitality professionals and other stakeholders understand municipal infrastructure, environmental challenges and examples of good practice, they more easily convey the same logic to visitors. In that sense, “Meet the Apsyrtides” functions as a bridge between the tourism offer and the real life of the island community.
The program of the second trip was dedicated precisely to sustainability, municipal infrastructure and examples of good practice in tourism. Instead of an abstract discussion about the green transition, participants visited concrete points of the system that supports everyday life and tourism on Lošinj. Such a format has special value because it shows that sustainability in a destination does not begin at the level of slogans, but in systems of drainage, purification, waste management, nature protection and responsible spatial management.
What the Respect Lošinj guide brings
The Respect Lošinj brochure is conceived as a concise, accessible guide to behaviour that leaves a smaller footprint on the environment, but also as an invitation to guests to experience the island more carefully and more meaningfully. In practice, this means encouraging visitors to use water and electricity more rationally, to reduce the amount of waste, separate it properly, and treat the marine ecosystem with more consideration. Particular emphasis is placed on small habits that often seem unimportant, but in destinations with strong seasonal pressure have very concrete effects.
Such recommendations are especially sensitive in an island environment, where resources are limited, and every change in load during the tourist season is strongly felt in the infrastructure and natural system. That is precisely why the message of the guide is important also from a communication perspective: the guest is not only a user of the service, but also a participant in preserving the space they visit. When choosing walking or cycling instead of short car rides, when informing themselves about proper behaviour in nature, or when respecting the rules for protecting the coast and the sea, they are in fact participating in a tourism model that does not consume the destination faster than it can renew itself.
In practice, such content can also be useful to renters, because it gives them an additional tool for communicating with guests. There are more and more travellers who, when planning a holiday, look for destinations with clear sustainable standards, but also concrete information on how to behave responsibly on site. In that sense, the guide can complement every host’s offer, whether it is a property in town, family accommodation by the sea or
accommodation near the event venue and the island’s main amenities.
Tour of infrastructure: sustainability behind the scenes of the tourist postcard
Participants in the trip had the opportunity to tour several infrastructure points that show how much sustainability in tourism is actually connected with municipal and environmental systems. One of those points was the drainage system and the wastewater treatment plant at Kijac. Although such facilities rarely come to the forefront of tourism promotion, they are precisely what forms the foundation of protecting the sea and the coastal area, and thus the long-term sustainability of the destination.
Equally important was the tour of the sorting facility and the recycling yard at Kalvarija. In island environments, waste management is one of the key issues, because the seasonal increase in the number of people directly increases the pressure on the system. That is why it is important that the local tourism sector also understands how the processes of separating, collecting and processing waste work, but also conveys that awareness to visitors. A sustainable destination does not rest only on tidy beaches and a clean sea, but also on the less visible part of the system that makes it possible for waste not to turn into a long-term problem.
This field part of the program also has a broader symbolic weight. It shows that a modern tourism story cannot rest exclusively on attractive vistas, but also on institutional and municipal responsibility. At a time when destinations are increasingly expected to provide demonstrable sustainability, and not merely declarative “green” positioning, Lošinj is trying to show that behind its image it wants to have real mechanisms for spatial management as well.
Čikat Camp as an example of internationally recognized good practice
During the trip, special attention was attracted by Čikat Camp, which is cited in the program as an example of good practice in sustainable tourism. The “Safe Camping” project linked with the preservation and revitalization of the Čikat forest park was included among the 100 best global stories of sustainable tourism and received recognition in the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories. It is an award that has further strengthened the international visibility of Lošinj as a destination that seeks to connect tourism development and the protection of natural resources.
An important part of that project is the long-term management of a sensitive forest ecosystem. According to available data, at Čikat Camp a professional assessment of the health condition of trees, a remediation and planting plan were carried out, and employees and guests were also included in the project through educational activities and the “Adopt a Pine” program. It is precisely this component of involving visitors that is important for the broader story of sustainability as well: tourism becomes more sustainable when the guest is not a passive observer, but understands the value of the space in which they are staying.
For Lošinj, such recognition is significant also because it fits into a long-term orientation toward tourism of higher added value. Destinations that live from natural resources and a recognizable ambience are increasingly trying to avoid the model of mass consumption of space and instead strengthen content that preserves the identity of the place. Visitors who come for nature, health, active stays and an authentic experience of the island as a rule also seek better
accommodation for visitors to Lošinj, but also a clear message that the destination takes environmental issues seriously.
Protection of the sea as an integral part of the tourism story
The trip also included a visit to the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre at the Blue World Institute, which gave the program an additional dimension of sea protection and public education. The Blue World Institute has been active on Lošinj for years through research, educational and conservation programs focused on the marine environment of the Adriatic, and the sea turtle rescue centre is one of the places where nature protection can be seen very concretely. Such institutions remind us that the preservation of the marine ecosystem is not separate from tourism, but deeply connected with it.
For an island that owes much of its attractiveness to the sea, underwater world and coastal landscape, raising awareness about the protection of marine species also has educational and developmental value. A visit to such a centre can help tourism stakeholders better understand how sensitive the ecosystems available to the destination are, but also how important it is to clearly communicate rules of behaviour at sea, on the coast and in nature to guests. Sustainable tourism is not only a question of reducing resource consumption, but also a question of the relationship towards the living world that makes the destination special.
In a broader sense, including the Sea Turtle Rescue Centre in the trip program shows that on Lošinj sustainability is not being reduced exclusively to technical and municipal aspects. It also includes education, biology, species protection, but also communication with the public. This is an important difference, because it shows that sustainable development is not only infrastructure management, but also the shaping of a culture of behaviour.
What follows after the Lošinj trip
The program “Meet the Apsyrtides” continues even after the Lošinj themed Saturday. According to the published information, the remaining two trips planned for this year are scheduled for 21 March 2026 on the island of Krk and 28 March 2026 on the island of Unije. In this way, the entire cycle does not remain focused on just one area, but offers participants a comparative experience and a broader view of island development models, heritage and tourism practice.
Such programs are especially important for private renters, who are an important part of the overall tourism infrastructure on Lošinj. According to data from the Tourist Board of the Town of Mali Lošinj, more than 1,120 renters with 6,377 beds are registered on the island, and private accommodation accounts for 18.2 percent of all overnight stays achieved in the previous year. These figures show that the quality of the destination depends to a large extent precisely on this segment of the offer, so educational and field programs are a logical tool for raising service standards and better alignment with new market expectations.
Along with the trips, during March professional training sessions are also being organized for private renters at the Museum of Apoxyomenos, namely on 18, 19 and 24 March 2026, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. According to the announcements, the topics include administrative business operations, financial management, the most common mistakes in private accommodation, sales strategy on online channels and digital marketing. This shows that the educational cycle does not stop at sustainability in the narrower sense, but tries to encompass the operational, market and organizational part of the business as well.
The broader message of the Lošinj initiative
The presentation of the Respect Lošinj guide therefore goes beyond the framework of a single new brochure. It shows the direction in which the destination wants to develop its relationship with guests and the local community: less through declarative messages, and more through practical recommendations, education and connecting the tourism offer with infrastructure and spatial protection. At a time when many destinations talk about sustainability, the difference is increasingly seen in whether they can show concrete examples, real projects and the people involved.
For Lošinj, this is especially important because it is an island whose value lies precisely in the sensitive balance between tourism, nature and the everyday life of the local community. Preserving that balance does not depend only on large investments and strategic documents, but also on how each guest behaves during their stay, how hosts communicate with visitors and how successfully the system manages to combine development with responsibility. That is precisely why a guide like Respect Lošinj can have greater value than it may seem at first glance: not as a promotional add-on, but as an attempt to turn the rules of sustainable behaviour into part of the normal tourism experience on the island.
For visitors planning to come to the Lošinj archipelago in 2026, the message is completely clear. Lošinj wants to remain an attractive destination, but also a space that is used carefully, with greater understanding for natural resources, the local rhythm and ecological limits. Within such a framework, the choice of activities, the way of moving around the island, the attitude towards waste and the sea, but also the selection of
accommodation offers in Mali Lošinj and the surrounding places, become part of the same story about a more responsible stay on the Adriatic.
Sources:- Visit Lošinj – official page of the Respect Lošinj guide and the main messages about responsible stays in the Lošinj archipelago (link)- Visit Lošinj – official announcement about the program “Meet the Apsyrtides”, the dates of the trips and the content of the Saturday dedicated to sustainability (link)- Visit Lošinj – official announcement about training sessions for private renters at the Museum of Apoxyomenos and data on private accommodation on Lošinj (link)- Visit Lošinj – announcement about the international Green Destinations Top 100 Stories recognition for the “Safe Camping” project at Čikat Camp (link)- Visit Lošinj – official presentation of the Museum of Apoxyomenos as one of the key cultural institutions of Mali Lošinj (link)- Blue World Institute – official information about the work of the institute, research, educational and conservation programs on Lošinj (link)- Town of Mali Lošinj – information about the sorting facility project at Kalvarija and the development of the waste management system (link)- Municipal Services Cres Lošinj – basic information about the municipal system and activities important for the functioning of island infrastructure (link)
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