Chapter 3 Rural tourism in the surroundings of Krka National Park: factors of development and spatial impacts Petra Radeljak Kaufmann Abstract This chapter focuses on the development of rural tourism in the area surrounding Krka National Park, situated in northern Dalmatia. Via various functions, especially tourism and recrea- tion, protected areas can influence local development. Since the 1960s, settlements in the surroundings of Krka National Park have faced challenges related to depopulation and socio-econom- ic development. The goal of this chapter is to analyse factors of re- cent intense development of rural tourism, its spatial impacts in the immediate vicinity of the Park, and various potentials for fur- ther development. These trends should be looked at in the frame- work of tourism development of the Park itself, as well as tour- ism development trends in the interior of Dalmatia. A case study of the Town of Drniš was conducted to closely examine recent trends and the potential for development of rural tourism in the near future. Key words: rural tourism, protected areas, geography, Krka National Park, Drniš, Dalmatia, Croatia doi: https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-7055-08-5.53-73 53 challenges of tourism development in protected areas of croatia and slovenia Introduction National parks are defined by theNature Protection Act (Official Gazette 80/13, 15/18, 14/19) as a predominantly unaltered area of exceptional and varied natural values encompassing one or more ecosystems. This cate- gory of protected area is primarily intended to protect nature and land- scapes and to serve scientific, cultural, educational, and recreational pur- poses. Tourism and recreation are also present in national parks, in so far as they do not endanger the natural environment. According to Hall and Boyd (2005), tourism that develops in relation to conserving or protect- ing natural areas (ecotourism, national parks) is a form of nature-based tourism, which also includes tourism in natural settings (such as adven- ture tourism) and tourism focusing on certain elements of the natural en- vironment (such as safari and wildlife tourism, nature tourism, and ma- rine tourism). It is largely via tourism and visitor management systems that protected areas influence local development in the areas that sur- round them. Krka National Park is situated in the northern part of the Croatian coastal region of Dalmatia. It was proclaimed in 1985, protecting the Krka River and its waterfalls, as well as the lower course of the Čikola River (the Park’s southwestern and northern boundaries were revised in 1997). It has seen a steep increase in the number of visitors in recent decades, reaching 1.4 million in 2018. The Park partially includes the territories of seven local self-govern- ment units: the City of Šibenik; the towns of Knin, Drniš, and Skradin; and the municipalities of Ervenik, Kistanje, and Promina1 (Fig. 1). Since the 1960s, the settlements near the Park have often been characterised by de- population and problems with socio-economic development (See: Bjelajac, 2008). Previous research demonstrated that, despite intense growth in tourist volume, the Park exercised almost no influence on the stabilisa- tion of settlement patterns in this depopulated zone. However, some so- cio-economic impacts were recognised, especially in the areas closest to main tourist points of the Park and along main routes leading to the Park’s entrances (Radeljak and Pejnović, 2008). One of the important trends in the last decade has been the development of rural tourism in the wider area. 1 In total, Šibenik-Knin County consists of 20 local self-government units. These in- clude the municipalities of Bilice, Biskupija, Civljane, Ervenik, Kijevo, Kistanje, Murter-Kornati, Pirovac, Primošten, Promina, Rogoznica, Ružić, Tisno, Tribunj, and Unešić, as well as towns/cities of Drniš, Knin, Skradin, Šibenik, and Vodice. 54 rural tourism in the surroundings of krka national park ... Fig. 1 Local government units (towns and municipalities) in Šibenik-Knin County in relation to Krka National Park2 2 The source for administrative borders was the Central Registry of Spatial Units (CGA, 2013). 55 challenges of tourism development in protected areas of croatia and slovenia The goal of this chapter is to discern factors contributing to the afore- mentioned trends and the impacts of such developments. Therefore, sta- tistical indicators were analysed to show the development of the visitation system in Krka National Park, as well as changes in the number of tour- ist arrivals and overnight stays in the general vicinity of the Park. In or- der to fully explore how the development of tourism relates to local devel- opment, a case study of the Town of Drniš was conducted. Data collection was based on interviews and conversations. Four interviews with local ac- tors—representatives of the Town of Drniš administration, the local tour- ist board, family agricultural holdings that offer tourism-related servic- es, and Krka National Park—were conducted in August and October 2019. Additionally, three interviews conducted in October 2015 within the scope of the CRORURIS3 project, with the Town mayor, a representative of the Local Action Group, and an entrepreneur were used to provide an overview of the general development context and compare development trends. The interviews lasted between 30 and 90 minutes. The structure of the chapter is as follows. First, several points related to the development of rural tourism, especially in the context of protect- ed areas, are presented. Second, protection, recreation and tourism devel- opment in Krka National Park are analysed, together with the trends vis- ible in the surrounding areas. Finally, factors of development and impacts of rural tourism are explored in the case of the Town of Drniš, as one of the local government units participating in the territory of the Park. Protected areas and rural tourism Preservation and protection without serious consideration regarding the area immediately beyond the boundaries of a given protected area were the basic elements of the concept of protected areas until the middle of the 20th century. By the end of the same century, the paradigm had come to in- clude an integrated approach in protected area policy, incorporating pro- tected areas as well as their surroundings. This approach attempts to satisfy the interests of protection and use, seeing (especially) larger protected ar- eas as tools of sustainable regional development (Mose and Weixlbaumer, 2007), which can provide impulses for tourism development, marketing of 3 The research project CRORURIS (2014–2017) developed a set of alternative future scenarios for Croatian rural areas in 2030 (See: Lukić and Radeljak Kaufmann, 2017). 56 rural tourism in the surroundings of krka national park ... regional products, and for the development of innovative regional products and services (Hammer, 2007). Once an activity which focused on viewing the landscape, or pursu- ing entertainment such as hunting or fishing (Butler, 2011), rural tourism has come to encompass different activities and forms of tourism related to natural and cultural resources in rural areas (Demonja and Ružić, 2010). It should be noted that the specific activities that are engaged in during lei- sure, recreation, or tourism, are in many cases identical, and key differenc- es can be found in the location, duration, or possibly attitudes, motivations, and perceptions of the participants. The differences between recreation and tourism in particular have become less significant and it is often difficult to determine whether participation in an activity is of a recreational or tour- istic nature (Butler et al., 1998). For instance, there may be no difference in location or activity between “rural tourism” and “countryside recreation”. Many rural tourists and recreationalists are excursionists, i.e. day-trippers, as opposed to those who stay overnight (Hall et al., 2003). Rural tourism is diverse and exactly how it is understood varies among countries (e.g. Hall et al., 2003). In general, it is based in a rural environment, including a predominantly natural environment, a village, or a smaller town, with expressed forms of traditional agriculture or out- standing natural values. It is connected with local community, tradition- al culture and products, and should be seen in the context of multi-func- tional activities in a rural area. Apart from farm tourism, it includes other forms of tourism in a rural area, such as residential tourism, sports and rec- reational tourism, cultural tourism, religious tourism, adventure tourism, camping tourism, health tourism, nautical tourism, fishing tourism, and gastronomic tourism (Demonja and Ružić, 2010). Activities undertaken in rural areas are increasing and diversifying, and significantly affecting environmental, economic, and social change. This has attracted attention from policy makers at different levels, indi- cating the need for adequate planning and management (Hall et al., 2003). Rural tourism is credited with having economic and non-economic effects (Demonja and Ružić, 2010). Its contribution to rural development can in- clude revitalising local economies and improving the quality of life, offering supplementary income for farming, crafts, and services, providing oppor- tunities to re-evaluate heritage and identity, maintaining and renovating buildings and infrastructure, and even influencing demographic process- 57 challenges of tourism development