What do residents and visitors of destination Krško think about sustainable tourism

In 2022, the municipality of Krško received the Slovenia Green Destination Gold label and thus became recognizable as a sustainable and green tourist destination. In destination Krško, holders of the sustainable green label are the Slovenia Green Hotel and restaurant Tri lučke and Gostilna Kunst.

The survey of the population took place from May 2022 to August 2024. Citizens were asked to fill out the surveys via e-mail, public announcements and by posting them on websites. The survey was anonymous. By the end of August 2024, 291 correctly completed surveys were obtained.

The survey showed that the inhabitants are aware that tourism in our destination sufficiently cares for the preservation of culture. 75% of respondents agreed with this statement. The respondents also note that our destination is developing green tourism (68% of respondents).



69% of respondents believe that tourism provides better opportunities for spending free time (events, recreation,...). Also, a good 2/3 of respondents are satisfied with the work of the organization that takes care of the development of tourism in our destination and that the local community benefits from tourism and tourists visiting our destination.

2/3 of the respondents are satisfied with the development of tourism in our destination and that the positive effects of tourism in our destination outweigh the negative ones, as well as that tourism in the destination sufficiently cares for the preservation of nature.

Half of those surveyed believe that they are well-informed about the development of tourism, while only a third of those who have been asked believe that they have the opportunity to participate in the planning of tourism development and that they have a greater choice of services due to tourism.

Like any economic activity, tourism is not immune to the negative effects on the environment that arise as a result of its operation. The opinion of those surveyed is that real estate prices have not increased due to tourism (59% of respondents) and that traffic problems have not increased (65% of respondents). They also believe that tourism in the destination does not cause excessive pollution (66% of respondents). As many as 72% of respondents think that in the high season the number of visitors to our destination is not too high and disturbing.

74% of respondents believe that tourism in our destination does not cause worse health conditions, that they do not feel less safe because of tourism in our destination, and that their living costs have not increased because of tourism.

From the above, we can conclude that residents do not perceive the impact of tourism in the destination as negative.



From the results of the survey for residents on satisfaction with tourism in the destination Krško, we can conclude that the residents of the municipality of Krško are generally satisfied with tourism. They note that the destination takes care of cultural heritage and that green tourism is developing. They also think that tourism provides better opportunities for spending free time (events, recreation, etc.) and that the positive effects of tourism outweigh the negative ones. They do not see tourism as a disturbing factor that would cause them a lower standard of living. However, it is necessary to find diverse channels of communication for regular and high-quality information and awareness of the local population and the possibility of greater and better inclusion of the population in tourism development planning.
 

What do visitors to the destination think?

Domestic and foreign guests who have recently visited the destination Krško were invited to participate in the survey. The survey was anonymous. 284 questionnaires were completed, of which almost 67% were domestic and 33% foreign guests.

Guests visited the destination to the greatest extent for visiting natural and cultural attractions (23% of respondents) and recreation (17% of respondents). 15% visited the destination for entertainment and cuisine. Ten of the respondents came for a business visit and 8% to visit relatives and friends. 16% of respondents gave another answer (visiting a sporting event, exchanges, work). 6% of respondents came for recreation and 4% for education.



Visitors expressed a high level of satisfaction (between 4.7 and 4.1, on a scale of 1 = very dissatisfied and 5 = very satisfied) with the feeling of safety at the destination (95%) and the friendliness and hospitality of the locals. As many as 94% of the respondents are satisfied with the cleanliness of the surroundings and care for health (89%), 76% of them are satisfied with the possibility of traveling on foot or by bicycle, 88% with the catering and cultural content.

92% of respondents are satisfied with value for money and 71% with public transport, 78% with the shopping offer and 79% with accommodation.

89% of respondents are satisfied with hiking and biking opportunities, while 9% are undecided. The average score of agreement with the opportunity for hiking and biking, on a scale from 1 = very dissatisfied to 5 = very satisfied, is 3.8.

In the survey, visitors were asked to give their opinion on what the destination could do for a greener tourist offer. They suggested that it is necessary to improve public transport, that the prices of public transport are too high (train and bus), the Vipap factory is a nuisance in their environment, they want more cycle paths and benches around the city, better marking of cultural attractions and hiking trails and more raising awareness and raising awareness regarding sustainable tourism (sustainable mobility, energy consumption, reducing the amount of waste).