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Anton Gosar Layers of Tourism in Protected Ecosystems of Slovenia

Regional Development Fund; the Ski Association of Slovenia (Gorska reševalna služba, 2022) reported
Slovenia provided missing funds. In 2012 the first in- that nine interventions (out of 399) could have been
ternational competition was attended by 18.000 spec- triggered by “a person taking a photography of him-
tators; the Biathlon World Championship in 2019 was self”. Taking selfies at dangerous points, above cliffs
visited by close to 50.000 sports fans. Despite efforts etc., was the cause of 24 deaths in Europe in the last
to minimise the impact of the centre on the fragile pandemic year. The deadliest accident happened in
environment (waste-water treatment plant, minimal 2017 when globally, as many as 107 people died by tak-
illumination on tracks, avoiding large-scale parking ing selfies (Avery, 2021). Selfies increase interest in a
spaces, low-noise snow-making machines, the wild particular locality. If they are forwarded via Facebook
rooster population monitoring, etc.), low-key hotels or other apps to “friends”. Video or photos of unique
have been upgraded, a stadium and a heliport were attractions can lead to increased visits.
constructed. Violations of the Nature 2000 and EU Consequently, due to the crowds that follow, this
habitat directives were registered. Namely, an above- impulse is trending into the saturation of the desti-
ground water reservoir meant to support snowmaking nation. Colleagues from Arizona State University
exceeded the initially approved plan more than three analysed Tik-Tok messages focused on the Hainan
times. The reservoir has a capacity of 5,478 cubic me- National Park (China). Park management has strong-
ters and is about three times larger than the proposed ly opposed such acts, the unwanted promotion, as it
project (1,400 cubic meters). The EU Commission was already has resulted in devastating impacts on the
put on alert because of the EU’s co-financing of the protected nature and infrastructure. Namely, thou-
project. A new project assessment took place in the sands of followers re-enacted the acts promoted by
years before the 2019 championship. In the according the original TikTok video and those degrading certain
books, the water reservoir - a lake - is now registered elements of the park (Wengel et al., 2022). Publicised
as a “reservoir for pasture feeding cattle”. According to video of a quarrel between critics of the government
media reports, as of March 2017, the European Com- and the prime minister, which took place in the Tri-
mission has retracted the EU Proceedings 1308/10 and, glav National Park in 2021, sparked similar complaints
in addition to that, removed its critics of the project by the Slovenian Mountaineering Society (SPD), the
(G. C., 2014; Kavčič, 2014; Gosar, 2017). park’s management and the public (Slovenska tiskov-
na agencija, 2021). Addressing this issue, researchers
Findings from the University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism
The attractiveness of the mountainous and alpine Turistica, concluded in a recent study that national
landscapes increased the interest of visitors, the econ- and local authorities should ensure positive impacts
omy, and the general society. The exploitation of the of tourism on the residential and wider population.
wealth of nature resulted in visitors’ enjoyment. It In addition, tourism would enable sustainable devel-
enabled profit to the local and wider economy, but it opment in destinations of tourists’ extreme interest
often becomes, to a certain extent, a burden to the res- (Juvan et al., 2021).
idential population. Several recent studies have out- In Renata Mavri’s dissertation (2020), which I su-
lined that the structure and attitude of tourists visiting pervised, visits to the Triglav National Park are empir-
mountains have changed, that in the pandemic years, ically documented, and the dissatisfaction of the res-
destinations offering outdoor activities have gained idential population is epitomised. Residents believe
popularity and that impacts of tourism on the host that their mountainous homeland needs to be more
population have increasingly worked against interac- saturated and protected. Interviews were performed
tive sustainability. Returning to the traditional values with visitors of the park (TNP) and the local popu-
of the mountaineering culture would enforce sustain- lation. She concluded that contemporary visits to the
able tourism development in the mountains (Špindler park are still traditionally dominated by hiking and
et al., 2022). In 2021 the Mountain Rescue Service of mountaineering (48%). However, the activity by vis-

110 | Proceedings of the 7th UNESCO UNITWIN Conference