17. December, 2022
Europe needs vision, inclusion and participation of young people in building a better future, greener, more digital and more inclusive. The future belongs to the young. Therefore, the European Commission has declared the year 2022 as the European Year of Youth.
The European Year of Youth is celebrated in the European Union and in the Adraitic-Ionian macro-region with a series of the events.

Ministry of Tourism and Sport of the Republic of Croatia, as a national coordinator for EUSAIR Pillar 4 Sustainable Tourism, marked the EU Year of Youth by holding a workshop for students of the Faculty of Tourism and Management of the American University of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in November in Dubrovnik, as well as for the students of the undergraduate professional study of Tourism and Hotel Management of the Libertas International University in Zagreb in December.

The aim of the workshops was to bring the concept of EU macro-regional strategies, as an important and an innovative instrument of EU policy, closer to the young generation, and in particular, to the EU Strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian Region EUSAIR, with a focus on sustainable tourism. Young people are essential for the future of the region and it is necessary to hear and respect their voice and thoughts on macro-regional strategies. The presentation was held through the format of interactive dialogue, lectures and workshop.

The concept of EU macro-regional strategies was explained, and the Adriatic-Ionian strategy presented stressing the future strategic projects, especially those tackling the priorities of cultural routes and cultural tourism. Students were invited to give their opinion about governing and communicating the EUSAIR as well as about training and skills and cultural routes. During the process of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of the Strategy, as many as 88 implemented projects have been identified in the 2014-2020 period, dealing with innovations in tourism in the Adriatic-Ionian region. As addition to that, young participants showed with their approach and ideas that a greater space should be given for an active youth participation in the creation and implementation of the EU strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian region as well as other instruments and public policies of the EU.

RIT Croatia was founded in 1997 in Dubrovnik as a result of the cooperation between the American University of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and the Ministry of Science, Education and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, which at that time initiated the establishment of private institutions of higher education.

Libertas International University is the oldest private university in Croatia, within which the undergraduate professional study of Tourism and Hotel Management operates. One of the main advantages of this program is the orientation to practical professional content. Representatives of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport presented the EUSAIR strategy and strategic activities related to the Strategy as part of this practical professional content, related to the course on tourism economics and strategic planning. Considering EUSAIR Action Plan revision in progress, the students discussed potential activities at the workshop and presented their visions of the priority goals of the EUSAIR Action Plan for the future period. They highlighted several key topics that can improve the development of sustainable tourism in the macro-region, among which research and development as a starting point for creating offers and products, the use of heritage for the diversification of tourism products, and the necessity of education and training for sustainable and integrated management of EUSAIR destinations.

These events are part of the communication and visibility activities of the EUSAIR Facility Point project financed from the INTERREG ADRION program 2014-2020.