The workshop at St. John’s Fortress in Šibenik gathered around 50 participants from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
From 27 to 29 October 2025 a three-day workshop titled “Sustainable Management of Events and Tourist Destinations” was held at St. John’s Fortress in Šibenik, as part of the project GIFTSnet – Network for Green and Inclusive Fortified Tourism Solutions, implemented through the Interreg VI-A IPA Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2021-2027 programme.
The workshop was organised by the Public Cultural Institution Fortress of Culture Šibenik (as lead partner of the project). During the three-day programme, around 50 participants from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro gathered — representatives of partner organisations, cultural institutions, tourist boards, local authorities and civil society organisations.
The workshop was led by Laura Orlić from Artivist Company, an organisation specialising in developing sustainable practices in culture and tourism. Through lectures and practical work, participants addressed the topics of sustainable event planning, resource management, environmental protection, communication and community involvement.
From theory to practice
On the first day participants learned about the fundamentals of event sustainability, a strategic approach to planning and international standards such as ISO 20121. The second day was devoted to resource management and reducing environmental impact — from energy and water consumption to responsible waste management and biodiversity protection. The final day focused on communication and branding of sustainable projects, emphasising storytelling and audience engagement. As a good-practice example the participants analysed the “Night of Fortresses Goes Green” event, which shows how sustainability principles can be integrated into cultural events and tourism initiatives.
On the third day of the workshop, participants visited the smart recycling system and air-quality monitoring network on the Šibenik fortresses, also co-funded by the GIFTSnet project.
About the GIFTSnet project
The GIFTSnet – Network for Green and Inclusive Fortified Tourism Solutions project is financed through the Interreg VI-A IPA Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Montenegro 2021-2027 programme. The project runs for 30 months, from 15 September 2024 to 14 March 2027, with a total budget of EUR 2,244,442.80.
In addition to the Fortress of Culture Šibenik (as lead partner), the project includes the City of Karlovac, the City of Banja Luka, the Museum of Herzegovina Trebinje, the Municipality of Bar and the Municipality of Ulcinj.
The project contributes to sustainable and inclusive development of cultural tourism through investments in seven cultural sites in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and through development of inclusive tourism offers and strengthening stakeholder capacities in the field of sustainable cultural tourism.
This post was created with the support of the European Union. The content of this post is the sole responsibility of the Public Cultural Institution Fortress of Culture Šibenik and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.
