The Institute of Physical Planning of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County last Tuesday presented a study on possibilities of introducing scuttling as a special tourism service intended to prolong the peak tourist season. Scuttling is a deliberate sinking of vessels which are made tourist attractions that way. For the time being, there is no official position on scuttling or surveys on locations where vessels could be scuttled without any harm. Scuttling vessels is normally not associated with recreation, so the Institute is looking into where and how it could be done. Deliberately sunk vessels must be outside navigation routes and they must be environmentally harmless and safe for divers, it was said at the presentation.
The Institute of Physical Planning of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County last Tuesday presented a study on possibilities of introducing scuttling as a special tourism service intended to prolong the peak tourist season.
Scuttling is a deliberate sinking of vessels which are made tourist attractions that way.
For the time being, there is no official position on scuttling or surveys on locations where vessels could be scuttled without any harm. Scuttling vessels is normally not associated with recreation, so the Institute is looking into where and how it could be done.
Deliberately sunk vessels must be outside navigation routes and they must be environmentally harmless and safe for divers, it was said at the presentation.
Such vessels become places for the development of special ecosystems and habitats of sea organisms and fish, which attracts divers. Such locations are also important for the protection of the marine world because fishing is normally prohibited in the concerned areas.
The study of the Institute for Physical Planning will be presented to local tourism boards, the county authorities, and local self-government units and other stakeholders. The Institute believes that it should also prompt work on related legislation since sinking vessels for recreational purposes is an entirely new topic in the Croatian tourism.
(Hina)