THE PATHWAY TO THE RESILIENT AND SUSTAINABLE FUTURES: THE GREEN TRANSFORMATION OF TOURISM DESTINATIONS
Global development in recent decades has beencharacterized by increased resource consumption andgrowing environmental pressures, highlighting the need forsustainable economic and social progress. Tourism, despiteits significant contribution to economic growth, often putspressure on natural resources and ecosystems, underscoringthe need for sustainable development in territories withsubstantial rural characteristics, such as islands. Thispaper examines the role of green transformation as adriver of economic resilience and sustainable developmentof Croatian island economies. Research was conductedamong stakeholders in island destinations who are involvedin tourism planning, development and management, usinga structured questionnaire survey. The results from PartialLeast Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM)show that green transformation of tourism positivelyinfluences all four sustainability dimensions of destinationdevelopment, with the strongest effect on environmentalsustainability. These findings support decision-makers inshaping development strategies for island destinations.