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This research includes the hiking trails of Istria County as an element in the slow tourism supply. The official tourist supply of hiking trails managed by the Istrian Tourism Development Agency was analysed. The supply includes 84 trails with a total length of 859.4 kilometres, classified into six hiking regions. The objectives of the research were to determine the spatial layout and tourism supply of hiking trails as an element of slow tourism development in Istria County. Further objectives were to propose a more purposeful regionalization of existing trails as well as the distribution and definition of non-valorized trails. A complex method of field research of trails was used, including the methods of participant observation, autoethnography and mapping with the support of GIS. The hiking regions Rovinj and Poreč-Vrsar have the best tourism supply and opportunities for slow tourism development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increasingly stressful daily working environment, the need for outdoor recreation is more evident, especially for the urban population. The importance of protected areas is constantly growing, particularly because of an increasing interest in recreational zones inside the cities as well as on their outskirts. These areas can be observed from two points of view, as a part of natural heritage and as popular recreational zones. In order to preserve them for future generations, it is necessary to implement a concept of sustainable development in their management. The purpose of this research is to give scientific contribution to the recreational use of protected areas in the city surroundings. Medvednica Nature Park has been selected as a case study considering it represents a popular recreational area of the Zagreb urban agglomeration. The following research objectives have been singled out: identification of the recreational offer, recreational offer attendance assessment, analysis of recreational mobility features, analysis of visitors' attitudes regarding the recreational offer, defining attitudes of relevant institutional representatives regarding the recreational offer and suggesting guidelines for the future development of the recreation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]