Velebitsko podgorje is the least populated and the least visited part of the Croatian coast in terms of tourism. The region is located entirely within the protected area of the Velebit Nature Park and includes two national parks: Paklenica and Northern Velebit. The paper examines the impact of national parks on the local development of selected parts of the Velebitsko podgorje, with emphasis on the development of tourism. In order to fulfill the research tasks, an analysis of demographic trends, economic activities, tourist traffic in the local area and in national parks was conducted, and local stakeholders were interviewed. The results of the research in the case of Paklenica National Park and the Municipality of Starigrad show that the development of tourism initiated socio-economic restructuring of the population, butthe dominant role in these processes was played by coastal tourism. Only in the modern period, after multiple increases in the number of visitors compared to the pre-war period, the impact of the Park comes to the fore, which is primarily reflected in the extension of the tourist season and the development of selective forms of tourism. Due to the smaller number of visitors and the pronounced depopulation in the peripheral settlements of the Park, Northern Velebit National Park has a limited impact on the development of tourism and, consequently, on the socio-economic transformation of its micro-region.