The award was presented by the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation.
Croatian project “Healthy Meal Standard” has been given an award by the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation. The ceremony was attended by over 1,000 participants, including owners of large hotel chains, business owners, tour operators and innovators, as well as many senior officials from more than 36 countries.
Diana Gluhak, who has a master’s degree in nutrition and is the author of the Healthy Meal Standard project, was presented with an annual award for special contribution to tourism, as part of the international meeting of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation in Malta. The award was presented by President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca. The awards and conference were also supported by Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Tourism Minister Edward Zammit Lewis, and senior officials from parliament and the government.
This is the only international prize awarded to a nutritionist from Croatia and to an innovative project in the field of health tourism which originated in Croatia.
The Mediterranean Tourism Foundation (MTF) was established by the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA) in 2013. The MTF is a non profit, non-governmental organisation aiming at increasing the potential for sustainable tourism growth across the Mediterranean region. The vision of MTF is inspired by the shared will of both public and private tourism sector stakeholders to revitalise efforts to transform the Mediterranean into an area of peace, cooperation and prosperity by investing and promoting sustainable tourism growth across the region.
The annual meeting organized by the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation is a strategically important project for all the Mediterranean countries, as it encompasses all aspects of tourism, innovation and promotion. The theme for this year was “HOT – Hospitality of Tomorrow”, with the goal to present and promote projects that will bring new value to the hospitality sector.
Healthy Meal Standard has been recognized as a valuable factor for the development of health tourism, given that diet for specific needs has become a key point of queries for guests. “I would like to thank my colleagues from FIJET Croatia who submitted the nomination and supported me. Healthy Meal Standard, as a Croatian innovation project, has been recognized and supported by all the Mediterranean countries. This is a special honour and pride for me, all my colleagues who have been in the project from the very beginning, and for Croatia as well”, said Gluhak.
Healthy Meal Standard (HMS) is a nutrition certificate for specific needs in public facilities. It has a special importance for hotels, restaurants and other hospitality facilities in the field of health tourism, in line with the strategy of development of tourism in Europe and Croatia until 2020. Healthy Meal Standard is supported by many relevant institutions from Croatia, including the Ministry of Tourism, Croatian Chamber of Economy, Food Technology and Biotechnology Faculty, Croatian Olympic Committee, and others. More information can be found at www.healthymealstandard.hr
