Many a tourist decided to head into the wilderness without any water or other basic hiking equipment this summer. Their lives have been saved by the Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (HGSS), an organisation not only heroic in character, but also known as one of the most adept when it comes to reaching out to their online followers.
Half of the social media team that kept us entertained throughout the summer is now resigning, reported tportal on October 14, 2017. Christian Nikolić, a long-time member of HGSS and one of the two creative minds who managed to both warn us and make us smile, decided to step down from his HGSS duties due to other professional and private matters.
“Owing to many professional and personal obligations, I have no time to work for HGSS anymore, even less manage their social networks. My colleague Jadran Kapović will continue to work as before, and I believe he’ll soon be joined by other younger colleagues”, Nikolić stated.
He published his last social media post on Saturday, October 14, saying “It was an honour tweeting with you. Chris has left the #HGSS building. All the best.”
Bilo je časno twittati sa Vama.
Chris has left the #HGSS building.
Svako dobro pic.twitter.com/IQ3OWHaYDT— Hrvatska GSS (@HrvatskaGSS) October 14, 2017
Thanks to the creative genius of Nikolić and Kapović, HGSS took away the Communicator of the Year award in 2016. Their Facebook and Twitter posts attracted attention of internationally renowned publications such as Le Monde; they were also featured on numerous travel websites. Their catchphrase of the summer? Hashtag flip-flop style, a nod to all tourists who thought it a good idea to go hiking in flip-flops – or even barefoot. They advised us to avoid going home with them, taught us that drinking alcohol doesn’t count as hydrating, and made sure we stayed careful when using the immensely popular floaties. Ah, good times.
Good luck in your future endeavours, Christian. Whoever replaces you has some big shoes to fill…. or flip-flops.
