April the 29th, 2026 – The Croatian Rural Tourism Association celebrated 10 successful years yesterday with a celebration held at the Polytechnic in Križevci.
In addition to members of the association from all over Croatia, the celebration also brought together representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, the Croatian National Tourist Board and other lovers of the glorious Croatian countryside.
After the introductory speeches were held, a short video (URTH Retrospective 2016 -2026), created by students as part of their student internship, was shown. The celebration continued with two panel discussions: on the sustainable Croatian model of rural agricultural tourism and the promotion of rural tourism, and a toast.
“I would like to thank all partners, sponsors, donors, members, students and the media who have supported our work over the past decade. In the coming period, we want to encourage even greater networking of all those who want to develop rural tourism and work in partnership for the benefit and sustainability of rural Croatia. Therefore, on behalf of the Croatian Rural Tourism Association, I’d like to call on all stakeholders from the public, private and civil sectors at all levels to support us in the development of Croatian agricultural tourism and rural tourism in general,” said Zvonko Lajtman, president of the Croatian Rural Tourism Association.
Three awards were also presented to deserving individuals at the celebration. Anđelka Pejaković from the Advisory Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries received the award for the best civil servant, while British vlogger Paul Bradbury received the award for the digital promotion of Croatian agricultural tourism and the association’s members. The association’s leader Aleksandra Kuratko Pani received the award for a decade of hard, dedicated, often volunteer work within the association. The celebration ended with a toast, and the guests continued socialising with a folklore performance and Prigorje specialities in Čabraji.
The Croatian Rural Tourism Association is otherwise a commendable national association that brings together service providers, tourist boards, academic institutions other many other local associations, as well as the general public. More information about the Croatian Rural Tourism Association, membership, cooperation opportunities and donations is available here.
