National award Sunflower of Croatian Rural Tourism was given to best programmes and projects in rural tourism
After three months of extensive research, visits and strict judging procedure, national tourism awards Sunflower of Croatian Rural Tourism were given out in Zagreb on December 14. Considering that more than 120 projects and programmes of rural tourism across Croatia entered the preliminary round, expert panel had their work cut out for them: Sunflower of Croatian Rural Tourism promotes tourism programmes, connects various projects with producers, events and specific needs of each area in question and it helps both preserve authentic tourism products and promote new ones that are raising rural tourism to a whole new level. Products and services offered in Croatian rural tourism enrich Croatia’s total tourism offer and help develop less known destinations in inland Croatia. This projects involves producers, entrepreneurs, crafts and trades, family owned farms and associations from all over the country” said Dijana Katica, the driving force behind this award.
Awards ceremony was organised in the Oris House of Architecture in Zagreb and everyone who is anyone in Croatian tourism was there except two very noticeable absentees: Minister of tourism Darko Lorencin was not there (he sent his adviser Ivo Babić) and the National Tourist Board director Ratomir Ivičić. One note to the organisers however, judging by the number of nominees and tourist board officials in attendance, we hope they will consider a much larger venue next yer. It was a delight to see so many traditional products on display, everyone wanted to taste them so it was no wonder the awards ceremony ran a bit late. It was worth the wait.
Here is the best of the best in Croatian rural tourism for 2015, according to specific categories:
Category I Family Farms with Tourist Offer
1st place: Seoski turizam Rakić (Village tourism Rakić) owned by Katica and Boško Rakić, Čabraji near Križevci
2nd place: Ivica i Marica, family farm owned by Nada and Marko Piljić, Karanac in Osijek Baranja County
3rd place: Family farm Laptalo, Orašac near Dubrovnik and Family farm Borovac owned by Dragica Borovac in Vrgorac, Split Dalmatia County.
Category II – Entrepreneurs in rural tourism
1st place: ETHNO VILLAGE ZAGORA owned by Andrija Polić, Stella Mediterranea d.o.o., in Klis
2nd place: Excursion site KORABLJA TIŠINIĆ owned by Božo Tišinić in Petrinja
3rd place: LATNI LUG INN, owned by Leo Pandžić in Dinji Emovci near Požega and REPUŠNIČKA KLET owned by DArio Kohek in Kutina
Category III – Rural tourism events
1st place: PICOKIJADA, organised by Tourist Board of Đurđevac
2nd place: KAJ SU JELI NAŠI STARI (What our ancestors ate) organised by the Tourist Board of Vrbovec
3rd place: OLIMPIJADA STARIH ŠPORTOVA (Old sports Olympics) organised by the municipality of Bizovac and KESTENIJADA U HRVATSKOJ KOSTAJNICI (Chestnut festival in Hrvatska Kostajnica) organised by the city of Kostajnica
Category IV Rural tourism projects
1st place: CESTA ZLATNE NITI (Road of the golden thread) organised by the Tourist Board of Županja, City of Županja and Vukovar Srijem County
2nd place: MEĐIMURJE HEIGHTS organised by the Tourist Board of Međimurje, city of Čakovec, Međimurje County
3rd place: NERETVA DOLINA ŽIVOTA (Neretva the Valley of Life) organised by Marijana Aksić Vitković / Dunea, City of Dubrovnik and Dubrovnik Neretva County and
Valorisation of Istrian Malvazija Wine Four Lands organised by Michelle Babić and Ingrid Palman, Tourist Board of Brtonigla, Brtonigla municipality and Istrian County
Category V: Traditional rural gastronomy (two winners this year)
1st place: Restaurant Karlo Plešivica, owned by Mirjana Navoj, in PLešivica, city of Jastrebarsko, Zagreb County
1st place: Restaurant Trebotz – Jakopić winery, owned by Branimir Jakopić in Orehovček, Međimurje County
2nd place: Kaštil Slanica Podašpilje owned by Damir Rogošić. city of Omiš, Split Dalmatia County
3rd place: House of Krk Prosciutto Žužić owned by Vjeko Žužić in Vrh, city of Krk
Category VI – Wine tourism
1st place – Brzica winery. owned by Ivo Brzica in Erdut municipality, Osijek Baranja County
2nd place (shared) – Matuško winery, owned by Mato Matuško in Potomje, Orebić municipality on Pelješac peninsula
2nd place (shared) – Rizman winery, owned by Mihovil Štimac, in Klek, Slivno municipality
3rd place – Excursion site and wine house Hažić owned by Tatjana Hažić. Sveti Martin na Muri, Međimurje County
A whole string of special awards was also given out during the ceremony by each organiser and sponsor and we will mention just a few of them:
Special charter by Iločki podrumi for Best rural tourism destination went to Vukovar Srijem County, Special charter by Agrorpoteinka for Best rural tourism destination went to the Erdut wine road while the Special charter from the organisers went to Inland Dalmatia as the Best rural tourism destination.
