The Istrian gem gets deserved praise for three beloved manifestations
The Tourist Board of Žminj in Istria took away this year’s ‘Simply the Best’ award in the category of innovative and creative projects in tourism, reports Glas Istre on October 20, 2017. The awards are granted by the specialised magazine for tourism Way to Croatia and the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA), aiming to entice creativity and further development of the tourist offer, as well as reward the people, institutions and companies who have proven themselves as leaders in tourism.
Žminj Tourist Board applied with three manifestations. The first is a sweet bread festival named ‘Istrijanske pinci pod čerepnjon na ugnjišće’, roughly translating to ‘Istrian sweet bread baked under the peka’. The other two are the Istrian Pasta Festival and Bartulja, the annual fair named after the patron saint of Žminj, St. Bartholomew. It’s worth noting all three of them generate immense traffic, even though they don’t necessarily take place in the high summer season. The pasta festival is usually organised at the beginning of July, the sweet bread manifestation takes place the weekend before Easter in the village of Paladnjaki, while the Bartulja fair represents a long-running local tradition and is always held on the last Saturday in August.
Director of Žminj Tourist Board Lenka Šajina called the award a big recognition for the entire town of Žminj and its population. “Such manifestations aim to preserve traditional heritage, enrich the tourist offer, prolong the tourist season, entice the use of autochtonous local foods, promote traditional gastronomy, and finally, promote Žminj as a gourmet destination”, said Šajina.
She also stated the award resulted from the efforts of all individuals who participated and helped organise the three events. The local tourist board always makes sure to include local residents and resources in all manifestations in town, ranging from folklore societies, sports clubs and schools to local companies and hospitality establishments. According to Šajina, “the maximum support from the local community plays an important role in the final success of all manifestations”.
The ‘Simply the Best’ award will certainly entice the people of Žminj to keep developing new events and activities, making sure to create that special ‘Žminj experience’ that has already drawn so many visitors to this wonderful part of inland Istria. Congratulations!
