Croatia and Croatian tourism have been awarded at the prestigious American travel awards, the ‘Travvy Awards’, held at Gotham Hall in New York City. 

Namely, Croatia won the silver in the category of the best European destination and bronze in the category of the world's best destination, while the Croatian National Tourist Board won the silver in the category of the best European tourist organization, HTZ reported on January 24, 2019. 

The awards were accepted by Croatian National Tourist Board Director, Kristjan Staničić.

“What the Academy Awards are for film and the film industry the Travvy Awards are in the world of tourism industry! This is exceptional news for the entire Croatian tourism sector as it is confirmation of the popularity and the excellent position our country enjoys on this extremely large and important market that is not easy to win. The awards belong to all Croatian tourists who, with much effort and love from year to year, raise the quality of services and content of Croatian tourism. I am particularly proud of the silver in the category of the best European tourist organization because this award confirms that the Croatian National Tourist Board is carrying out creative and innovative promotional activities recognized by American professionals. Namely, acknowledgments are even more important when you consider the fact that they are granted solely on the basis of the votes of US tour operators and travel agents, that is, by the profession. Our goal is to further strengthen Croatia's market position through the implementation of key promotional activities which will ensure the retention of the growth trends from America, which is the market where we have the largest tourist turnover when it comes to far-away countries,” said Staničić at the awards ceremony.

Marijana Marinović

In the category for the best European destination, Greece won the gold and England the bronze. In the category of the world's best destinations, Australia won the gold, Barbados the silver, and Croatia the bronze, while in the category for the best European tourist organization, Switzerland won the gold and Croatia (HTZ) the silver.

The Travvy Awards are presented annually within the organization of travAlliancemedia to highlight the best examples of excellence and achievements in the tourism industry and are awarded to various stakeholders such as national tourist organizations, destinations, travel agents, products, and more. This year, the awards were given on the basis of more of 120,000 votes which represents the largest base of independent American travel agents.

Marijana Marinović

“We are extremely excited to see our work, but also the position of Croatia, recognized by reputable representatives of the US tourism economy. This is a great start for us this year and additional motivation to market Croatia further on the American market. We will continue with the dedicated work in cooperation with colleagues from the Croatian tourism sector, who have made a strong contribution to winning these prestigious awards,” said Ina Rodin, director of the HTZ Representative Office in New York.

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