The Travel Writing Awards ceremony "Marko Polo" was held this week in Zagreb, organised by FIJET Croatia (Fédération Internationale des Journalistes et Ecrivains du Tourisme) and co-organised by the Croatian Journalism Society’s Tourism Journalists Assembly.

The award has been given to Croatian and foreign journalists for travel articles since 2010. This year, the Grand Prix "Marko Polo 2019" was awarded to Stefan Baciu for his series of radio stories from Morocco, the country where the FIJET congress in 2018 was held.

Radmila Kovačević from Večernji list received an award for her very successful series of reports and articles which affirm Slavonia as a serious and a very potent tourist destination. Being a seasoned tourist reporter, she highlights the specificities of the destination and its advantages but also warns about what should be done to bring the destination to a higher level. One report which stands out is "Everyone who complains about Slavonia has certainly not been here", as the explanation of the award states (here's the link to the original article).

Marko Polo medallions were also given out, one to Lana Mindoljević for her reportage on the greatest continental rivers for swimming in Croatia and her story about Lošinj. Andrea Buče from Croatian Radio Television was given the medallion for her series of stories "Stop in Lika", about the undiscovered jewel of Croatian tourism. Robert Knjaz was awarded the medallion for the original presentation and the promotion of the culture and customs in parts of Croatia, this time the donkey race in Tribunj. Miki Bratanić was also awarded the medallion for his special story about the konoba as an important feature of Dalmatian tradition, as Bratanić explains in his piece that the konoba holds the soul of the Dalmatian man.

The long-running Croatian Television show Prizma, on air for 23 years, and its editor Daniela Draštati, were also awarded the medallion. Vjekoslav Madunić, also from Croatian Radio Television, was awarded the medallion for the tourist reports from the Voice of Croatia station about Christmas customs in Konavle.

The award for the best reportage about Advent in Zagreb in 2018 was presented to Radmilo Bubmar for the four stories he did for the TV show "Serbia I Love".

Since 2010, the international reporters who have received the Marko Polo award are Jim Thompson (USA), Plamen Starev (Bulgaria), Gian Paolo Bonomi (Italy), Luis Nuneze Ladaveze (Spain), Maria Paredes (USA and South America), Georges Younes (Lebanon), Kamenko Milenković (Serbia), Maria del mar Garcia Aquilo (Spain) and Gilber Menne (Belgium).

Local journalists who have won the award are Stipe Božić, Jasen Boko, Meri Šilović, TCN's own Paul Bradbury, Matej Perkov, Saša Pjanić, Šime Strikoman, Ivo Pervan and Ashley Coburn.

Split journalists came together for the third edition of this year’s Gastroadvent at the Hotel Vestibul Palace.