Tuesday, 8 February 2022

Zagreb and Zagreb County Gault & Millau Guide Released for First Time

February 8, 2022 - The Zagreb and Zagreb County Gault & Millau guide has been released for the first time at the initiative of the Zagreb Tourist Board and in cooperation with the Zagreb County Tourist Board.

At the initiative of the Zagreb Tourist Board (TZGZ) and in cooperation with the Zagreb County Tourist Board (TZZŽ), Zagreb and its surroundings received their own edition of one of the most relevant gastronomic guides in the world - Gault & Millau (GM). Thus, for the first time in history, a bilingual (Croatian / English) edition of the guide was published, containing reviews and photos of 100 restaurants, taverns, snack bars, POP bars, and patisseries in Zagreb and the surrounding area, reports Novi List.

The guide was promoted with an awards ceremony for the chefs of the best restaurants in Zagreb. As a result, the Atrium by Filho, Le Bistro, Baltazar, Balon, Tač, Dubravkin put, Bistro Apetit by Marin Rendić, Noel, ManO2, and ManO can be proud of three characteristic chef's hats which suggest they run a high-quality kitchen.

Four caps, or a very high-quality kitchen, was awarded to Zinfandel’s at Esplanade, receiving a 17 out of a possible 20, while at the very top with a respectable 17.5 points is NAV and chef Tvrtko Šakota.

This is the assessment of GM inspectors who visit restaurants undercover, pay for their meals properly and evaluate everything according to GM rules. Šokota of NAV also thanked everyone, primarily colleagues, because, as he said, this is a job that must be loved to do, even at a high level.

"Congratulations to all our caterers who are deservedly included in the first edition of Zagreb, which further valorizes the gastronomic offer of our city. Special congratulations to the 11 award-winning Zagreb chefs, and I believe that their GM ratings and awards will incentivize them to continue striving for excellence in creating the overall gastronomic experience.

Namely, this type of experience is one of the most important motives for the arrival of our guests in Zagreb and its surroundings and the reason for choosing an individual restaurant," said Martina Bienenfeld, director of the Tourist Board.

The Deputy Mayor of the City of Zagreb, Luka Korleat, pointed out that this small but large book shows the Zagreb gastronomic scene in all its diversity.

GM's director for Croatia, Ingrid Badurina Danielsson, pointed out that there are certainly more restaurants that deserve a place in the guide. Still, due to the limited number, they could not be included in this year's selection of the print edition.

"However, they will be presented on the GM website, where the content of the guide for the whole of Croatia is available, and annually records as many as 2.5 million users and six million views," said Badurina Danielsson, noting that the print edition of Gault & Millau Croatia 2022 for the whole Croatia will be published on April 5, 2022.

Gault & Millau was launched in 1965 in France, and today the guide is published in about twenty countries. The yellow labels guarantee quality as GM's motto is "luxury is in quality, not price".

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

Friday, 5 March 2021

Zagreb County Grants HRK 70,000 to Enhance Accommodation

March 5, 2021 - To help tourism entrepreneurs add value to their facilities, Zagreb County grants HRK 70,000 to enhance accommodation in the area.

Jutarnji List reports that the coronavirus pandemic changed the habits of travel enthusiasts last year. Departures to other countries were very limited and, in some cases, almost impossible, which is why tourists explored their own country instead. This trend has not bypassed Croatia either, where domestic guests have replaced foreign tourists. They know this well in Zagreb County, which last year launched two campaigns - "Holidays Closer than Ever Before" and "Around Zagreb" to attract locals. The mentioned actions certainly paid off because there was an 11 percent increase in domestic guests at accommodation facilities. Ivana Alilović, director of the Zagreb County Tourist Board, states that this trend will have an upward trajectory this year.

"People's habits have changed and staying in nature, excursions, and escaping from mass tourism will surely mark this year as well. According to indicators of sales platforms in tourism, 60 to almost 80 percent of guests are ready to go on vacation as soon as the epidemic situation allows it, which shows an unquenchable hunger for travel. A stronger opening is expected, however, only in the second quarter of 2021, and this strengthens our assessment of the reorientation of our activities to domestic tourism," says Alilović and states that Zagreb County will certainly remain the most attractive weekend destination in Croatia.

That the trend of domestic excursions will continue is also shown by the research of the tourist platform Booking.com, which last year conducted a survey among travelers from 28 countries (including Croatia) about the future of travel. According to their data, 55 percent of travelers from Croatia will continue to plan travel within their own country soon. Half of the respondents said they plan to explore a new destination within their region.

These data indicate a further growth in local travel, which means that domestic renters will have to fight for their share of domicile tourists. Namely, the research conducted by National Geographic last year on the impact of the pandemic on tourism shows that travelers will increasingly insist on a responsible way of traveling and health and environmental protection and at the same time choose destinations more carefully depending on quality. That is why domestic renters and tourist facilities must adapt to the new mindset of tourists.

"New times require a personalized, honest, and thorough approach to the guest who wants to experience the local community authentically based on experience. The focus is also on sustainable coexistence with local communities, nature, culture, and the history of these areas," says Alilović.

The Zagreb County Tourist Board director also points out that the interest in holiday homes is constantly growing, and that is why it is necessary to raise the quality of accommodation and strengthen the content. To help its renters, Zagreb County has announced a tender worth one million kuna for entrepreneurs in tourism.

"The pandemic will pass, tourists will come again, and that is why we support entrepreneurs in adding value to their accommodation facilities. Tourism in Zagreb County has great potential, and in addition to new hotels, there are more and more rural holiday homes that have proven to be a complete success," said Prefect Stjepan Kožić.

The tender is open until April 1 this year, and the beneficiaries can be family farms, companies, institutions, cooperatives and crafts, and small businesses engaged in tourism who want to increase the standard and quality of service and offer in existing hotels, camps, and other catering facilities. Grants are awarded for renovating and equipping accommodation units and developing and improving additional facilities such as swimming pools, wellness, and other recreational, sports, and entertainment facilities. Costs related to works, equipment, and services for the applied project can be co-financed. The maximum amount of support that an individual beneficiary can receive is up to HRK 70,000 or up to 60 percent of eligible costs. It is important to point out that the investment must be at least HRK 75,000. 

The public call, instructions for applicants, and the application form can be found here, and more information can be obtained at the phone number 01 / 6009-425 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Thursday, 10 September 2020

VIDEO: Zagreb and Zagreb County Developing Tourism with Destination Campaign

September 10, 2020 - Zagreb and Zagreb County are developing tourism with a new destination campaign and promotional video titled "Around Zagreb."

Two months ago, the Zagreb Tourist Board and the Zagreb County Tourist Board launched an excellent partnership, jointly promoting the capital and Zagreb's 'Green Ring' through a unique destination campaign under the slogan "Around Zagreb".

HRTurizam writes that as part of the destination campaign "Around Zagreb", a special promotional film was released that emphasizes greenery, staying in nature, recreation, and the rich cultural and gastronomic offer of the capital and Zagreb's green ring.

The producer of the film is Martina Milicevic, whose video "Zagreb Wine Story" / "Winetasting Path Home" won third place in the international video competition of the highest-circulation wine magazine Wine Spectator. It is a great step forward that the film was made in English with subtitles in Croatian, as well as that in the completed segments, the film's actors are foreign nationals, which cleverly and indirectly emphasizes that it is a modern and urban European city with more than interesting surroundings - and it wants to attract tourists from around the world. 

In the film, the narrator is again American Rob Reider, a five-time Emmy Award winner for his shows and music compositions, with whom TZGZ has already had a great collaboration in the film "Zagreb Loves You." 

"In the summer period of the campaign, notable results were achieved, so most visits to www.aroundzagreb.hr came from Croatia (40%), but also from the market where the campaign was conducted - from Slovenia (35%) and Austria, Germany, and BIH (25%). It is interesting to note that we are also recording the interest of Americans, although no special promotion has been done in this market. This certainly shows that the topics of nature and outdoor activities and active tourism are obviously of interest to the US market and represent a kind of guideline for future activities," says the Zagreb Tourist Board.

The joint campaign "Close to the city, Close to the heart" was created to create a year-round platform to promote the rich offer of the capital and its surroundings. In this sense, it is planned to address important markets throughout the year, and now represents an attractive autumn offer of Zagreb and its ring.

Explore the entire tourist story of Zagreb and Zagreb County at www.aroundzagreb.hr.

This is an interesting web presentation of the tourist offer, which consists of a simple and modern web solution, with ideas for excursions, calendar of events, gastronomy, ideas for excursions, and stories about what to do for three days… and all, of course, in several languages. There is also the Around Zagreb video series, which brings various stories about tourist facilities in Zagreb and Zagreb County and gives a personal note and extra motive for experiencing Zagreb County. 

This is a win-win, both for Zagreb and for Zagreb County. After all, tourists, like tourism, do not know our invisible borders of municipalities, cities, and counties.

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Wednesday, 1 April 2020

Experience Zagreb County Virtually at Home with Online Tour

April 1, 2020 - Don't let your four walls keep you from experiencing the beauty in Croatia all around you. Take a virtual tour of Zagreb County!

At a time when self-isolation is needed, most of us have resorted to our trusty screens - and virtual walks have become a real hit.

While we’ve already told you all about virtual Croatian museums, did you know you could visit destinations virtually, too? In addition to panoramic cameras, some destinations, such as Zagreb County, also offer a virtual walk through the destination via social networks, reports HRTurizam.

In order to stay in touch with what awaits us and what we can look forward to after self-isolation comes to an end, the Zagreb County Tourist Board is promoting a virtual “experience” of its destinations and museums with the hashtag #TravelVirtually, #ostanidoma and #ExploreZagrebCountyOnline.

Thus, you can virtually walk through the municipalities and all nine cities in the county, as well as virtually visit all the museums in the Zagreb County area.

"Virtual walks have been around for a long time, and in these moments, they give us the safest path out of the isolation that has plagued us. Through a virtual walk, guests can see the attractions of Zagreb County through natural, historical, cultural and gastronomic sights from the comfort of their own home,” points out Ivana Alilović, director of the Zagreb County Tourist Board. Alilović added that this is an opportunity for those who may have never seen the beauties of the green Zagreb ring and, therefore, suggests that guests visit it all virtually.

You can see the virtual walkthrough Zagreb County here, while you can visit the virtual museums here.

Furthermore, it is great content for all accommodation and service providers in Zagreb County.

While it is not the best time to talk about tourism, it does not mean that you do not need to communicate. Under the mantra "Don't cancel your trip but postpone it”, or but telling travelers to explore their future trip, all tourism professionals can use this content to communicate on their social networks.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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