ZAGREB, Sept 19 Sept, 2021 - The municipalities of Kaštelir-Labinci, Motovun and Veliko Trojstvo are the Croatian nominees for the "Best Tourism Villages" award, launched in May this year by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) as a pilot-project designed to promote the role of rural tourism.

As part of the project, UNWTO members could nominate up to three candidates - villages or municipalities that are initiators of sustainable social, economic and environmental changes in the member countries.

Kaštelir-Labinci and Motovun are municipalities in Istria County and Veliko Trojstvo is a municipality in Bjelovar-Bilogora County.

The UNWTO initiative includes three pillars and two awards. Villages that are exceptional examples of rural tourism destinations and are committed to sustainability in all its forms - economic, social and environmental - will be given "Best Tourism Villages" awards.

Villages that do not fully meet the criteria for this award will be provided with support from the UNWTO and its partners to work on problematic areas.

Also, a network of the best UNWTO tourism villages will be created to provide a platform for the exchange of experience and good practices, learning and creation of new development opportunities.

The purpose of the UNWTO initiative is to strengthen the role of tourism as a positive force for transformation, rural development and community well-being in an effort to reduce regional inequalities and fight depopulation of rural areas.

The winners of the UNWTO awards will be announced during the 24th UNWTO General Assembly session, to be held in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 30 November-3 December.

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ZAGREB, 4 June 2021 - Croatia has been elected Member of the Executive Council of the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) for 2021-2025 at a meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe, and Tourism and Sports Minister Nikola Brnjac said that confirmed Croatia's value as a destination and leader in tourism development.

The meeting of the UNWTO Commission for Europe was held this week in Athens, with Minister Brnjac attending, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said on Friday, adding that the minister expressed pride that Croatia had been elected Member of the UNWTO Executive Council.

"Through the work in the UNWTO Executive Council we will continue to promote sustainable tourism development, protection and valorisation of cultural and natural heritage, digital transformation and, above all, greater added value of tourism for local communities," Brnjac said.

In Athens, the UNWTO Commission for Europe discussed topics important for the recovery and relaunch of tourism during and after the pandemic, with emphasis on sustainable development and the fact that tourism is important for the economic recovery of many countries.

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April 24, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board is involved in a campaign launched by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to promote gastronomy as an essential part of tourism and the overall tourist offer.

HRTurizam writes that the gastronomic project is part of the #TravelTomorrow campaign that seeks to highlight the fundamental and enduring value of tourism, including the culinary heritage of UNWTO member countries.

As part of the project, each country will highlight its most famous national dish, which will be promoted through UNWTO's official website through video material, photos and original recipes. The richness and diversity of Croatian gastronomy will be presented through Zagorje strudel, a traditional specialty of Croatian Zagorje.

In Croatia's video campaign, the process of making Zagorje strukli or struklji is presented, whose popularity has spread from the Croatian Zagorje to other parts of Croatia. Today, it is one of the trademarks of Croatian gastronomy.

At a time when the coronavirus pandemic has hit the tourism sector, the UNWTO aims to show how culinary heritage gives people a strong sense of belonging and brings a touch of local flavors to their homes to keep the dream of future travel alive.

Hrvatska Puna okusa - Štrukli from Croatia Full Of Life on Vimeo.

Croatia is also part of WTTC and ETC promotional campaigns

The Croatian National Tourist Board will also join the #TogetherInTravel World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), a global tourism authority representing the private sector and destinations in all parts of the world.

The goal of this campaign is to highlight the importance of tourism worldwide by encouraging interaction by sharing promotional material in the form of videos and photos with the common tag #TogetherInTravel. Also, as pointed out by the CNTB, in addition to several European tourist organizations, they are participating in a significant promotional project, being supported by the European Travel Commission (ETC), through the promotion of several types of tourism products such as nature and outdoors, and creative cities, history and cultural heritage.

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