October 2, 2021 - International recognition for popular Croatian business portal, HRTurizam.hr and the Croatian Institute for Tourism for their work in innovative tourism policy.
Some well-deserved recognition for our colleagues at busines to business tourism portal HRTurizam.hr, which was one of two Croatian names included in the Apolitical global list of the top 75 most innovative organisations in tourism policy, a list which was published earlier this week. In addition to the hard work of HRTurizam.hr owner and editor Goran Rihelj, the Croatian Institute of Tourism was also included.
Apolitical explained more about the criteria to make the list:
"The organisations recognised on this list are public agencies or non-governmental organisations who use policy, programmes, and projects to build creative solutions to challenges. Often these agencies implement solutions that make it easier for governments to leverage private sector speed, technology, scale, and efficiency to accelerate outcomes.
"Most importantly, these agencies demonstrate industry leadership, innovate new approaches, and utilise technology and digitisation to create more accessible and equitable tourism communities in one of three primary areas:
- Planning for industry recovery during and after the pandemic, including through public health efforts, testing, technology, and other initiatives.
- Driving long-term sustainable investment that helps maximise economic justice and financial inclusion for tourism communities.
- Improving destination management through implementation of best practices and governance models, particularly by integrating and respecting global cultures and minimising environmental impact.
"The list was released in partnership with Mastercard and the United Nations World Tourism Organization during UNWTO’s celebration of Global Tourism Day on 27 September 2021."
Here is what they had to say about HRTurizam.hr:
HrTurizam is the most read business-to-business tourist portal in Croatia. HrTurizam monitors the Croatian tourism sector on a daily basis and actively works on connecting the public and private sectors with the aim of market development, synergy, and positive change. Over 5 years, under the leadership of editor and owner Goran Rihelj, HrTurizam has published over 8,000 professional articles on Croatian tourism. Since 2020, they have been a useful portal for tourism workers, providing all relevant data and news related to COVID-19 and tourism. HrTurizam is also the instigator of various tourism initiatives, such as the “The days of Croatian tourism” and the new tourism stories site.
And the Institution for Tourism:
The Institute for Tourism is the only scientific public institute in Croatia specialising in research and consultancy services in tourism. Its expertise is founded upon scientific work, permanent research activities, and the continuous education of its multidisciplinary team. The Institute for Tourism works together with tourism industry players with whom it shares a common goal, which is to achieve a higher level of competitiveness for Croatian tourism. The Institute carries out work that supports sustainable tourism development and management, including research planning, library publishing, and administration of the Scientific Council Management Board. Specialists, such as Research Associate Izidora Marković, serve as subject matter experts for a wide range of topics, including the impacts of tourism on protected areas, development of indicators, and the Croatian Sustainable Tourism Observatory (CROSTO).
Asked to comment on the award, Rihelj had this to say:
"Being among the best in the world is a great honor and privilege, but also an obligation. I would like to thank the professional public, as well as the organizers, who have just included the HrTurizam.hr portal on the list of the world's most innovative organizations in tourism policy 2021. In our tourism there are various challenges in the field, from extending the tourist season, sustainable and strategic development of tourist destinations, the workforce, lack of cooperation and synergies, etc.… But one of the main problems is that we do not have quality dialogue and communication between the private and public sectors. The question is: will we continue to talk for years about the potential and the need for change or will we all move together and we will be that change and it is this potential that has been turned into quality resources? But in order to turn these potentials into resources, I need to start proactively engaging in market development and growth. There must be dialogue and common communication and consensus on common themes and challenges. Our main focus must be on constructive open dialogue, solutions and synergy and cooperation. On that trail was the DayOne concept we were preparing, which unfortunately had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
You can see the complete list of 75 organisations on the official Apolitical website.
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