The Travel Writing Awards “Marko Polo – famous travel writer” were held on 13th of December (Thursday), organised by FIJET Croatia (Fédération Internationale des Journalistes et Ecrivains du Tourisme) and co-organised by the Croatian Journalism Society’s Tourism Journalists Assembly at the Journalism Home in Zagreb.

This was the 8^th edition of awards for travel writers – for domestic journalists for travel articles about Croatia, a special award for a reportage on Zagreb, and for an international journalist and FIJET member for the best reportage on Russia, host nation of the FIJET congress in 2017.

The intention is to award and entice domestic journalist to write travel articles, stories of Croatian regions, people, customs and traditions, to be used by tourism professionals as an incentive for new content, tourism offer or as motivation for tourists and media promotion of new tourism products and content.

The goal is to affirm this specific form of journalism, develop tourism through interesting stories, myths, legends of certain tourism destinations which will attract tourists.

There also exists a desire to entice journalists to focus more on discovering their own country, especially small, undiscovered and interesting destinations, affirming domestic values. Croatia is a small country with many particularities, and a rarity in the world with so much diversity in such a small area.

By commending travel stories and reportage, the organisers wish to embolden local media to give them more space and grow the promotion to a movement developing domestic tourism. The award also has a humane dimension – the enticement and positive sensation for the values and people of Croatia.

The organisers are certain this award, named after the world’s first travel writer Marco Polo, besides making this specific journalism form more popular, will contribute for the new generations of tourism journalists to use their journalistic work as a contribution to the founding idea of this award – confirming what Croatia can offer the world in terms of tourism.

International guests and journalists present at the awards were FIJET President Mr.Tijani Haddad from Tunisia  and Deputy President of the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation,, members of FIJET executive board from Belgium,Bosnia and Herzegovina, France,Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkey,and Croatia, as well as representatives of national FIJET and International  Tourism Film Festival as a partner of Fijet.

The award for international journalists who published reportages on Tunisia, the host of Fijet Congress held in  2017  went to Belgium  Editor in Chief and Journalist, GILBERT MENNE for his reportages published in the digital magazine for tourism „Travlleing News“ distributd to all tourism professionals in Belgium.

The first prize Marko Polo for domestic best reposrtages was shared by Ashley and  Boris Ljubicic.

Ashley was awarded for her serial of torusim reportages, photo serial and  and films from Croatia.

Boris Ljubicic a famous croatian dezigne is author of vizual identity for all promotional tourism reportages, films and official prromotive films publisheed in 2018 with more than several millions readers or TV viewers.

The Grand PrixMarco Polo  for the best promotiional tourism magazines went to Inflight Magazine of Croatia Airlines and Ksenija Zlof, as Editor in Chief, and for the Magazine of Zagreb „Zagreb - My City“ publishe by the owner and editor Ms. Biserka Rajkovic Salata.

The special  award for domestic reportageS went to  journalists as follows:

BOZICA BRKAN, DAVORKA VUKOV COLIC, ZELJKA KUNSTEK, KRESIMIR STANCIC, MARIJA BARIC,NIVES MATIJEVIC AND ZRINKA KRISTO.

Special recognitions  for extraordinary contribution to travel journalism  went  to Radio and TV Stations, as follows:

RADIO KAJ, RADIO SLJEME, LICE TURIZMA (TOURISM LACE), NOVA TV, TV SHOW PLODOVI ZEMLJE „

Special recognitaions for extra ordinary contribution  to travel journalism of Croatia went to Journalist and authors of books:

NIKSA BENDER, KSENIJA ZLOF AND IVAN DODIG  AND  FIJET  HOTEL PARTNER HOTEL PARK LEADED BY DIRECTOR JOZE TOMAS.

Thanks to  all partners and sponzors of  Fijet Activities and Marco Polo Project went to:

BLAZENKO BOBAN, COUNTY MAYOR OF COUNTY SPLITSKO DALMATINSKA,DALIBOR NINCEVIC,  CITY MAYOR OF THE CITY SOLIN, AND JELENA STUPALO, DIRECTOR  OF TOURIST OFFICE SOLIN:

Round Table was organized by Institute of tourism of Croatia. Lecturer dr.sc DAMIR KRESIC, Director

On behalf of   Fijet, Fijet Croatia  and Croatian Journalistes Assoociation congratulations to

awarded journalists, media hoses and partner.