Representatives of media, agents, and influencers from Serbia were hosted with visits to the wine fair “WineRi” and the maritime heritage festival “Fiumare” in Rijeka, as well as tours of Opatija, Novi Vinodolski, Vrbnik, Selce, and Crikvenica.

This group stayed on the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera on May 30th and 31st. On the first day, they traveled from Rijeka to Novi Vinodolski and visited the “Pavlomir” winery, where they were welcomed by the Director of the Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board, Tena Peričić. She presented the tourist offer of Novi Vinodolski, the area where the winery is located, and then handed the group over to the host Miroslav Palinkaš. The owner of the winery shared the history of vine planting in this wine valley, followed by a tasting of sparkling wines, wines, and distillates from the “Pavlomir” wine house. In addition to tasting, visitors toured the winery cellar, discussed production methods of sparkling wines and wines, and explored the assortment.

From the winery, they took a tourist train to the Novi Vinodolski harbor and continued exploring the area by boat. They enjoyed a sea view of Novi Vinodolski and then headed to Vrbnik for further tastings and to discover Vrbnik’s wine offer.

“I’m glad to welcome study groups who get to know our region’s offer this way and promote it through their posts, word of mouth, and personal experiences on the destination. Our winery was visited by sommeliers, agents, and influencers who have great impact in their communities, and their voice means a lot in promotion. I believe their stay in Novi Vinodolski will remain a pleasant memory,” said Director Tena Peričić.

On the Crikvenica Riviera, they visited the Eco Village Selce and learned about wine production. Oenologist Nataša Vidović introduced them to all the wine varieties they had the chance to taste, particularly enjoying Žlahtina, Sansigot, and a surprise – Sansigot rosé. During the tour, they were fascinated by fields of lavender, immortelle, chamomile, and other herbs, along with olive trees and of course grapevines. They especially liked this location outside the settlement with a beautiful view of the whole Kvarner, but also learned that strong bora winds prevent organized vineyard irrigation here. The tour continued with a presentation of tourism offers, hotel, camping, and family accommodation, with special emphasis on gastronomy. For that reason, a fine dining lunch was organized at the Boutique Hotel Esplanade, where they were welcomed by Director Alin Harambašić.

“The Serbian market is very important to us, and we gladly took the opportunity to show and bring our offer closer. We are aware of many other Mediterranean destinations, but excellent land connections and soon also direct flights from Belgrade to Rijeka Airport make a great basis for increasing tourist traffic,” said Marijana Biondić, Director of the Crikvenica Tourist Board.

During conversations, there was a strong attachment to the wider Rijeka area, i.e., Kvarner as a destination, and by extension the Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera thanks to beautiful beaches, diverse accommodation offers, countless opportunities for outdoor activities, and highly rated gastronomy. These tourism promoters’ positive impressions will surely contribute to further increasing the popularity of the Crikvenica-Vinodol area in Serbia, as they said: “You are the closest sea to us, and your hospitality showed us that we are truly welcome. All it takes is to get in the car and after a few hours of driving, enjoy the beautiful Crikvenica-Vinodol Riviera!”