13. April 2024.

From April 10 to 12, 2024, the 24th edition of the PUT Tourism Exchange was held in Biograd na Moru, hosted by the Biograd Tourist Board. This event is one of the most prominent tourism gatherings in Croatia and is held each year in a different destination. Organized by the PUT Tourism Exchange in cooperation with the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA), the event brings together professionals from travel agencies, hospitality, tourist boards, and other tourism-related sectors, aiming to present innovations and updates in tourism offers.

One of the indicators of the significance of this event is the growing number of participants – this year saw over 200 attendees, including 120 representatives of tourism entities from Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. The event also includes the annual Simply the Best award for innovation and creativity in tourism, jointly presented by UHPA, the PUT Tourism Exchange, and the magazine Way to Croatia. The award has been presented annually since 2010 and is open to entries from all sectors of tourism – including local governments, travel agencies, and tourist boards.

The Tourist Board of the City of Novi Vinodolski received this award last year for the Ružica Vinodola festival in the tradition category and this year presented the destination again to participants of the event.

As part of the PUT Tourism Exchange, a B2B (Business to Business) workshop was held on Thursday, April 11. B2B represents a method of selling or presenting services between companies, and Novi Vinodolski was presented by Tena Peričić, Director of the Tourist Board of Novi Vinodolski, to numerous representatives from tourist boards, media, agencies, and businesses.

The destination was showcased with local souvenirs – Glagolitic script inscriptions, handmade crafts from Drveni val, and the Ružica Vinodola doll – as well as local products such as dried figs, fig brandy, and the native žlahtina wine from Pavlomir Winery. Numerous brochures from the Tourist Board, illustrating what can be experienced in the destination, were also available.

Among others, travel agencies from neighboring countries attending the workshop included AŽ – Svetona Potovanja from Slovenia, Biuna Tours from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kofer Agency from Hungary, Mediteran Travel from the Czech Republic, Slovak Travel Service from Slovakia, and others. In addition to travel agencies, many international travel media were present: GTV – Gorenjska Televizija and Objemi Hrvaško from Slovenia, Dimenzie from Slovakia, and Turistička Prizma from Serbia. Director Peričić gave interviews, reconnected with media partners, and established new collaborations with agencies and media outlets.