Lonely Planet - Best in Europe 2019

Lonely Planet as one of the most popular travel web site and guide publisher is a favourite source of content for many world travellers. For the seventh year in a row the renowned publisher has listed ten priority tourism destinations in Europe that should be in focus of the world travellers and Istria is in elite company gaining this year a prestigious acknowledgement Best in Europe 2019.

The Best in Europe 2019 list is made by Lonely Planet travel experts who have been travelling each corner of the world enjoying many interesting experiences that can be found on our planet, for almost 45 years. They shared with their readers useful advices about where are the actual 'focus points' on the continent – from the destinations that offer new specific experiences to the places that should still be discovered, till the everlasting favourite destinations that have always something new to offer.

One of the travel experts of the leading world travel publisher, speaking about Istria, stated the following:  „Whether it’s the heart-shaped peninsula’s limestone coastline, majestic monuments or fondness for fine food (and wine!), there’s a touch of the regal about Istria. Today, thanks to the expanding European flight connections the access to the Istrian peninsula is even easier. Start with the history (you can visit the magnificent Roman amphitheatre in Pula and the UNESCO listed mosaics in Poreč) and continue with visiting some of the beaches (Mulini beach for the ambiance or Galebove stijene beach for privacy) and crown it with some modern additions: spring gourmet and cycle tours, music festivals in summer and truffle- hunting excursion in fall.“

The chief editor of Lonely Planet, Tom Hall, stated: „ Best in Europe 2019 shows European destinations that are worth visiting: from the cultural city-breaks to the impressive landscapes, attractive gourmet destinations and best places to avoid crowds, there are plenty of experiences made for enjoying all over Europe, right now.“ Relating to this prestigious acknowledgement to Istria, he added the following: „Istria has a famous gourmet offer (including white truffles and wild asparagus) as well as historical charm. While famous riviera is full of tourists during summer months, you can always visit the hinterland and discover the middle age hilltop towns as well as enjoy the vineyards and picturesque olive groves.”

More on the link: www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-europe

Tourist Board of Istria

In the last few years Tourist Board of Istria has made an enormous effort relating to PR activities which resulted as a very good investment. As a matter of fact Istria has, thanks to numerous articles of the journalists who stayed in Istria, gained the priceless reputation (i.e. awards and aknowledgements) from the most influential world media: National Geographic Traveler, CNN, USA Today, Huffington Post, Fodor's travel intelligence, Reader's Digest, Wine Enthusiast and other.

The most important thing, when speaking about PR is the consistence in maintainng the good quality and service, as well as the innovation and creativity. The competition among the tourist destinations is stronger then ever before and that's why it is even a bigger honour and success for Istria to be among the TOP 10 according to some most influential publisher houser and opinion leaders, for the second or third time... (National Geographic Traveler, Huffington Post, Fodor's travel intelligence, Sherman travel).

The media coverage on annual basis surpasses the amount of 70 milion kunas. Istra as a tourist destination has been implementing a lot of innovation activities in PR strategy which additionally give higher media value to Istria, i.e. co-marketing and co-branding campaigns as well as Share Istria, the most important influencer marketing project on social media – which all together complete the image of Istria as a tourism destination.

„It's been a great honour to be listed in Lonely Planet. All travellers know very well what does that mean and the influence it has. This news could not arrive in a better moment before another tourist season and certainly Lonely Planet will additionaly motivate tourist to come to our region. Istria, has once again, proven to be world recognized brand, as a result of long term effort as well as a clear vision. We are immensely proud and we keep this value. This acknowledgememt will certainly be another incentive for new achievements and forthcoming sustainable development of our destination, Istria. I take this opportunity to give thanks to everybody who contributed to this joint success, to public and private sector.“, said the President of the Istrian region, Mr. Valter Flego.

Director of  the Istria Tourist board, Mr. Denis Ivošević stated: "The new acknowledgement that region of Istria gained is another confirmation that Istria with its investments, knowledge and organization, is capable to create new products and attractions each year, and it is able to raise the competitiveness of the entire region to a higher level, which apparently large media houses/ groups are noticing and honoring." The process of selecting the best destinations and travels includes team of experts and members of the Lonely Planet community, who, through a variety of strict criteria, choose the best of the best  in different categories. Istria was selected as one of the  Europe's 10 best destinations in 2019 for this summer. On the list are also:
1. High Tatras, Slowakia
2. Madrid, Spain
3. The Arctic Coast Way, Iceland
4. Hercegovina, Bosnia and Hercegovina
5. Bari, Italy
6. Shetland Islands, Scotland
7. Lyon, France
8. Lichtenstein
9. Vevey, Switzerland
10. Istria, Croatia