According to the evaluations of thousands of sailors and Nautical Sail readers, ACI d.d., the largest chain of marinas in the Mediterranean, won three awards for ACI marinas Rovinj, Split and Cres
In the ACI Marina Cres, a ceremony was held to award the Nautical Sail Award for 2024, which again gathered representatives of the best Croatian marinas, and this year the award for the best destinations in Croatia was awarded as part of the newly designed “Top Destination” category. The ceremony was attended by guests of honor, Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, Marina Medarić, Deputy Prefect of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, Marin Gregorović, Mayor of the City of Cres, Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Željka Stašić, Director of the Tourist Board of the City of Cres with hosts Kristijan Pavić, President of the Management Board of ACI d.d. and Alan Šepuka, director of ACI marina Cres. Representatives of the best Croatian marinas were presented with prestigious awards on that occasion, based on a seasonal survey of the satisfaction of guests and readers of Jutarnji List.
Awarded to the best marinas and destinations with a focus on the future of nautical tourism through sustainability and quality
A large survey on the best marinas and destinations in Croatia was conducted in the period from July 15 to August 20, 2024. A total of 42,484 Nauticka jedro readers voted for the best marina and the best destination, while a total of 6,464 sailors and guests rated the marina and destination through a special survey. The gold award was won by Marina Punat, the silver by Marina Frapa Rogoznica, while the bronze was won by ACI marina Rovinj. According to readers’ votes, the award for the friendliest staff went to ACI Marina Cres, and for the wealth of content to ACI Marina Split. For this year, a new category “Top destination” was designed, for which surveys were also conducted, where Dubrovnik won the main prize, while Zadar and Mali Lošinj are in second and third place.
The awards were presented to the winners by the Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, Tonči Glavina, who said: “Today, we are recognized as one of the cleanest destinations with the cleanest, most beautiful and neatest sea. This is our current market position, which we really need to maintain, but we must be aware that we do not belong to a tourist destination of mass and lower added value, but quite the opposite. In the future, our focus should be on the quality of content, quality of service and finding a balance between tourism and the quality of life of the population.”
“Our goal is to work on the quality, sustainability and recognition of Croatia as a tourist destination that has its own level of quality, that is competitive and that cares about its sustainability. At the end of the year, our plan is to deeply analyze the season and take all activities and steps in terms of promoting nautical tourism as one of the tourism products that can make the biggest contribution in the pre- and post-season,” concluded Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian Tourist Board.
With valuable awards, ACI reaffirmed its position in the nautical industry
ACI d.d., the largest chain of marinas in the Mediterranean, is proud of another successful nautical season, and by winning prestigious awards, it has once again confirmed its position as a regional nautical leader. The third best marina in Croatia and an integral part of the beautiful view of the city of Rovinj, ACI Marina Rovinj has been recognized for its excellence, exclusivity, luxury, rich content and state-of-the-art technology for 34 years – features that continuously attract numerous local and foreign sailors. From the very beginning, it has been at the top of the Mediterranean nautical destinations, and with this award, it has once again confirmed its status as the most luxurious marina on the Adriatic. Also, the special award for the friendliest staff that went to ACI Marina Cres and for the wealth of content that went to ACI Marina Split are proof of continuous investment in infrastructure, quality and professional staff, which never goes unnoticed by guests and boaters.
During the awarding ceremony, the president of the ACI Management Board, Kristijan Pavić, addressed and congratulated all his colleagues on the successful results and thanked them for their joint contribution to the development of domestic nautical tourism. “As part of the Nautical Sail, Croatian nautical tourism, the beauty of our destinations and marinas, the commitment of our employees and the offer of nautical content are promoted, but we are also encouraged to continue to find new solutions in order to jointly build the Croatian tourism of the future. I would also like to emphasize that thanks to this cooperation, we have successfully supported numerous Croatian athletes with whom ACI cooperates under the motto “The best with the best”. We communicated important topics such as ecology, i.e. the preservation of the noble feather, but also gender equality in the nautical industry”, he said.
After the awards ceremony, the director of ACI Marina Cres, Alan Šepuka, took all those present on a tour of the marina, showing them the numerous facilities that the marina offers; starting with a fitness center and sauna, catering and other service activities up to 9 newly renovated apartments. In the end, Danijel Brnić, the creator of the Morska škovacera* project, demonstrated this innovative device that collects up to 1.5 kilograms of waste per day.
* Equipment purchase co-financed by the European Union from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
Photos: Damir Škomrlj/CROPIX
