ACI Marina Šimuni has been awarded the 2025 Bronze Nautical Sail, ACI Marina Palmižana has received the Friendliest Staff award, and ACI Marina Pomer is this year’s Shiniest Marina

The hotel Hyatt Regency Zadar Maraska hosted the award-giving ceremony for the 2025 Nautical Sail – one of the best-known projects in the Croatian nautical sector – gathering representatives of major marinas, institutions and boating professionals from all around Croatia. This year’s edition of the project was organised under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport and the Croatian National Tourist Board, and the award-giving ceremony was attended by many honoured guests, among which were Monika Udovičić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, Šime Erlić, Mayor of Zadar, Josip Bilaver, Zadar County Prefect and Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, whose attendance and speeches made this important occasion even grander. The representatives of the best Croatian marinas received the prestigious awards, which were based on the survey of the opinions of marina guests’ and Jutarnji List readers’, carried out in the high season.

Quality and sustainability are the key to the continued development of Croatian tourism

The epilogue of this year’s Nautical Sail is the result of a comprehensive survey carried out from 15 July to 20 August, with over 24,000 readers and 4,499 boaters giving their opinion on the quality of Croatian marinas. Based on readers’ votes, the best marina award was given to D-Marin Borik, the Silver Nautical Sail was awarded to Marina Punat, while ACI Marina Šimuni received the bronze one. Special awards were also given based on readers’ votes – ACI Marina Palmižana received the Friendliest Staff Award, while ACI Marina Pomer was voted the Shiniest Marina of 2025.

In her speech, State Secretary Monika Udovičić stressed the importance of maintaining high standards and long-term planning in tourism. “This year, as well, we are witnesses to extraordinary results the Croatian tourism has achieved, but what is really important is not just the number of tourists or overnight stays. Croatia is a wonderful and safe destination, but we have to be aware of challenges we face in order to maintain our competitiveness in the long run. The guests of today assess destination based on the price and quality ratio, and this is an area where we can and have to be better,” said Udovičić.

Although challenging, 2025 was a record year in tourism

Kristjan Staničić, the director of the Croatian Tourist Board, highlighted this year’s tourism results, emphasising the role of boating in the total tourist product. “This tourist year was challenging and unpredictable, yet, at the same time, also the most successful one in the history of Croatian tourism. We have surpassed 109 million overnight stays and 19 million arrivals, which, when financial indicators are brought into the equation, means significant revenue, confirming the strength of our sector. Boating best shows what Croatia means in tourism today: the value of space, natural beauty and cultural heritage. We are faced with the new tourist year, which we know will be very demanding, and we have to focus on the quality of service, sustainable development and adaptability to new trends,” said Staničić.

The Mayor of Zadar, Šime Erlić, brought in the local perspective, saying that Zadar is an ideal boating destination thanks to the indented coastline, the islands’ developed infrastructure and the deep-rooted tradition of boating. In addition, the Zadar County Prefect, Josip Bilaver, stressed the importance of the charter fleet for the Croatian tourism since about 50 percent of it is precisely in Croatia, adding: “On the one hand, this is extremely pleasing, but, on the other, it is also a great responsibility because we have to keep taking care of this segment of tourism. Our competitors and the ones that are planning to enter the charter industry in the Mediterranean are bound to watch what we do and try to take a piece of the market. That is why we have to be cautious and responsible – to develop the sector, invest in sustainable development, keep increasing the quality of our offering, and also carefully manage the prices in order to stay competitive and keep the sustainability of the market in the long term.”

The award ceremony was followed by a reception, which was also an opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss further possibilities for developing the boating sector in Croatia. The organisers stressed that, over the years, the Nautical Sail has grown into a platform that encourages the continuous increase in the quality of services, giving awards to marinas that, in the course of their operation, contribute to Croatia being recognised as one of the leading boating destinations in the Mediterranean. The awards given to ACI marinas confirm the continuous increase in quality and the important role that the national boating chain has in positioning Croatia as the leading boating destination in the entire Mediterranean.