“Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag has put Croatia, Istria and Umag on the global map. This powerful brand symbolises precisely the values promoted by the Istria Tourist Board: keeping pace with the global lifestyle and changes, innovation, gastronomy and quality. Not everyone can stay competitive in today's circumstances and keep the top level of organization for thirty years in a row. This is why the award is so well deserved and I applaud all those who have contributed to the event's realization,” said the Istria Tourist Board director Denis Ivošević.
On behalf of Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, director of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag Executive Committee Arlen Brozić, Umag Mayor Vili Bassanese and director of the Umag Tourist Board Milovan Popović accepted the award.
“We are truly honored to have received this award. From the very start, ATP Umag has been contributing to the development of Croatian tennis and to the promotion of the country's tourism. In the past 30 years, it has reaffirmed its role as a great promoter of sports, Umag, Istria and Croatia. With ten days of tennis matches, music and gourmet events, ATP Umag has become a successful tourism story broadcast in as many as 100 countries worldwide", said Arlen Brozić, the director of the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag Executive Committee.
Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag has earned the title of the most significant international sporting event in Croatia, adding great value to the tourism offer of Umag, Istria and Croatia. For the past 30 years, it has been turning Umag into a center of top tennis, great exhibition matches, immense fun and exquisite cuisine, granting its visitors a memorable experience. Ongoing investments into the quality and diversity of programs have helped attract more and more visitors from all over the world, drawing increasing interest from global and local media.
On this occasion, Umag Mayor Vili Bassanese said: “The Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag tournament is indeed one of the icons of our town. It promotes professional sports, great entertainment and a globally recognised gourmet offer – the key ‘ingredients’ for the perfect recipe offered by our beautiful Umag. This year has been exceptionally important for Umag. In 2018, it won the European Town of Sport title, and this year it hosted the 30th edition of the renowned tennis spectacle. It is a great privilege for me, as the Mayor of Umag, to see ATP Croatia Open promoting both our town and Croatia as great tourist and sports destinations. The praiseworthy Zlatna koza Award that we have received only proves that we are on the right path and are getting better each year.”
Milovan Popović, director of the Umag Tourist Board said: “ATP Umag has welcomed the world's top-ranking tennis players for as many as 30 years. They have greatly contributed to the town's tourism promotion worldwide, so it is only fair to view them as our ambassadors. Nearly 500 local, regional and international journalists stay in Umag for more than ten days throughout the event, broadcasting the news on a daily basis. Owing to the tournament, Umag and Istria have been ranked among the remarkable sports, holiday and entertainment destinations for the past 30 years.”
