The leading Croatian tourist company Valamar Riviera celebrated 70 years of successful business

On Thursday, the leading Croatian tourism company Valamar Riviera celebrated an important jubilee and commemorated 70 years of successful business.

During 70 years of business, Valamar Riviera strongly shaped the development of tourism and became a leader of economic and social development in the most successful tourist destinations in Croatia. In its beginnings, in 1953, the then Riviera Poreč managed only about two hundred beds and about twenty employees. Today, Valamar employs more than 8.000 employees in 37 hotels and resorts and 15 campsites along the Adriatic coast, and in the last five years, the business has expanded to include winter tourism in Austria.

Valamar is the largest investor in Croatian tourism, having invested more than one billion euros in the last twenty years, which strongly repositioned the portfolio towards high-quality and added-value tourism. For the last seven years, Valamar has been recognized as the best employer in tourism in Croatia, and this year alone, an additional 25 million euros were invested in employee salaries and rewards.

Investments in socially responsible business account for 3 to 5% of annual income with an emphasis on employee development, student scholarships, investments in tourist infrastructure such as walkways, bicycle paths, playgrounds and beaches, support for cultural and sports destination events and numerous initiatives aimed at raising the quality of life in local communities. Valamar is the winner of numerous awards for environmental protection and energy transition and is recognized at the European level as one of the climate leaders in the tourism industry.

"I congratulate Valamar Riviera on this great anniversary and thank you for the partnership in all our activities, which also follow the strategic guidelines of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. This primarily refers to the quality of the offer and the focus on the development of sustainable tourism, for which Valamar Riviera has already received numerous international awards , but he is also the first winner of the special recognition Croatia, naturally yours, which the Ministry of Tourism and Sports awards for special achievements in the application of the principles of sustainability in Croatian tourism. With their offer, work and activities, they contribute to the competitiveness of our tourism and to Croatia as a desirable tourist destination.", she commented during the anniversary celebration Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac.

For many years, Valamar has placed special emphasis on business localization. In this year alone, 78% of food and beverages were purchased in Croatia and 83% of domestic employees were employed. Among the most important activities this year are the construction of a kindergarten in Poreč, which increased the local kindergarten capacity by 100 places, and the donation of healthy, local Valfresco lunches to the Matija Vlačić Elementary School and the Liča Faragun Center in Labin during one school year.

"For Valamar, this was a year of business stabilization. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to Valamar Riviera becoming a leading tourist company in Croatia. In the coming period, with the support of local communities, our partners and stakeholders, we will continue with the sustainable development of tourism and we readily assume responsibility for 70 years of creation", He said Željko Kukurin, President of the Management Board of Valamar.

In order to thank its employees and all residents of Poreč and Istria, Valamar organized a rich and fun birthday program as part of Poreč's Advent. The youngest visitors had fun at the popular "Princess Ball" and numerous creative workshops. The real sensation was Santa Claus, with whom the children hung out and took photos throughout the afternoon, and in the evening, the group Cambi, Marko Tolja, Nina Badrić and Techno Vikings performed on Matija Gupca Square in Poreč. Also, in recent days, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the company and the holiday of St. Nikola, Valamar cheered up 611 children from Poreč district kindergartens and Radost Kindergarten with gifts.

"During the seven decades of its existence, Valamar developed, expanded and tried to achieve more and more in the segment of tourist infrastructure and offers, and as the largest investor in Croatian tourism, made a great contribution to the recognition of Istria and Croatia on the tourist map of the world. The standard and quality achieved, continuous investments, innovations and investment in human resources is what makes Valamar a successful company and a desirable employer", the prefect of Istria County pointed out Boris Miletić.

As part of the commemoration of the company's 70th anniversary, a traditional annual gathering was organized, in which the best employees, hotels, resorts and camping resorts were awarded. The best camping resort was declared Istra Premium Camping Resort 5* by Valamar, which this year was also declared camp of the year at the Days of Croatian Tourism. Valamar Meteor Hotel 4* in Makarska won the award for the best Valamar hotel this year, while the best results in the Valamar Collection brand were achieved by Marea Valamar Collection Suites 5*. The newly opened Obertauern [PLACESHOTEL] in Austria was declared the best product development in 2023, while Valamar is the Innovation of the Year Maro World in Dubrovnik, the largest family entertainment center on the Adriatic. Every year, Valamar also awards special awards to jubilarians, employees whose 2023 is the jubilee year of work in the company. This year, more than 200 employees celebrated their jubilee anniversaries, while as many as 25 of them celebrated 40 years of work in Valamar.