Bicycle race Tour of Croatia is one of the most important sporting events this year in Croatia, which confirms the interest of many famous cycling teams and the media that will transmit the image from Croatia to as many as six continents.The organizer of the race is the agency Top Sport Events, represented by Vladimir Miholjević, sports and technical director and Ivan Črnjarić, event and marketing director of the race. Following the example of a similar practice in major world bicycle races, they organized a ceremonial presentation of stages and teams for representatives of partners and the media.The Tour of Croatia is an event in which the sports arena is actually the whole of Croatia, the race is held over a thousand kilometers, includes 12 host cities and 10 counties, and the stages pass through more than a hundred different places. This is a real example of an event that will strengthen the tourist attractiveness of not only the destinations in which it will be held, but also the whole of Croatia. The effect it has on viewers when they see the beauties of Croatia from the air is best illustrated by the example of a Eurosport commentator who said during the broadcast of last year’s stage that he would be silent for a minute, and let the spectators just enjoy the incredible beauties of Plitvice Lakes. This is the main reason why the Croatian National Tourist Board is strongly involved in the project.Last year, we were able to witness wonderful staff from Croatia through this extremely valuable sporting event, said Minister of Tourism Anton Kliman and added “I am especially glad that this year the race will be further expanded to parts of Slavonia and Northern Croatia and that it will allow spectators around the world to see how beautiful the whole of Croatia really is. This event is also an opportunity to further strengthen our tourist attractiveness in the off-season and thus show that Croatia has much more to offer than just ‘sun and sea’. Therefore, I am extremely glad that the Ministry of Tourism can support the Tour of Croatia this year as well, and I welcome any project that makes Croatia a more interesting, richer and more competitive destination.”There will be two national parks on the route of the race – Plitvice Lakes National Park and Krka National Park, and footage from Osijek will also include Kopački rit. Also, there are nature parks – Učka, Velebit and Bikovo, then the canyon of Cetina, Risnjak and Medvednica, which will be a view of Zagreb as the final stage.Photos: KL-Photo.com”I can proudly say that the Croatian National Tourist Board strongly supports the international cycling race Tour of Croatia this year as well. After excellent last year’s results and indicators, we entered the organization of this year’s race with even greater interest and expectations. This year we are supporting the organization of the race with four million kuna since it is a mega event that will significantly contribute to the promotion of Croatian destinations in the world, and in addition to financial support we will support the whole project through our promotional and PR activities in our most important markets”, Said the director of the Main Office of the CNTB Ratomir Ivičić, adding that he is additionally pleased with the fact that an additional stage was introduced from Osijek to Varaždin, which expanded the race to a total of six stages.The race will be broadcast live by HRT and Eurosport, and every evening it will broadcast summaries with the most exciting moments from the stages. The TV broadcast will be broadcast by a number of television stations from as many as 6 continents – in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Africa and Australia – some of which will also broadcast the Tour live.”Eurosport wants to increase its importance at the local level and the Tour of Croatia is a great opportunity to recognize the potential of Croatia, a country with a rich sports tradition and world-renowned top athletes. We are glad that Eurosport, as an international “home of cycling”, will satisfy fans and admirers of this sport in 51 European countries by broadcasting the Tour of Croatia. In addition, we will share the best moments of the race directly with our fans on the Eurosport Croatia Facebook pageShe said Victoria Davies, Vice President and Country Manager for Discovery and Eurosport CEE.This year’s Tour of Croatia will take place from April 19 to 24 in a total of six stages. The beginning of the race and the city from which the race will start this year is Osijek, from which you drive via Koprivnica and Ludbreg to Varaždin. After those 230 kilometers, the entire organization moves to Plitvice Lakes, from where the cyclists head to Split the next morning. It is also the longest stage of this year’s race of 240 kilometers. The next day is the stage Makarska – Šibenik, which in addition to these two cities will provide television viewers to enjoy the view of Brela, Sinj, Tučepi, Podgora, Drvenik, Gradac, Primošten and Rogoznica. On Friday, April 22, the royal stage of the race Crikvenica – Vojak on Učka is next, and the route will pass through Novi Vinodolski, Kraljevica and Rijeka. The spectacle is guaranteed, because when the race is over and the TV cameras turn towards Kvarner or Istria, it will be a view from the most beautiful balcony in the world. A novelty in this year’s race is the team time trial, which will be run for 40 kilometers between Poreč and Umag, passing through Novigrad. And the last stage starts from LifeClass Terme Sv. Martin na Muri, through Čakovec, Prelog, Sveti Ivan Zelina to Zagreb.In addition to 168 competitors, over 200 members of their support staff come to Croatia, about two hundred people are engaged in the organization and race officers and more than four hundred volunteers. This year we are going a step further and for the first time in Croatia, 4G cameras will be used in sports broadcasting.Source: Ministry of Tourism
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