During April 2004 Ripcord Promotions was appointed to manage an incentive trip for 35 of an insurance company’s top marketers, with their partners, and the chosen destination was Croatia, via Italy.

For safety reasons, two airlines were used, Air France and Lufthansa, flying via their respective European hubs, and then onward to Venice. Upon arrival in Venice, a city tour was done, visiting such wonderful sites as San Marco, Basilica and the Rialto Bridge. After our first experience of real Italian pizza, on Italian soil, we checked into the hotel for the overnight stay. Again, a superb, and typically Italian meal was enjoyed by all at the hotel, before a well earned rest.

The next morning, we took a short bus trip to San Basilica Harbour, where we were joined by another group of delegates, who had just spent 2 days in Paris and Venice. We boarded a catamaran, for an exciting journey across the Adriatic Sea to Rovinj, on the west coast of Croatia. After a walk around the village, we made our way to Opatija, which was to be our home for the next three nights.

Opatija is a seaside town situated on a bay, one of the better known tourist resorts of Croatia. We checked into the Millenium Hotel, a five star hotel, and the best one in Opatija. The hotel has a section which still retains the character of the early 20th century, while another is built according to a modern design, but all rooms have modern facilities. The hotel has a wonderful terrace where breakfast, lunch and drinks can be enjoyed during sunny weather.

On the first night the Awards Dinner was held at the Amfora Restaurant, situated just above crashing waves in the nearby village of Voloska. This was the opportunity for the company to pay tribute to all the marketers present, who had worked so hard, and excelled themselves during the preceding year. We enjoyed a typical “Dalmatian” meal, focusing on the excellent fish of the area, accompanied by great local wines.

Day three saw a trip to Krk Island, the largest of Croatia’s more than 1700 islands, and the most populated. We visited the capital, also called Krk, where we visited historical sites and just generally got the feel of the place. Then it was off to Vrbnik, to the local Nada winery, where we sampled their aperitifs (grappa, or mampoer to South Africans!) which got lunch off to a great start. In a cosy restaurant, with fires burning, and guests seated at long, convivial tables, a great lunch was served, accompanied by the excellent wines from the Nada Winery. The last stop was Baska, situated at the southernmost tip of the island.

After a full programme for the preceding days, the last day was set aside for shopping in Rijeka, a shopping mecca about 30 minutes drive from Opatija. Delegates spent the morning wandering around the shopping centres, many picking up some great bargains, mainly Italian produced merchandise at bargain basement prices. An interesting walk around the town of Opatija in the afternoon, taught us about the interesting history of this town.

After an early morning wake up call, we boarded our coaches and made our way to Pule, from where we would depart for the return boat trip to Venice, while some delegates extended their stay in Croatia. Upon arrival in Venice, a large number of people remained behind to extend their holidays in Europe, while the rest were transferred to the airport for their return flights.

Feedback after the trip was that this was a very interesting destination, offering many sights and experiences not seen in other European countries.