Sveti Ivan Zelina is once again in the spotlight of the global tourism public. The town, which thanks to the Zelina Chestnut Festival (Zelinska kestenijada) was included in the prestigious Green Destinations Top 100 Stories list for 2025, is now entering the finals for the People’s Choice Award – a recognition awarded by the audience itself. From December 15, 2025, to January 15, 2026, all lovers of sustainable travel can support this Prigorje destination with their vote and help its story of responsible tourism be heard on the world's largest tourism stage.

This is an additional international recognition for an environment that has systematically invested in nature conservation, local community development, and smart visitor management in recent years. The success is even greater as Sveti Ivan Zelina found itself among selected destinations from all over the world that are already recognized as the best examples of sustainable tourism practices. The voice of the public will now decide which of these stories will take the title of the travelers' favorite destination.

What are the Green Destinations Top 100 Stories and People’s Choice Award?

Green Destinations is a global non-profit initiative that has been gathering and rewarding destinations that systematically work on sustainable tourism development since 2014. The Top 100 Stories program annually highlights one hundred of the most inspiring stories from around the world – from the preservation of natural resources and cultural heritage to innovative ways of involving the local community and encouraging responsible consumption. Inclusion in this list means that the destination has passed a detailed evaluation process, met a series of criteria, and shown concrete results in practice.

Among these stories, finalists for the Green Destinations Top 100 Story Awards are then chosen, who present themselves at the renowned ITB Berlin fair. It is the world's largest tourism fair where thousands of professionals from the tourism sector, institutions, media, and organizations dedicated to sustainable development gather every year. Awards for the best stories in individual categories are presented there, as well as the People’s Choice Award – a recognition that belongs to the destination that wins the largest number of audience votes.

The People’s Choice Award thus becomes a sort of "voice of the traveler". While an expert jury evaluates the fulfillment of standards and the quality of the project, the audience chooses the story that inspired them the most, in which they believe, and which they would gladly come to see personally. It is precisely in this category that Sveti Ivan Zelina now has its chance.

Zelina Chestnut Festival – a festival turned into a sustainable story

The center of the Zelina story about sustainable tourism is the Zelina Chestnut Festival (Zelinska kestenijada), an event that has been held since the late nineties on the slopes of Kladešćica, above the town. What started almost three decades ago as a local gathering of lovers of roasted chestnuts and hiking, with the support of the Tourist Board of the City of Sveti Ivan Zelina, gradually grew into one of the most recognizable autumn festivals in continental Croatia.

The area is naturally rich in sweet chestnut forests, and an authentic tourist experience has been built on precisely this fact. Every autumn, visitors walk along maintained forest paths, hike to the top, participate in entertainment programs for children and adults, and taste a wide range of local chestnut specialties and other domestic products. The Chestnut Festival thus combines a stay in nature, active vacation, and traditional gastronomy, creating an experience that is simultaneously simple, sincere, and deeply connected to the place.

However, what set the Zelina Chestnut Festival apart on the international scene is the way it is organized. Due to the increasing number of visitors, a series of challenges appeared – from traffic jams and pedestrian safety to the amount of waste and the appearance of "imported" products that had no connection with the local identity. The City of Sveti Ivan Zelina, the municipal utility company, and the Tourist Board therefore decided to turn the festival in a completely sustainable direction.

First, the access road to Kladešćica was arranged and reshaped to separate motor vehicle traffic from pedestrians and reduce pressure on the forest path. A circular one-way road was created: one direction is used to arrive at the event, the other to leave, while hiking trails remained intended exclusively for walkers and recreationists. Clear signage, info panels about flora and fauna, and an educational trail further encourage visitors to treat nature with respect.

At the same time, a strict "zero waste" concept was introduced. Plastic cutlery and cups were replaced with paper or reusable ones, and visitors are openly encouraged to bring their own containers and cutlery to the event. Multiple types of bins for separate waste collection are placed throughout the area, while organic waste is disposed of in a sustainable way. The reduction in the amount of waste after the event is measured from year to year, and estimates show that it has been reduced by more than two-thirds compared to the earlier period.

Another important change was directing the event towards local producers. Today, exclusively domestic exhibitors sell at the Zelina Chestnut Festival, offering indigenous products – from chestnuts and seasonal fruit to honey, wine, cheeses, cured meat products, and handicrafts. Artificial toys, cheap imported products, and inflated balloons no longer have a place at the event, thereby preserving local identity, but also encouraging the development of small family farms and crafts.

The organizers additionally reward sustainable behavior: the first visitors who arrive at the Chestnut Festival on foot or by bicycle receive symbolic gifts in the form of a portion of roasted chestnuts. The program for children is based on traditional games with natural materials – sack races, archery, walking on stilts – thereby combining outdoor fun and learning about the importance of environmental preservation.

Sveti Ivan Zelina – a green wine stage above Zagreb

The story of the success of the Zelina Chestnut Festival can hardly be separated from the story of the destination itself. Sveti Ivan Zelina is located on the southeastern slopes of Medvednica, along the Lonja river valley, only about thirty kilometers from Zagreb. The proximity of the metropolis, rolling hills, forests, vineyards, and indented viewpoints make it an ideal excursion site for day and weekend visits, but also an increasingly attractive place for a longer stay in nature.

The town and its surroundings include numerous hamlets, wine-growing slopes, and quiet valleys where a diverse tourist offer is developing – from rural households and wineries to mountain lodges and family vacation homes. The Prigorje region is particularly known for wines, and the wine road connecting Donja Zelina, Nespeš, Gornje Psarjevo, and surrounding villages offers numerous opportunities for tastings, socializing with winemakers, and getting to know the local eno-gastro tradition. For visitors looking for an authentic experience of continental Croatia, accommodation in Sveti Ivan Zelina provides a blend of domestic atmosphere, natural peace, and immediate proximity to the capital.

Along with wine stories, the area is rich in walking, hiking, and cycling routes leading through forest areas, meadows, and hills offering views of Zelina's groves and Medvednica. Recreational and sports events are organized on these trails throughout the year, and an increasing number of visitors are opting precisely for an active vacation in nature. It is no coincidence that a weekend in the Zelina region is an increasingly frequent choice for families wanting to escape the city crowd, as well as lovers of wine, hiking, and cycling.

At the same time, special attention is paid to the preservation of the landscape and traditional architecture. Renovations of old cottages and houses are carried out with an emphasis on authentic materials and preservation of the original appearance, while local cultural associations and museums nurture customs, music, costumes, and old crafts. This creates a recognizable identity of the destination where sustainable tourism is not just a phrase, but a way of thinking and living.

Why is it important to vote for Sveti Ivan Zelina?

The inclusion of the Zelina Chestnut Festival event on the Top 100 Stories list is already a strong confirmation that this Prigorje destination is on the right track. However, winning the People’s Choice Award would bring additional global visibility, open new opportunities for collaborations and projects, and even more strongly motivate the local community to continue investing in green practices. Every vote sends a clear message that travelers value destinations that do not sacrifice nature and local identity for quick profit.

For residents and tourism stakeholders in Sveti Ivan Zelina, winning this award would mean great recognition of years of work – from investing in adapted access roads and educational trails, through changing habits in plastic use, to constantly encouraging local producers to remain faithful to domestic recipes and products. Also, the award could attract new visitors looking for peaceful, authentic, and responsible destinations, which strengthens the local economy in the long term, but also preserves natural and cultural heritage.

The symbolic message that the People’s Choice Award sends to the rest of Croatia is also important. If one smaller destination can, step by step, turn its event into an internationally recognized example of sustainable tourism, then other towns and regions can do so too. A vote for Sveti Ivan Zelina becomes simultaneously a vote for the future of Croatian continental tourism based on quality, moderation, and respect for space.

How to cast your vote – simple and online

Voting for the People’s Choice Award takes place entirely online, which means that domestic guests, Croatian expatriates, and foreign visitors who have already discovered the beauties of the Zelina region can participate in this story. From December 15, 2025, until January 15, 2026, at midnight, all interested parties can visit the official voting page and choose their favorite.

The procedure is very simple. It is necessary to open the online voting form at the link Green Destinations People’s Choice Award, find the story about Sveti Ivan Zelina and the Zelina Chestnut Festival, and confirm your choice. The system works on the principle of "one person – one vote", to ensure that all candidates have an equal chance and that the final result truly reflects public support.

Those who have not yet had the opportunity to visit this part of Prigorje, but recognize the importance of responsible tourism, can also vote. The story of the Chestnut Festival clearly shows how thoughtful investments and cooperation of local self-government, the tourist board, the utility company, associations, and residents can achieve measurable results – from reducing waste and congestion to creating new value for the local community. By choosing Sveti Ivan Zelina, a message is sent that the future of tourism belongs to destinations that think long-term.

ITB Berlin – the stage where the audience's voice is heard

The results of the voting for the People’s Choice Award will be published at the ITB Berlin fair in March 2026, together with the winners of the Green Destinations Top 100 Story Awards in professional categories. The most successful stories about sustainable tourism from all over the world will be presented on that stage, and among them, Sveti Ivan Zelina will have its place, regardless of the final outcome of the voting.

For the destination, this means an opportunity to present itself to international partners, media, and experts, exchange experiences, and get involved in new projects related to sustainable development. At the same time, the visibility brought by the appearance at ITB can encourage new arrivals of tourists looking for authentic and responsible destinations outside classic mass routes. In this way, every vote of support from Croatia or abroad can tomorrow result in a new visitor, a new partnership, or a new joint initiative in the Zelina region.

Before Sveti Ivan Zelina, therefore, is an important month in which it is decided whether the Prigorje hills, chestnuts, and vineyards will be found among the most favorite sustainable destinations in the world according to travelers' choice. Every click of support helps this Prigorje story of responsible tourism get a deserved place on the global map and for the Zelina example to stand out even more strongly as an inspiration to other Croatian and European destinations.