British travel journalist Yvette Cook experienced Zadar County through culture, gastronomy and protected nature
The Zadar County Tourist Board, in cooperation with local tourist boards, organized a study trip for Yvette Cook, an award-winning travel journalist and content creator from London, who stayed in the region from May 5 to May 9, 2026. According to information from the organizers, this was a promotional visit intended to present part of Zadar County's tourism offer to a journalist for whom this was her first arrival in Croatia. The program included Zadar, Pag and Nin, the island of Ugljan, Paklenica National Park, Velebit and the canyon of the Zrmanja River. Special emphasis was placed on the combination of cultural heritage, local gastronomy, island life, natural attractions and encounters with hosts. Such an approach fits the profile of a journalist who, according to her own professional biography and the media she writes for, pays special attention to responsible tourism, the cultural roots of food, sustainable travel and lesser-known stories from destinations.
Promotion of the region through authentic stories
Study trips for journalists and authors of travel content are an important part of the international promotion of tourist destinations because they allow regions to be presented through reports, personal experiences and thematically focused stories, and not only through classic promotional messages. In the case of Zadar County, the program for Yvette Cook was designed to cover different layers of the destination: coastal and island areas, historic towns, rural and mountain landscapes, local food, winemaking, olive growing and protected nature. According to Croatian National Tourist Board data for the British market, the United Kingdom is among the more important foreign source markets for Croatia, and promotion in the British media therefore has broader market significance. Additional weight is given to the visit by the fact that Cook cooperates with media that reach an audience interested in travel with a cultural, gastronomic and sustainable character. For readers who plan to come to the region after such reports, accommodation offers in Zadar County may also be useful, especially if they want to combine visits to Zadar, the islands and the hinterland in one trip.
Pag as an introduction to island gastronomy and heritage
The stay program began on the island of Pag, one of the most recognizable island destinations in the Zadar area, where the natural landscape, salt, cheese, lace and lamb are often highlighted as symbols of local identity. According to the original information from the organizers, the journalist toured the town of Pag and visited Paška Sirana, where she learned about the production of Pag cheese and had the opportunity to taste it. Pag cheese is one of the best-known Croatian island food products, and its recognizability is connected with the local sheep-breeding tradition, Pag's rocky terrain, aromatic herbs and specific climatic conditions. Alongside cheese, the program also included Pag lamb, another strong gastronomic symbol of the island that is often associated with Pag pastures and the traditional way sheep are fed. In this way, the visit to Pag was aimed not only at tasting local food but also at understanding the area from which it originates.
A visit to Solana Pag was also organized on Pag, thereby linking the program's contemporary tourism presentation with the long tradition of salt production. Throughout history, salt was one of Pag's key economic values, and today's interpretation of the saltworks heritage is important for understanding the development of the town and the island. The program also included the Benedictine nuns of the monastery of St. Margaret and a presentation of Pag lace-making, emphasizing the cultural and sacred layer of the island. According to data from the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia and the website dedicated to Pag lace, the skill of making it was included in 2009 on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, within the framework of Croatian lacemaking. This fact gives Pag an internationally recognizable cultural element, and a journalistic visit to such heritage can contribute to the visibility of topics that go beyond the usual perception of the island as a summer destination.
Nin and the Zadar hinterland as a continuation of the historical and wine story
After Pag, the program included Nin, a historic town where Yvette Cook, accompanied by expert guidance, toured the old town center and the Museum of Nin Antiquities. In tourism interpretation, Nin is often presented as an area of exceptionally layered history, from ancient remains to medieval Croatian history, and a visit to the museum makes it possible to bring this heritage closer to readers through archaeological and cultural-historical objects. In journalistic terms, such content is important because it presents the destination as a space of continuity, and not merely as a place for a short vacation. On the same day, the program continued with a wine tasting at Kraljevski vinogradi on the return toward Zadar. The wine story further broadens the image of the Zadar area because it connects the coast, Ravni kotari, the islands and the hinterland through production that is increasingly taking part in the region's tourism offer.
Enogastronomy is one of the elements on which Zadar County has been building its recognizability in recent years, as confirmed by publicly available programs of the Zadar County Tourist Board in which the development of special interests, the quality of the offer and the visibility of the regional brand are emphasized. In that context, the tour of the cheese dairy, saltworks, vineyards, olive groves and local households was not a series of unrelated tastings, but a thoughtfully designed route showing how tourism can rely on local production and the stories of people who live in the destination. For authors like Cook, who deals with the cultural roots of food, such an approach provides material for reports in which food becomes the starting point for a broader story about history, landscape and community. These are precisely the kinds of themes that are increasingly important for travelers who, when choosing a destination, seek content, authenticity and a clearer relationship with the local area. Zadar County has an advantage in this because, in a relatively small area, it connects islands, historic towns, fertile fields, mountains and rivers.
Ugljan, Kali and hospitality in an everyday setting
The next day, the journey continued on the island of Ugljan, where the journalist visited the Fortress of St. Michael, a local olive grove and tasted olive oil. The Fortress of St. Michael is one of the most prominent viewpoints in the Zadar archipelago, and the view from that position connects Zadar, the islands and the surrounding sea area into a single vista. In the program, olive growing was presented as part of island identity, but also as contemporary tourism content that enables visitors to have a direct encounter with agricultural tradition. Olive oil tasting, in this sense, is not merely a gastronomic addition, but a way to explain the connection between the island landscape, work and food culture. Such content fits well with the trends of slower and experiential travel, in which a destination is discovered through people, flavors and everyday spaces.
According to the program information, a special impression was made by a traditional dish prepared under the peka, which residents of Kali prepared for the journalist in their home. This part of the visit was highlighted as an example of the hospitality of the inhabitants of Zadar County, but also as an important element of the authentic presentation of the destination. A meal in a private or local setting is often stronger material for travel writers than formal presentations because it shows the way of life, the rhythm of the place and the hosts' personal relationship with visitors. Kali is known as a fishing village on Ugljan, and including the local community in the program further emphasizes that tourism promotion rests not only on attractions, but also on the people who give the destination its character. For travelers who want to explore the Zadar islands outside the busiest summer periods, it is useful to check in advance accommodation close to ferry connections and island settlements, especially if they plan to visit Ugljan, Pašman and Zadar during the same stay.
Paklenica, Velebit and Zrmanja as a natural counterpoint to the coast
One of the most important parts of the study trip was a tour of Paklenica National Park, an off-road vehicle ride along the slopes of Velebit and photography of the canyon of the Zrmanja River. According to the official information of Paklenica National Park, the park encompasses the area of the recognizable canyons of Velika and Mala Paklenica, vertically cut into the southern slopes of Velebit. Parks of Croatia states that Paklenica is part of UNESCO's network of biosphere reserves, and the area is known for deep canyons, karst formations, high cliffs and rich biodiversity. Including Paklenica in the program was important because it also presents Zadar County as a destination for active stays in nature, hiking, photography and exploring protected areas. In this way, the image of the region expands beyond the coast and urban cultural sights toward the mountain hinterland, which is only a relatively short drive from Zadar.
Velebit and Zrmanja further emphasize the diversity of an area in which the sea, islands, karst, mountain and river can be connected in the same itinerary. The canyon of the Zrmanja is one of the most recognizable natural sites in the Zadar hinterland, often associated with excursions, photography, active tourism and the experience of untouched nature. Although the source text does not provide details about specific filming locations or possible additional activities on the river, it is clear that the visit was focused on visually powerful landscapes that may be important for future travel reports. Such a combination of content is useful for promoting the pre-season and post-season, when hiking, cultural and gastronomic activities can play a greater role than the classic summer holiday. According to available information, it was precisely the natural beauty, cultural heritage and hospitality of the hosts that left a strong impression on the British journalist.
Zadar as the final point of the cultural itinerary
Before returning to London, Yvette Cook took part in an extended tour of Zadar, which included the Museum of Ancient Glass, the Permanent Exhibition of Religious Art, the church of St. Donatus and the Rector's and Providur's Palaces. In this part of the program, Zadar was presented as the urban and cultural center of the county, with heritage that connects ancient, early medieval, sacred and contemporary cultural legacy. According to data from the Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar, it is a specialized archaeological museum founded in 2006, and the tourist website of the city of Zadar states that the collection includes more than 5,000 glass objects from the period of antiquity, from the first century BC to the fifth century. Such a museum is particularly important for travel interpretation because it offers a specific theme by which Zadar can stand out among Mediterranean cities. The visit to the church of St. Donatus further emphasized the recognizability of Zadar's historic core and its early medieval layer.
The Permanent Exhibition of Religious Art, also known as The Gold and Silver of Zadar, according to data from the Archdiocese of Zadar and the Museum Documentation Center, represents one of the most valuable exhibitions of sacred art in Croatia. It is located within the monastery complex of the Benedictine nuns of St. Mary, and its display preserves an important part of Zadar's and Croatian church heritage. The Rector's and Providur's Palaces, as part of the city's contemporary cultural life, rounded off the program that combined museums, sacred spaces and restored palaces. Such an ending to the trip made it possible to present Zadar not only as an entry point for the islands and hinterland, but also as an independent cultural destination. For visitors who want to follow a similar itinerary, accommodation in Zadar and its surroundings can be a practical base for tours of Pag, Nin, Ugljan, Paklenica and Zrmanja.
Why the British media market is important for this kind of promotion
Yvette Cook cooperates with a number of respected media outlets, among which the original information lists The Independent, Adventure.com, iPaper, New Zealand Herald and BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Her author website and profile on Adventure.com confirm that she is a London-based travel journalist whose work deals with the positive impact of travel, women in tourism, lesser-known destinations, the cultural roots of food and sustainable travel, especially by train. Such a profile is important for Zadar County because the program presented to her relied precisely on themes that go beyond mass tourism: local gastronomy, cultural heritage, protected nature and personal encounters. According to information from The Independent, Cook is an award-winning travel journalist from London, and her work thematically corresponds with a form of promotion in which the destination is shown through more responsible and more meaningful travel. This increases the possibility that future reports will present the region to an audience that seeks not only recognizable postcards, but reasons for a longer and more thoughtful stay.
The British market is also important for Croatia because of transport connections, interest in Mediterranean destinations and growing demand for experiences that combine vacation, culture and gastronomy. According to the Croatian National Tourist Board's market profile, Croatia is well positioned among British travelers, and the United Kingdom is counted among significant foreign markets by overnight stays. In this context, the visit of a travel journalist is not an isolated event, but part of a broader strategy of destination visibility in a competitive source market. If future publications present Zadar County through Pag, Nin, Ugljan, Paklenica, Velebit, Zrmanja and Zadar, the region could further strengthen its image as a destination that, in one trip, connects the coast, islands, mountain, river, history and local cuisine. According to available information, Cook left Zadar County with positive impressions, and she is expected to turn the experiences from the trip into reports that will follow.
Sources:
- Zadar County Tourist Board – original information about Yvette Cook's study trip in Zadar County from May 5 to May 9, 2026 (link)
- Yvette Cook / official author website – professional biography and thematic focus of the travel journalist's work (link)
- Adventure.com – profile of author Yvette Cook and list of media outlets she writes for (link)
- The Independent – Yvette Cook's author profile and description of her travel writing (link)
- Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia – data on Croatian intangible cultural goods inscribed on UNESCO's list (link)
- Pag Lace – data on Pag lace and its inclusion on the UNESCO list in 2009 (link)
- Paklenica National Park – official description of the area of the Velika and Mala Paklenica canyons (link)
- Parks of Croatia – data on the natural heritage of Paklenica and UNESCO's network of biosphere reserves (link)
- Museum of Ancient Glass in Zadar – general information about the museum and year of foundation (link)
- Zadar Tourist Board – data on the collection of the Museum of Ancient Glass and Zadar's cultural attractions (link)
- Archdiocese of Zadar – information about the Permanent Exhibition of Religious Art in Zadar (link)
- Croatian National Tourist Board – United Kingdom market profile and context of the British tourism market (link)