Ilo was the European centre of wine and rural tourism over the past few days, thanks to the event 'European Wine Circle as a Driver of Tourism Development'. The gathering brought together representatives from 16 countries on two continents, including experts in tourism, culture, viticulture and winemaking, as well as representatives of institutions and tourism boards.
One of the key events of the conference was the award ceremony for the Iter Vitis Awards 2026, held during the Dunaj Wine Festival. Among the 19 awarded projects from various countries, two went to Croatia.
The town of Ilo, together with the Ilo Tourist Board, won the award in the category of Best Wine Route / Winery Investing in Culture. The award was presented for the 'Ilo – Living Heritage of Europe' project, which represents a unique way of linking viticultural traditions, historical architecture and modern tourism. The Ilo wine route is special in that it is integrated directly into the historic core of the town, allowing visitors to walk through centuries-old cellars, medieval walls, the Odescalchi Castle and numerous family wineries.
The second Croatian award went to the Osječko-Baranja County Tourist Board for the 'Wine Month' project, in the category of Best Wine Tourism Communication Tool.
The international conference also included the General Assembly of the European cultural route Iter Vitis, where representatives of the international network discussed the future development of the route, joint projects and the potential for stronger links between European wine destinations. The conference was part of the implementation of the Annual Action Plan of the National Network, co-financed by the European Union and the Croatian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It is also part of the Suncokret network platform for the creative transformation of rural tourism, sustainable development, digitalisation and inclusion, supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport.
The organisation of the international event, supported by the Vukovar-Srijem County, was attended by the county deputy Župan Darko Dimić and Tamara Kalistović, head of the county administrative department for tourism, culture and sport. Also in attendance were the county Župan, Ivan Bosančić, and the State Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Marko Beljo, along with the mayor of Ilo, Renata Banožić, and Diana Katica, president of the Croatian Association for Tourism and Rural Development 'Klub članova Selo', a member of the Croatian Parliament's Committee for Tourism and the president of the Croatian branch of the European cultural route Iter Vitis.
