At the 70th World Skal Congress in Budapest, Nik Račić, the director of the Croatian Congress and Incentive Bureau of the Croatian National Tourist Board, was elected president of the most significant global organization of tourism managers, Skal International.
Skal International brings together managers from all sectors of the tourism industry (DMCs, hoteliers, transporters, travel agencies, tour operators, etc.) with the aim of developing business relationships and friendships among members, promoting and supporting sustainable and responsible tourism development, and enhancing quality in tourism. Skal International is a member and vice-president of the Business Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization and is a member of the working group on preventing the exploitation of children in tourism, based in Torremolinos, Spain. Croatia has two Skal clubs, in Dubrovnik and Zagreb, and Račić was elected by secret ballot by a thousand delegates from all five continents, competing against a representative from Australia. Račić received 235 votes out of a total of 266 electoral votes from the clubs and will serve as president for one year. Skal International was founded in 1934 in Paris and today operates through 500 clubs in 90 countries with more than 20,000 members – tourism managers. (Ž.L.)
