Tourism awards: Istria among the best again this year
At the annual tourism awards ceremony, which was held as…
Klara Grahovac has been recognized as the creator of a personal and authentic approach to family accommodation and is the first winner of the “Best Host of the Year – Local Host” award of the Istrian County. This recognition is given to those who do not see guests as passers-by, but as people who are welcomed with care, warmth and a sincere attitude. For her, being a Local Host is a daily practice – a personal welcome, direct communication and attention to details that turn a stay into an experience.
As she herself points out, she welcomes guests as friends, with a rich local experience, respect for tradition and culture, and constant quality improvement. She believes in responsible and environmentally conscious business, but above all in authenticity that cannot be learned or copied. It is this approach that has earned her the trust of her guests, recognition in the media, and the status of one of the faces of modern, more humane tourism in Istria.
She believes in tourism with a human face, in sincere contact and experiences that have character. In a slower pace, authenticity without pretense, and a space where everyone can feel natural and welcome.
At the annual tourism awards ceremony, which was held as…
Klara Grahovac from Pula, an expert with almost thirty years…
Klara Grahovac, an Istrian expert with almost thirty years of…
Klara Grahovac is an Istrian entrepreneur and creator of authentic stay experiences, recognized for her personal approach, warmth, and strong connection to the local community. Her work is based on the belief that true hospitality cannot be standardized or automated – it is built through relationships, trust, and honest contact with people.
As the first winner of the “Best Host of the Year – Local Host” award of the Istrian County, she has become one of the faces of a modern, more humane approach to family accommodation. Her philosophy is simple: she welcomes guests as friends, shares local culture, tradition and customs with them, and provides them with an experience that goes beyond the stay itself.
She has been professionally involved in tourism for almost three decades, and family accommodation has been a part of her life since her earliest days. She grew up in Pula, in a family home where guests were welcomed as friends, and after her father’s death in 2002, she took over the management of a holiday home in the village of Pusti – the first holiday home categorized for tourism in the interior of Istria back in 1995, at a time when rural tourism was just beginning its development.
In addition to many years of experience, he builds his work on a strong professional foundation. She received her Master’s degree in economics from the postgraduate scientific study “International Tourism in the National Economy” at the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, where in her master’s thesis “New Types and Forms of Rural Tourism in Istria” in 2007 she warned about the challenges of mass tourism and the importance of preserving the authenticity of space, identity and quality of life of the local community.
Today, she is recognized as a pioneer of rural tourism in Istria – a person who consistently advocates a sustainable, responsible and personal approach, in which people, space and experience are more important than numbers.
For Klara, hospitality is not a job, but a way of life and a daily practice in which every arrival is experienced as an encounter, and every stay as an opportunity to create relationships and memories that last long after leaving.