World Award for Šibenik-Knin Tourist Board: "Water of the Little Giants" an example of global excellence in sustainability

When a local story becomes a global lesson on sustainability. 

The "Water of the Little Giants" campaign, implemented by the Šibenik-Knin County Tourist Board, has won a global sustainability award - and for good reason.

In a sea of ​​marketing slogans, this project does not sell a story - but rather restores meaning to what tourism is at its core: care, respect, and responsibility towards the community.

The message is simple, but powerful: Water is our common wealth.

At a time when climate change, shortages, and overconsumption are becoming burning issues, this initiative has shown that sustainability is not an abstract idea, but a concrete, everyday practice - from public taps to a cultural message about empathy and togetherness.

"Water of the Little Giants" is an initiative that the Šibenik-Knin County Tourist Board, together with its partners and numerous local community stakeholders, has been implementing for the second year in a row. 

A campaign that connects people, tourism and sustainability

The initiative aims to promote the use of free drinking water in the Šibenik-Knin County and thus through reducing the use of plastic packaging contribute to reducing the negative environmental impacts of tourism.

But, "Water of the Little Giants" is much more than that, it represents an initiative that raises awareness among the local community about the value of the resources it has and connects them to positive change, thereby significantly contributing to the development of social sustainability. 

"This initiative sends a positive message to our guests, which is the message that we are good hosts, ready to share with them what is most valuable to us for free, and thus positions our county as a place where a tourist is not just a 'number in a financial report', but someone who is connected with us in the promotion of universal positive values. In this way, through market positioning and creating guest loyalty, we also contribute to the economic aspect of sustainability. All of this leads to the same goal of positioning our county as a leader in positive changes that lead to the sustainability of tourism, through very concrete and visible actions.", said the director of the Šibenik-Knin County Tourist Board, Krešimir Šakić.

What does "Water of the Little Giants" mean on the ground?

What does this mean in concrete terms in terms of implementation on the ground? The idea that started it all was to encourage local caterers to be willing to offer their guests free drinking water, which is abundant in the Šibenik-Knin County, instead of water packaged in plastic bottles. 

"We wanted to do this in a way that promoted everyone who was willing to accept the idea. We based the promotion on the interesting fact that the second largest babies in the world are born in the Šibenik area and that there is scientific research that, among other factors, links this fact to the quality of the water here.", emphasizes Sakic

But, already in its first year, "Water of the Little Giants" has outgrown its initial ideas and turned into a strong integrative factor of the local community in positive changes: from the inclusion of about a hundred caterers in the project through the self-initiative joining of numerous individuals, companies and institutions outside the food and beverage service sector (guides, accommodation facilities, educational institutions, museums, utility companies, art studios and small craftsmen, and even a tourist ship...) to the organization of a scientific conference and organized education in schools in the county, and at the invitation of other schools, outside it.

/ / / A story that 'holds water': An initiative for the availability, preservation and promotion of drinking water in the Šibenik-Knin County

Global recognition for local initiative

"Voda Malih Divova" was awarded a gold award for excellence in the Sustainability communications category. IPRA, the International Public Relations Association, founded in 1955, represents the leading global network of PR professionals.

As the leading international association in the field of public relations, IPRA organizes an annual global competition in the field of public relations - Golden World Awards for Excellence (GWA).

This initiative was launched in 1990 with the aim of recognizing excellence in public relations practice on a global level in various categories. The winners of this award are distinguished projects whose campaigns serve as examples that meet international standards of excellence in public relations. 

"Each campaign's application requires completion of 6 categories, with supporting data, metrics, and supporting performance analyses. Through finalist status, we were required to deliver a complete analysis that included an overview of the campaign, the opportunity addressed by the campaign, an analysis of the "problem" and campaign strategy with methodology, branding and communication, and community engagement, campaign planning with goals, key messages, and target audience, campaign implementation with strategy, challenges, and execution, and campaign results.", explains Sakic.

Although the annual golden award for communication presented by the world's leading association in this field is an important recognition and encouragement, the biggest and most important effects of the campaign are those visible on the ground - the support that the initiative receives from numerous stakeholders who regularly come forward with new ideas on how to make this initiative even better, more meaningful and innovative.

Next steps: expanding the network of water protectors and educating young people

There are numerous ideas: further expansion of the network of "Little Giants Water Protectors", inclusion of institutions and accommodation facilities in the initiative by serving free drinking water in recognizable glasses and bottles, further education and workshops with children and young people, cooperation with the educational sector.

There is also the involvement of organizers of various events in the initiative by offering participants Water of the Little Giants instead of packaged water, the development and promotion of existing thematic tours, the installation of thematic art installations, promotion through the organization of events, cooperation with relevant institutions to increase the availability of drinking water by expanding the network of public taps... 

"The dynamics of the realization of all these ideas are, of course, defined by financial and organizational resources, but also subject to changes and new ideas that we receive daily from numerous stakeholders in the field", concludes the director of the Šibenik-Knin County Tourist Board, Krešimir Šakić.

The campaign actually showed what we often forget: that big changes in tourism start with small but consistent ideas. Because sustainability is not built through projects, but through the values ​​we live every day.

Photo source: Tourist Board of Šibenik-Knin County