The Istria Tourist Board and local tourist boards in Primorje have introduced a new tourist product, Istria Snorkeling, which will enable tourists to discover the mysterious undersea world of Istria.

The new tourist product was presented in the municipality of Fazana on Thursday, 15 June.

Seventeen destinations in Istria took part in the project, with their coast and micro-locations carefully explored over the past two years so that the best locations for snorkelling could be selected.

Exploration of the underwater world is an extremely exciting and easy sea sport suitable for almost all age groups, which makes it ideal summer family fun, and a mask and snorkel are mandatory accessories for pleasant and joyful snorkelling, said the Istria Tourist Board.

The project was initiated by Barbara Unkovic, the owner of Underwater Affair from Pula and a passionate diver for more than 30 years. Unkovic explored and selected the most interesting locations in Istria, drew the maps and wrote the texts for all locations, with numerous interesting facts, historical facts, legends, and information about the ecosystem and the animal world.

Many professionals, underwater hunters and divers, as well as experts from museums and different institutions took part in the project.

A web portal, which can be found at www.istra.com/snorkeling, was also created by the Istria Tourist Boards, containing detailed information on snorkelling and the locations, accompanied by fascinating undersea photographs.

“The development of the Snorkeling product has all the connotations of sustainable tourism. In addition to strengthening environmental awareness in a fun way, through ‘edutainment’, it enables users, whether they are tourists or residents of Istria, to experience the beauty and diversity of the marine ecosystem firsthand,” said Denis Ivosevic, the director of the Istria Tourist Board.