The Holiday That Changed Everything | Remembering Martin Gannon

An accidental trip to Yugoslavia became a lifetime of travel, friendship and a love for the Balkans that never faded.

The late Martin Gannon

A Voice I Wasn’t Ready to Hear Again

Some podcast conversations become more important with the passing of time. When I first recorded my interview with Martin Gannon, it was simply an enjoyable conversation with another Englishman who had fallen deeply in love with this part of the world.

Martin later became a friend. We eventually met in Zagreb, shared a long lunch, laughed a great deal and allowed one story to lead naturally into another.

After Martin died, I could not bring myself to listen to the recording again for quite some time. When I finally did, I realised that his voice, humour and memories deserved to be heard once more.

This is not simply an old interview republished. I have returned to it carefully and placed it in the context it now carries for me.

The Holiday That Changed Everything

Martin’s story began in 1980, almost entirely by accident. He had planned to take his mother to Mallorca, but the holiday was fully booked. The travel agent suggested Yugoslavia instead, and they found themselves in Rabac, on the Istrian coast.

At the time, Martin managed a bingo club in Peckham. During the holiday, his mother volunteered him to run a bingo evening for some of the guests. He did such a good job that the area manager for Saga offered him work.

Within weeks, Martin was in Poreč, looking after British visitors. What had begun as a simple family holiday became the start of a remarkable life in tourism.

Across Yugoslavia by Road and Air

Martin went on to work throughout the former Yugoslavia. He travelled with coach tours through Zagreb, Plitvice, Dubrovnik, Montenegro and as far as Lake Ohrid.

He worked in Poreč, Rovinj, Hvar, Belgrade and Mostar, learning the roads, hotels and rhythms of a country that was then one of Britain’s most popular holiday destinations.

Later, he joined Yugoslav Airlines, better known as JAT. He helped promote holidays across the region and developed flights from Heathrow to Mostar for visitors travelling to Međugorje. Thousands of British pilgrims arrived through those services.

Martin understood tourism in a very practical way. He believed you did not always need one enormous market. You could find smaller groups interested in walking, history, archaeology, religion, food or nature.

Bring enough of those groups together, he would say, and before long you had filled an aeroplane.

More Than a Career

For Martin, this region was never simply a place of work. His parents lived for many years on Hvar, and he remained emotionally tied to places such as Jelsa, Stari Grad, Zagreb, Belgrade, Mostar and Kopaonik.

He loved the food, the landscapes and, above all, the people. Even decades later, you can hear the enthusiasm in his voice whenever he talks about the Adriatic, JAT, Yugoslav tourism or the meals he remembered.

He also saw enormous potential in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He believed its rivers, mountains, history, food and outdoor life could attract visitors with many different interests, provided somebody made the effort to connect those interests with the country.

Remembering My Friend

The memory I return to most often is not the formal interview. It is that lunch in Zagreb. Martin was exactly the man I had heard through my headphones: funny, generous and overflowing with stories.

I wish there had been another lunch.

Bringing this episode back from the archive has been difficult, but it has also been a privilege. Martin understood something many outsiders eventually discover: once the Balkans enter your life, they never quite leave.

This episode is my tribute to Martin Gannon. Traveller, Tourism Professional, Storyteller and Friend.