August 31, 2020 - There are currently about 310,000 tourists in Croatia, of which 240,000 are foreigners, and 106,000 came during the last weekend of August, the Croatian National Tourist Board revealed on Monday, whose director Kristjan Stanicic assessed the results in August as extremely good given the circumstances.

"August is behind us, in which we have achieved extremely good results given the circumstances. Our further strategic and marketing activities will primarily depend on the epidemiological picture of Croatia and the surrounding countries, and uncertainty in this regard requires flexibility and readiness for rapid and continuous adaptation. We are witnessing that some countries in the region have started to close, which we also consider when defining activities in the off-season," Stanicic said for HTZ at the end of August.

Stanicic presented eVistor data according to which slightly more than a million overnight stays were realized on the weekend of August 28 to 30, of which 319,000 were realized by German tourists, followed by Poles (109,000), and Slovenes (83,000).

Over the weekend, the highest number of overnight stays was again in Vir (52,000), followed by Rovinj and Crikvenica. Vir and Rovinj, according to eVisitor data, are the top two destinations in the total number of overnight stays for the whole of August - Vir with 756,000, and Rovinj with 651,000.

Medulin, Porec, and Crikvenica are among the top five destinations per night in August.

A total of 2.6 million tourists came to Croatia in August, more precisely until August 30, with 20.7 million overnight stays, which is 64 percent of last year's result in the same period.

The German market maintained its leading position with 5.2 million overnight stays, followed by domestic tourists with almost four million overnight stays. Slovenia is third with 2.7 million overnight stays in August, while Poland and the Czech Republic are fourth and fifth with 2.2 and 1.3 million overnight stays, respectively.

By counties, most overnight stays in August were realized in Istria County - slightly more than five million, while in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, there were 4.1 million overnight stays, in Split-Dalmatia County 3.9 million, in Zadar County 3.7 million, and Sibenik-Knin County 1.6 million overnight stays.

Noting that complete statistics of arrivals and overnight stays for August and the first eight months of this year can be expected in the first part of September, the Croatian National Tourist Board adds that given the pandemic, they have prepared several different communication concepts to apply depending on the market and circumstances.

"If the situation allows, in the autumn we plan to launch a campaign 'A week's vacation is worth it' for domestic tourists and encourage their consumption in the off-season by using tourist services in the country at lower prices," announced Stanicic.

In conclusion, he emphasized that "domestic tourists have a share of 20 percent in the total result of the current part of the tourist year, which is an important share, and that their contribution is expected in the off-season with shorter and weekend trips."

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 27, 2020 - A coordination meeting of the Croatian Tourist Board was held with the tourist boards of Lika-Senj and Karlovac counties at the Jezero Hotel in Plitvice Lakes.

Along with the director of the CNTB Kristjan Stanicic, the coordination meeting was attended by the director of the Lika-Senj County Tourist Board Ivan Radosevic and the director of the Karlovac County Tourist Board Dina Begic and 17 representatives of tourist boards of cities and municipalities from these two counties. The meeting was also attended by Tomislav Kovacevic, director of the Plitvice Lakes National Park, announced HTZ.hr.

The meeting was opened by Ivan Radosevic, who emphasized that the situation in Lika-Senj County is very good, especially if the initial projections from the beginning of the year are taken into account.

"In August, we achieved an excellent 67 percent of last year's result in the same period, and in terms of the cumulative period, i.e., from the beginning of the year until today, we are at about 54 percent of last year's result in the same period," said Radosevic. At the moment, there are guests, mostly from the markets of Germany, Croatia, and Poland. Dina Begic pointed out that at the moment, they are achieving 30 percent of last year's tourist results and that this year they are recording an increase in domestic guests who have a share of 30 percent in the total tourist traffic of Karlovac County.

CNTB Director Kristjan Stanicic said that the tourist results achieved so far, with a favorable epidemiological picture on the basis of which Croatia opened its borders to tourists in May, are a consequence of focused marketing and information campaigns conducted in key European markets, which ultimately generated the largest tourist traffic.

"Given the circumstances, we are extremely satisfied with the summer part of the tourist year, where only in August we recorded 67 percent of tourist traffic compared to last August. We have prepared campaigns for the post-season where we have put continental tourism, nautical, but also eno-gastronomy in the foreground, and we will focus on the markets in our immediate surroundings. In the domestic market, in October, we plan to implement the project 'A Week's Vacation is Worth It'. At the same time, we are preparing a plan for the next tourist year, which we know will be extremely demanding and in which we will rely on enhanced marketing and PR activities in selected markets and especially on advertising on digital communication channels," said director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic, adding that in this tourist year, we will surely have two more months of tourist traffic if we adhere to the prescribed measures and recommendations and if the epidemiological picture in the country is stable.

Stanicic also presented future activities that will, among other things, refer to the adoption of new bylaws and regulations that will further improve and regulate tourism processes. The Ordinance on Underdeveloped Areas and the Ordinance on Associated Tourist Boards were discussed, as well as the future of the country's tourist board system, given the new circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and reduced revenues, but also the new law on tourist boards and the promotion of Croatian tourism, which came into force in early 2020. Topics included the further development of the tourist board system with an emphasis on the tasks and roles of tourist boards at the local and regional levels.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 15, 2020 - There are currently around 820,000 tourists in Croatia, and there has been no noticeable decline in tourist traffic related to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases, Croatian National Tourist Board director Kristjan Stanicic said on Friday, announcing an increase in tourists this weekend.

Slobodna Dalmacija reports that tourists are currently making up about 68 percent compared to the same day last year when there were 1.2 million. Most of them, about 200 thousand, are in Istria County, followed by 160 thousand in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, while Split-Dalmatia County is accommodating 150 thousand, and Zadar County about 145 thousand.

Stanicic states that according to the destinations with the most tourists, today, the top five are in Istria and Kvarner - Rovinj, Medulin, Porec, Umag, Crikvenica and Mali Losinj.

Asked if he expects increased visits to shrines to the Virgin Mary on Saturday, Stanicic said that this could certainly be expected because the celebration of the Assumption of Mary also includes visits to shrines.

"However, in the general atmosphere of reduced travel, precautions and restrictions introduced to combat the coronavirus pandemic, there may be fewer believers in Mary shrines for the holiday this year, including tourists, than in previous years," Stanicic believes, adding that this visit is difficult to formally quantify because it is mostly a one-day trip or only a few hours, and as there are no overnight stays, they are not recorded in the eVisitor system.

As this holiday this year coincides with the third weekend in August, after which, even in the best years for tourism, there was usually a slight decrease in tourist arrivals and overnight stays, this can be expected this year as well. August has so far surpassed all forecasts with about 70 percent of last year's overnight stays.

He emphasizes that the results of August so far have exceeded all forecasts and believes that by the end of that month, provided that the current market conditions remain unchanged, the achieved total arrivals and overnight stays of about 70 percent of last year will continue.

"Obviously, the coronavirus pandemic is still very much present and it is a crisis with an uncertain outcome and it is almost impossible to predict anything. The figures so far have already shown that this year's tourist results vary depending on the destination or individual types of facilities, so in this sense, the information from the field is different.

However, it is important to remember that this is a very challenging year for everyone, including tourism, in which the main goal is to achieve the best possible results to create a healthy basis for preparing and implementing the next tourist year, which will also be very challenging," Stanicic said.

On the other hand, it is difficult to predict what September and the entire postseason will bring, but he believes that in such circumstances, communication activities with the markets are important as one of the extremely significant elements of influencing travel decisions.

"We constantly communicate with the directors of our representative offices, and they with their partner markets, the media and others about the situation in Croatia. We fight certain blows, but we also react quickly, deny wrong information, hold meetings with partners, and cooperate with other institutions, primarily with diplomacy and the national headquarters," reveals Stanicic.

He also estimates that the good tourist figures from the markets of Germany, Slovenia, Poland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary are also the result of intensive marketing and information campaigns, noting that the results still mostly depend on the epidemiological situation, necessary and strict adherence to all prescribed measures and recommendations of the national headquarters by all tourism service providers.

Commenting on the new measures by the Italian government, according to which testing is obligatory for everyone who comes to Italy from Croatia, Malta, Greece and Spain, Stanicic says that he sees a reason for that partly in the safety of his citizens, but also because of the Ferragosto period in which they travel.

"The countries included in this list are the direct and biggest competitors of Italy. There are currently about 45,000 Italian tourists in Croatia, but this Italian decision will certainly affect traffic from that market later in August. Despite this situation, the CNTB office in Italy still receives a huge number of inquiries about the arrival of Italians on vacation in Croatia - and they want to come," added Stanicic.

In the case of Slovenia, he says that there are no official decisions yet and believes that Croatia will remain on the current list, which enables Slovenian citizens to return to Slovenia without presenting a test or going to quarantine.

"Slovenia is one of our most important markets, many of their citizens own real estate in our country, and currently there are about 115,000 of them in Croatia," says Stanicic.

He also spoke about the Dutch market, where the CNTB is also in constant contact with partners, agencies and tour operators, as well as relevant institutions.

"It remains to be seen what the final decision of the Dutch institutions will be, but we believe that by all parameters, we can return to their list of safe destinations, which already includes some countries that have a worse epidemiological situation compared to Croatia," Stanicic said. Good cooperation with Croatian diplomacy is also important, which through its activities, contributes to maintaining the current position of Croatia as one of the few tourist countries in which significant tourist traffic takes place.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages!

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

August 10, 2020 - Reports of tourist arrivals in Croatia this August are anything but grim. Just last weekend, Croatia reported more than 323,000 arrivals and 2.3 million overnight stays!

According to the preliminary eVisitor data, which contains tourist traffic realized in the commercial and non-commercial segment and nautical charter, more than one million arrivals and 7.2 million overnight stays were realized in Croatia so far in August (from August 1 to 9), which is about 70 percent of last year's result achieved in the same period, the Croatia National Tourist Board reported.

They add that most overnight stays in the same period were achieved in Istria (1.7 million overnight stays), Kvarner (1.4 million overnight stays), Split-Dalmatia (1.3 million overnight stays), Zadar (1.3 million overnight stays), Sibenik-Knin County (578,000 overnight stays), Dubrovnik-Neretva County (392,000 overnight stays) and Lika-Senj County (271,000 overnight stays).

"After an excellent July, in which we achieved about 60 percent of last year's result, we recorded even better tourist trends in August and are currently at about 70 percent of last year's result. The markets that reacted best are territorially closer markets for which Croatian destinations are easily accessible by road routes, such as, for example, Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary.

We directed our promotional and information campaigns towards these markets all the time, communicating that Croatia is a safe and well-prepared tourist destination. Also, with the increase in the number of airlines, tourist traffic in the southern parts of Dalmatia has intensified," said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic, adding that, for example, Dubrovnik and London are currently connected with 44 flights a week.

"It is extremely important that we all continue to act responsibly and that we adhere to the prescribed epidemiological measures, because this is currently a prerequisite for the realization of tourist traffic in the country," concluded director Stanicic.

In the previous part of August, most tourist arrivals came from the German market, about 225,000, which is an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. The domestic market follows with 178,000 arrivals, an increase of 18 percent, the Slovenian market with 133,000 arrivals, an increase of 10 percent, and the Polish market with 109,000 arrivals, an increase of 16 percent, compared to the same period last year.

Looking at the destinations, so far, in August, most arrivals were made in Rovinj, Porec, Medulin, Crikvenica, Umag, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula and Novalja.

The Croatia National Tourist Board adds that during the last weekend (from August 7 to 9), there were more than 323,000 arrivals and 2.3 million overnight stays in Croatia.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

July 31, 2020 - According to e-visitor data, there are currently 760,000 tourists in Croatia, of which 126,000 are domestic. Most are from Germany, said Kristjan Stanicic, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, on Thursday.

T.portal reports that in addition to Stanicic, the coordination meeting of the Croatian National Tourist Board, with the tourist boards of Split-Dalmatia County, was attended by the director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Josko Stella, and 34 representatives of tourist boards of cities and municipalities from Split-Dalmatia County.

"Split-Dalmatia and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties are the most affected because air traffic has decreased because of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am glad that we currently have intensified air traffic. I believe we can be more optimistic in the coming weeks, as we will intensify marketing campaigns in certain markets and do our best to do this tourist season the best we can," said Stanicic.

He pointed out that marketing campaigns are underway in Germany, Austria and the UK. "Currently, we record the most guests from our most important markets - in the first place is Germany, followed by Slovenes, Austrians, Czechs, Poles and Hungarians," said Stanicic.

When asked how he commented on the negative campaign towards Croatia from some European countries, in which Croatia is placed on the list of undesirable countries for the arrival of guests, Stanicic said that it was part of the market competition because some competing countries had significantly lower tourist traffic than Croatia this year.

"We react to negative PR promptly and immediately through the network of our representative offices and publications in foreign media. We react with concrete, continuous positive campaigns and try to mitigate negative signs about Croatia. This is all the context of market competition by our competitors, which are below ten percent of this year's tourist traffic compared to the same period last year, while Croatia this year is cumulatively at 45 percent compared to the same period last year," said Stanicic.

Referring to 'Ferragosto', during which a large number of Italians traditionally come to Croatia, Stanicic said that given the situation in Italy, it is "irresponsible and unserious to expect" that Italians will come to us in numbers this year as before. "We must be aware that the situation in Italy is not good," he added.

The director of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, Josko Stella, pointed out that in July this year, the number of overnight stays was 53 percent compared to 2019, and that there is a tendency to increase if the epidemiological situation remains stable.

He also said that there were almost as many Germans in the county as last year, i.e., 96 percent compared to last July. "Almost all Germans who were in Split-Dalmatia County last July came this year as well," he said.

Responding to a journalist's remark that the British, who have been the most numerous guests in the Split area in recent years, are almost non-existent this year, Stella said that marketing actions had been taken in the British market to encourage them to come to Split-Dalmatia County.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

July 23, 2020 - The director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB), Kristjan Stanicic, said on Wednesday that Croatia was a hit tourist destination and that tourist traffic was already recording 40 percent of last year, and they hoped for further growth. At the beginning of the corona crisis, they did not expect numbers greater than 30 percent.

Vecernji List reports that the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board held a coordination meeting with the director of the Zadar County Tourist Board, Mihael Kadija, and 28 representatives of the county tourist boards of cities and municipalities at the Kolovare Hotel.

On that occasion, he pointed out that in this time of crisis, they focused on the nearest markets - Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, given that the Croatian coast is mostly an auto destination, which is an excellent thing at the moment.

"We conducted several promotional campaigns in foreign markets, and given the epidemic, we focused on the nearest markets in our area. The proximity of these markets to Croatia, and especially to Zadar County, is now a big plus for us. Growing figures show that Croatia is a hit destination. At the same time, we are ready to respond to articles in foreign media that are focused on keeping domestic tourists within the borders of their countries," Stanisic said.

When asked by the press how he commented on the fact that the Netherlands put Croatia on the orange list, without concrete data on how many people have been infected per 100,000 inhabitants in the last two weeks, he said that it is difficult to give any estimates for the season to continue.

"I believe that the situation will change soon, because every 14 days the list is updated, and the number of infected in our country is declining. I also believe that in good communication and the epidemiological situation, we will return to the green list. As for the criteria, they are not unique for all countries," said Stanicic and emphasized that this is only a recommendation of the Netherlands that their citizens go into self-isolation upon their return from Croatia.

Stanicic also presented the promotional activities carried out by the Croatian National Tourist Board to position Croatia as a safe tourist destination in the current market circumstances and future activities, which will, among other things, include the adoption of new bylaws and regulations that will further improve and regulate tourism processes. The director of the Zadar County Tourist Board, Mihaela Kadija, pointed out that the Zadar area is still a hit destination, and the numbers are much better than what experts predicted in March.

"Our figures are excellent. We planned to reach 30 percent and realized 67 percent of last year's tourist traffic, of which 60 percent is commercial traffic. As for events, we appealed to partner tourist communities to agree with their organizers a customized program with adherence epidemiological measures. Everyone is of the same view, and that is that we must be responsible," Kadija said.

The coordination meeting also discussed the development of the system of tourist boards with an emphasis on tasks and roles at the local and regional levels and the nautical segment, and announced a performance at the WTM tourism fair to be held in London in November.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

July 1, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board announced the latest tourist numbers for the first six months of 2020, which show that Croatia has achieved 30% of last year's tourist traffic.

In June this year, 892,000 tourists who came to Croatia realized 4.8 million overnight stays, which is 32 percent of the overnight stays realized in June 2019. This shows that in June and across the first six months this year, overnight stays have dropped about 70 percent, announces the Croatian National Tourist Board.

"Given the circumstances around the world and in Croatia, we can be satisfied with the realized tourist traffic, which is in line with our estimates. It is important that out of 1.6 million tourists who have stayed in Croatia since the beginning of this year, we have not had any cases of infection in tourists," says Croatian National Tourist Board Director Kristijan Stanicic.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

In the first six months of this year, domestic tourists achieved the most overnight stays, which once again confirms how they've been rejected, especially this year. Of course, about 2 million domestic guests cannot replace the 20 million arrivals of foreign tourists, but they certainly can and should be a great base for the pre- and post-season.

On the contrary, domestic tourists are the bearers of tourism in the interior of Istria, and thus saved the season for various facilities in commercial accommodation, holiday homes, restaurants and wineries in inland Istria.

Thus, domestic tourists in the first half of this year accounted for 31 percent of total overnight stays, which is the highest among all markets and a rarity in the last more than ten years.

Foreign tourists accounted for 69 percent of total overnight stays, with most achieved by Slovenes (26 percent), followed by Germans (25 percent), and Austrians (9 percent), and tourists from BiH and the Czech Republic (7 percent each).

By type of accommodation, most overnight stays or 73 percent was realized in commercial accommodation, of which 30 percent in household facilities, 20 percent in hotels and 16 percent in camps. Twenty-four percent of the total six-month overnight stays were realized in non-commercial accommodation, and 3 percent in the nautical charter.

In the continental part of the country, 12 percent of total overnight stays were realized, most of them in Zagreb, which is the leader among all destinations in Croatia, ahead of Rovinj, Vir, Medulin and Porec.

Adriatic counties are still leading with a total of 88 percent of overnight stays in the first six months, and among them, most overnight stays or 25 percent were realized in Istria, followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar with a share of 21 percent and Zadar and Split-Dalmatia County making up 15 and 13 percent in total overnight stays.

Announcing that tourist demand and traffic are expected to increase in July and August, especially from Central Europe, Stanicic adds that these are the markets of Germany, Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, and that stronger demand for hotels is expected.

"Although the epidemiological situation at the global level is constantly changing, tourist flows have started and people have started to travel following new circumstances and are adhering to epidemiological measures. Croatia is partly favored over the competition, because it is accessible by car from major European markets, offers a diverse structure of accommodation, and still has a favorable epidemiological situation," said Stanicic.

All things considered, Stanicic estimates that at least a third of last year's record result can be achieved in Croatian tourism this year, but he also expects further recovery of tourist flows and gradual strengthening of traffic within Europe, while accustoming citizens to changed circumstances in which they travel and spend their holidays, as well as the adaptation of the tourism industry to the circumstances of the pandemic and the establishment of better air connectivity of major markets and destinations.

"We hope for good results in the off-season, in September and October, when we could achieve results better than a third of the turnover of the same period last year, and if circumstances allow, the first wave of tourist travel from distant markets could begin at the end of the year," said Stanicic.

He also expects that in July and August, when numerous airlines operate, positive tourist trends will show throughout Croatia, with an emphasis on destinations in central and southern Dalmatia, because most flights are announced by airlines for the summer to Split and Dubrovnik airports, and to Zadar, Pula, Zagreb and Rijeka.

June 30, 2020 - Darija Reic of the Croatian National Tourist Board Office in Great Britain comments on the air bridge and British interest in Croatia. 

Over the last few days, the media has been talking about negotiations between Great Britain and specific European destinations on the so-called "air bridge", including Croatia. On Sunday, the story received additional media focus, as well as concrete official outlines.

Namely, Priti Patel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Dailymail that negotiations are underway with individual countries, regarding the establishment of an air bridge without quarantine, and that the ministry is working "overnight" to achieve them.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

Most importantly, there is a great demand, and travel agencies from the UK are overwhelmed by the demand for travel to Europe, as well as Croatia.

As Patel points out, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans to enable Brits to go on vacation to the safest destinations without quarantine for 14 days, and it is expected to come into force on July 6.

HRTurizam spoke with the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Representation in Great Britain, Darija Reic, about the possible air bridge as well as the interest in Croatia from the UK market.

When asked about the interest in Croatia in the British market, Reic pointed out that Croatia ranks high as a safe destination, since the beginning of the pandemic, and even today.

"In the last two days since the news was announced about the categorization of destinations to which it will be possible to travel from Great Britain without the need to quarantine on return, there has been increased interest in Croatia, which has been ranked high as a safe destination since the pandemic. Airlines operate their programs in accordance with the decisions and recommendations of the Government, and we already have flight announcements from the beginning of July to Pula and Rijeka, and from mid-July to Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik. The representative office in Great Britain also records high interest and increased number of inquiries from the public, especially last weekend," Reic points out.

As for the negotiations on the air bridge, they are conducted at the state level, and the CNTB office in London, as Reic points out, continuously communicates that we are open to British tourists and that Croatia is a safe destination, ready to receive guests.

Considering the corona situation, but also the economic crisis, the question is how much it has left a mark on the financial power of British tourists who are known as guests with high consumption. According to the research Thomas Summer 2017, tourists from the United Kingdom are right behind tourists from the USA in terms of the highest daily consumption per person - 139 euro. And in the past few years, consumption has certainly grown even more, thanks to the large number of young British tourists who have visited festivals on the Adriatic.

Reic points out that the British are extremely careful about the value of money, and logically, as well as their reduced travel budget, following COVID-19. "Britons traditionally like to get more for their money, and in light of the pandemic and weakened economic power, it is to be expected that price will be a strong motivator in choosing a destination."

What is important at the moment is concrete negotiations at the state level, not just media speculation, and there is great interest in Croatia from the UK market. More official positive news can be expected in the coming days around the air bridge between the UK and Croatia. 

To better position itself on the UK market, Reic points out that the CNTB campaign is underway in the UK market, and that the British will currently look for smaller tourist locations or "hidden gems" that are very common on the Adriatic coast and islands.

“Split, Dalmatia, Dubrovnik and the Neretva Valley are traditionally the favorite regions of the British. What many certainly want to experience is, for example, a visit to Dubrovnik without the usual crowds. In light of the pandemic and social distancing, tourists will look for smaller tourist locations and 'hidden gems', which are very common on the coast and islands, and they should be given special attention to communication activities. Well-known specialized travel magazines have authority and weight, and national newspapers mostly have sections dedicated to travel that serve as an inspiration to readers, with a huge reach, especially online. Nowadays, when we really spend a lot of time on mobile phones and laptops, online communication is crucial, and interactive content such as video ads attract special attention," Reic concluded.

June 4, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) announced that Croatia has positioned itself as a safe and desirable tourist destination thanks to its excellent epidemiological situation, which is confirmed by numerous airline announcements.

Despite the global coronavirus pandemic, which still has a strong impact on international tourism trends, Croatia has additionally positioned itself as a safe and desirable tourist destination due to its excellent epidemiological situation in the international market. This is confirmed by numerous announcements of airlines that will connect Croatian destinations with key markets during the main summer months. According to information gathered by the Croatian National Tourist Board through its representative offices, most flights have been announced for the second half of June and early July for the airports of Split and Dubrovnik, as well as for Zadar, Pula, Zagreb and Rijeka. Most flights to Croatian destinations were announced from the markets of Germany, Benelux and France.

"Most tourist traffic in Croatia is realized through road traffic, i.e., through arrivals by car, which, with a share of about 75 percent, is the most common way to come to our country. However, in recent years, Croatia has positioned itself as an air destination, and this is especially important in the current circumstances in which our offer, safety, but also transport accessibility we have to fight for our share in the tourist market. Awakening air traffic again will help Croatian destinations, especially Dubrovnik and Split, to be more accessible to many travel enthusiasts," said Croatian National Tourist Board director Kristjan Staničić.

Among the announced routes to Split are Austrian Airlines flights from Austria, Luxairtours, Transavia and easyJet from Benelux, Transavia and easyJet from France, Condor and Eurowings from Germany, easyJet and Wizz Air from Great Britain. Confirmed is also a Croatia Airlines flight that will connect Split with Rome from mid-June. Austrian Airlines flights from Austria, Luxairtours, TUI, easyJet, and Brussels Airlines from Benelux, Transavia and easyJet from France have been announced for Dubrovnik, as well as flights from Germany, Hungary, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

According to the announcements, Ryanair, Luxairtours and easyJet will connect Zadar with the Benelux market, while Ryanair will also connect this Croatian destination with German destinations, including Stuttgart, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Karlsruhe and Cologne. According to the announcements, Pula will be connected with Ryanair, Luxairtours and easyJet flights to the Benelux market, and flights from Paris, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and London have also been announced. Flights from the markets of Germany, Great Britain and Benelux have been announced for the airports of Rijeka and Zagreb.

We would like to remind you that Croatia Airlines, in addition to the existing international routes from Zagreb to Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Zurich, will also offer flights connecting the Croatian capital with Brussels, Munich, Sarajevo, London and Rome from June 15, from Zagreb to Dublin on June 16, and to Vienna from June 18.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

Read the Croatian Travel Update in your language - now available in 24 languages

Join the Total Croatia Travel INFO Viber community.

June 1, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board is conducting a large promotional campaign titled 'The Vacation You Deserve Is Closer Than You Think' in seven European markets - Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland.

Dalmatinski Portal writes that the campaign will be active during June and July, and is carried out by intensive advertising on Facebook and Instagram, advertising on YouTube, placing ads through the most-watched TV channels, most read portals and newspapers in each market and through outdoor advertising on billboards, city lights and digital panels.

Promotional materials and ads created for advertising are adapted to all six language variants and include tourist products that are best accepted in certain markets and are the motive for the arrival of guests at this time of year, namely the sun and sea, nautical tourism, natural beauty, active tourism through cycling and camping, but also the cultural offer. As part of the campaign, a new promotional video of 30 and 15 seconds was created, which will be used for advertising on online and offline channels in these markets.

"The first reactions to the launched campaign are extremely positive and we believe that they will encourage our traditionally loyal guests from the surrounding markets to spend their holidays in our country. Along with the campaign we are conducting, on a daily basis, we communicate to numerous partners, tour operators, agents and tourists through the network of our Representative Offices the latest information on the possibilities of crossing the Croatian border, the readiness of accommodation facilities to receive guests, and epidemiological guidelines on beaches, swimming pools and restaurants. With each new day, optimism is slowly awakening and I believe that in the end our tourist traffic during June, July and August will be much better than we hoped a month ago at the height of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic," said CNTB Director Kristjan Stanicic, noting that when good epidemiological conditions and a positive atmosphere for travel are created, the same campaign will be launched in the markets of Italy, France and the Netherlands.

Markets that are primarily air destinations for Croatian tourism, such as Great Britain, Scandinavia, USA, Canada, China, South Korea, are targeted through the campaign 'Enjoy The View From Croatia', in which all stakeholders can participate with their photos and videos.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.