February 16, 2020 - The final schedule of the One Day or Day One #hrturizam2030 conference has been published, bringing together some of the top names of Croatian tourism's public and private sector.  

I have never seen a conference organised from a conversation over a kitchen table to realisation before, and it has been really inspiring seeing the progress of Goran Rihelj and his indefatigable wife Mirjam to make 'One Day or Day One #hrturizam' a reality at Congress Centre Forum Zagreb on April 2. 

Goran, of course, was the man whose initiative to bring Days of Croatian Tourism to Slavonia last year really put the spotlight on the potential of tourism in eastern Croatia. And now his #DayOne conference is bringing together key stakeholders in the public and private sector in Croatian tourism to focus on areas of agreement and cooperation to build a roadmap of progress for a better future for Croatian tourism. 

The programme, which will be in both English and Croatian with simultaneous translation available, has now been published. Apart from the presentation by keynote speaker and acclaimed global tourism guru, Doug Lansky, there is bound to be great interest in the panel with Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli and Croatian National Tourist Board Director, Kristjan Stanicic, discussing where they are aiming to get Croatian tourism to by 2030.  

In addition to the speeches and panels, there will also be a gastro and wine show by celebrity chef Mate Jankovic and wine expert Sasa Spiranec. 

And after a stimulating day, perhaps the most interesting part in terms of networking - Night One, the after-party, where there will the chance to mingle and network with the many progressive tourism professionals who will be attending, as well as meeting some of the speakers. 

I am delighted that TCN is able to support #DayOne as media partners, as well as having the chance to present my own contribution, 5 Gifts Croatian Tourism is Ignoring, and How to Fix This. You can see my video message supporting the conference in the video above. 

To reserve your tickets, visit the dedicated page on the HRTurizam website.

If you have any questions or need help from me, contact me on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

February 14, 2020 - Long-standing relationships between hosts and guests used to be a hallmark of tourism on the Adriatic. Is it time to bring back the relationship between tourism and the community?

A few years ago, I was contacted by an Englishman living in Samobor requesting a meeting about promoting a project he was involved in. 

We met in Zagreb and soon realised that we had a love of one thing in common - Jelsa, that lovely little town on Hvar that I then called home. As the drinks flowed, it became apparent that our joint love was a bit more personal. 

He went on to explain that for more than 15 years, he had holidayed at the same apartment with his wife, a lovely spot with a gorgeous view overlooking the Adriatic, with the most exceptional hosts, Franko and Zorica. They watched Franko and Zorica's four kids grow up, and the relationship built up between the two families became almost as important as the holiday itself. 

And then one day, sadly, the relationship ended. 

Apparently, because of me. 

HIs hosts of many years informed his that their daughter was moving into the apartment with her English fiancee, and it would no longer be available for renting. And here we were, in a pub in Zagreb, meeting each ofher for the first time almost 15 years later. 

It wasn't the first such strong bond I came across between people I met, who had been guests of my in-laws. A Belgian guy told me about his family holidays in Jelsa which were the highlight of his childhood, until his mother tragically died when he was about 8. We did a feature story on his new business some time ago and included a photo of his mother. When my mother-in-law saw the article, she reproduced exactly the same photo of his mother, along with letters that were exchanged between the families in between visits.  

When I first moved to Jelsa, these relationships were the norm, not the exception, and I would often learn interesting and fun facts about my future wife and her family, who had known them for decades. 

That was then. This is now. 

While it is undoubtedly true that such relationships continue to exist, they are only a fraction of what they used to be. With the surge in private accommodation, as well as Internet booking, often tourists do not even meet their hosts, accessing their accommodation via keypads and the like. It is a fundamental shift in the tourism experience, which is a little regrettable if understandable. Modern tourism has moved on to the Instagram pose and seeing as many places without actually taking the time to enjoy the experience. 

I was reminded of all this in a meeting about a digital nomad project we are engaged in, where I was talking to co-working specialist Tanja Polegubic from Saltwater Split. 

"Digital nomads love the idea of a home-cooked meal, a simple but fantastic experience."

Imagine grandma making her best sarma for 8 nomads. A really authentic experience for which they would probably pay less than in a restaurant, and some money would go into grandma's pocket. 

It got me thinking to some of my most memorable travel experiences all over the globe, and that interaction with the community was the runaway winner in my memories. Experiences like being invited into the home of an Afghan refugee in southern Iran for lunch and a game of chess, that kind of thing. 

When I first arrived in Jelsa for that initial weekend in peak season August 2002, we went to an accommodation agency to find a place to stay. One phone call later, and two 5-year-old girls turned up to take us to Grandma's apartment. They sat on our knees in our car as they guided us through the back streets. Grandma was waiting with a welcome rakija and a chat. These are the only memories I have of my stay that first night. About the accommodation itself - nothing. 

The concept of tourism and community is under attack from overtourism in general, but I wonder if a little more attention and initiatives to strengthen the relationship between tourism and the community might yield a better tourism experience for both sides, as well as reigniting that loyalty which was the hallmark of tourism here. 

After all, Grandma's sarma is hard to beat. 

As Morski writes on the 10th of February, 2020, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, as of December 2019, there were 372.2 thousand tourist arrivals and 776.7 thousand tourist nights in commercial accommodation, which is 6.5 percent and 5.9 percent more than in the same month of 2018, which is excellent news for Croatian tourism.

In 2019, 19.57 million tourist arrivals and 91.24 million tourist nights were realised in commercial accommodation, which is 4.8 percent and 1.8 percent more (respectively) than back in 2018. Structurally, last year's growth in tourist nights resulted from an increase in the number of overnight stays by domestic (9.5 percent) and foreign (1.2 percent) tourists.

In the structure of overnight stays made up by foreign tourists, the most overnight stays were recorded by tourists from Germany (19.94 million), Slovenia (7.50 million) and Austria (7.06 million), with tourists from Germany (-0.2 percent) and Austria (-0.1 percent) realised almost the same number of nights, while tourists from Slovenia recorded an increase (3.1 percent). Tourists from these three countries alone accounted for as much as 41 percent of overnight stays realised by foreign tourists.

This continues the concentration of Croatian tourism, which, apart from the above, can also been seen in the data that about 65 percent of all overnight stays are spent in only three Croatian counties (Istria, Split-Dalmatia and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County) and that about 60 percent of all nights will be realised in just two months (July and August).

With the revival of many other Mediterranean countries which have always been traditional rivals of Croatia with their own, often cheaper offers, it wouldn't be surprising that the country eventually ''comes down'' from riding the record tourism wave. For this year, however, Croatian tourism can likely expect a continued increase in the number of tourist nights realised by foreign visitors.

Over the last five years, there has been a noticeable increase in the share of overnight stays realised by tourists from the United Kingdom, and British citizens ranked fifth in terms of tourist spending in the first three quarters of 2019. Foreign exchange income from tourism is also expected to increase this year.

Make sure to follow our dedicated travel page for much more.

February 6, 2020 - New tourism conference 1 Day of Day 1 #hrturizam2030 announces leading global tourism thinker Doug Lansky as its keynote speaker, with Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli also confirmed in an impressive and high-profile programme of speakers. 

For a man who has never organised a conference before, Goran Rihelj from HRTurizam is putting on quite a show. 

As previously reported on TCN, a new tourism conference, aimed at positivity and achievability, bringing the key stakeholders in the public and private sector in Croatian tourism, will take  place at Forum Congress Centre in Zagreb on April 2. 

The final list of speakers is almost confirmed, the schedule is by far the most engaging and thought-provoking I have seen at any tourism conference in Croatia, and I encourage anyone with an interest in a better future for Croatian tourism to attend. The schedule will be published in the next few days, and tickets will be available online next week, with a special early bird price. 

I am particularly excited - but for very different reasons - at the attendance of two speakers in particular - tourism guru Doug Lansky, and Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli. 

I certainly don't agree with everything the minister says and does, as followers of TCN may have noticed, but I think it is fantastic that he has decided not only to support Goran's excellent initiative but also to speak. The minister will be participating, along with senior representation from the Croatian National Tourist Board, on a panel discussing where Croatian tourism will be in 2030. The panel will be moderated by PR expert Kresimir Macan, former Communications Director for current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. 

Cappelli's willingness to engage is commendable, one of several senior officials to support Goran's conference, and I really believe that this could be the starting point for a new era of cooperation and understanding between public and private sector in this most important sector of the Croatian economy. 

I am delighted to support Goran as well, and I will be speaking in the morning on 5 Tourism Gifts Croatia is Ignoring, and How to Fix This. Croatian speakers can read more about this on Goran's site.

And I won't mention the beach or the Adriatic Sea once, I promise. 

But I am really excited by the announcement of the keynote speaker, Doug Lansky. Excited not only because he is an outstanding addition to the conference, but also because his messages are exactly the ones Croatia's tourism chiefs need to hear. And this time they will, for they will taking part in the conference. 

I first met Doug Lansky at the Crikvenica International Health Tourism conference a few months ago, where he not only gave an outstanding keynote speech on successful tourism, but also two thought-provoking workshops. I wrote about my impressions of Doug's message at CIHT here.

For those who want to catch Doug Lansky down in Dubrovnik, he will also be speaking at EPIC 2020, the first European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress on March 19 - 21, another outstanding addition to the Croatian conference season. 

More details of One Day or Day One #hrturizam when we get them. See you there. 

Croatia seems to have more conferences than most countries, some more useful than others. A fabulous addition for 2020, however, a new Croatian tourism initiative which should bring about dialogue, cooperation and change. Why One Day or Day One #hrturizam2030 is different and deserves your support. 

A few months ago, I finally accepted a longstanding invitation from a chap called Goran Rihelj to visit him in Vinkovci in eastern Croatia. Until I first met Goran, I had never heard of Vinkovci and I was astonished to learn that it was the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe, dating back 8,300 years (there is plenty to learn about this amazing town - here is a taster from my trip). In case there was any danger that I might forget the fact, each of Goran's emails were signed off with a greeting from the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe. 

Goran is well-known in Croatia as the man behind the biggest and best tourism portal in Croatia, HR Turizam, an impartial B2B platform which does a great service to Croatia's tourism industry, even its the industry stakeholders do not recognise the quality and importance of his work as they should. He is a man with a vision of how things should be, with a quiet determination to see things through. Having put Vinkovci very firmly on the map, his most notable achievement last year was to move the entire tourism industry from a sexy destination on the coast to multiple locations in Slavonia and eastern Croatia for the annual Days of Croatian Tourism awards. 

When Goran first mentioned the idea on his portal, there was derision in certain quarters from conversations I had. There was no way that Slavonia could stage such an event, and the coast was a much more attractive venue for tourism officials to party at the end of the season. But Goran did not give up, and slowly his campaign got traction, and then the official announcement - Days of Croatian Tourism 2019 was to be held in Slavonia! It was a really good few days, and eastern Croatia put on a really good show, especially Osijek, and I lost count of the number of tourism officials who were not only on their first visit, but also astonished by the quality of the offer. It was a very important step of progress for tourism in eastern Croatia.

And so there we were, sitting at Goran's dining table in the oldest continuously inhabited town in Europe with his lovely wife Mirjam, discussing the problems of Croatian tourism, the potential, the dysfunctionality of the relationship between the public and the private sector. 

"Why don't we organise a conference? Cal lit something like Croatian Tourism Beyond Bullsh*t, a 2030 Vision?" I ventured. "Get the stakeholders together and talk about the real issues."

We laughed.

And then Goran told me that he had been planning a conference for a couple of years.

And then he went on to explain his concept. And his concept was rather good, much better than mine. All he needed was a little push to make his dream a reality - which it will be on April 2 at Forum Congress Centre in Zagreb. 

Although our styles are different, TCN and HRTurizam are similar in that both portals want a better future for Croatian tourism, and looking at - and learning from - best practices elsewhere, as well as engaging in constructive criticism, are tools to get to that end. Goran would rather focus on a problem and work towards a solution, which he did to such good effect with Days of Croatian Tourism and the promotion of Slavonia. 

I don't think I am revealing any State secrets when I say that there is a large disconnect between Croatia's public tourism bodies and its private businesses. And for all the potential we talk about, very little of that potential is realised. Rather than name-calling and criticising, why not accept that there are certain things that will not change and focus instead on working to change things were public and private sector can agree and move forward together? 30% change is better than zero change, and once relationships are built, who knows how much further things could progress? After all, the idea - even two years ago - that Days of Croatian Tourism could come to Slavonia was laughable. 

And Goran's determination made it happen. 

After that late-night dinner table conversation in Vinkovci in October, I left Goran to get on with his plans and then we met a month ago to chat about his progress. 

One Day or Day One - #hrturizam was a concept that was coming along nicely. Will we keep on talking about realising the potential of Croatian tourism and one day it may happen, ot shall we make this conference Day One of meaningful change?

And this was not just a one-day conference concept. His plan was to take the discussions and agreements from the conference and put them into a transparent white paper, with road maps and timeframes on how to achieve interim goals. And then to meet at the same conference the following year to discuss progress, made, resolve issues preventing that progress, and to make a road map for the following year. And he is offering the neutral HR Turizam project to be the platform to monitor progress and effect change. 

A conference which would engage stakeholders from all sides - from the openly, albeit constructively, crtiical such as myself, to the Minister of Tourism, Gari Cappelli, who has confirmed his attendance. The focus will be on positivity, looking forward, and developing strategies and initiatives together. I will be speaking, for example, on the topic - 5 Tourism Gifts Croatia is Ignoring, and How to Fix This.

I have seen the planned list of speakers, not all of whom are confirmed, but there is a nice blend from the public and private sector. In addition to Minister Cappelli, Denis Ivosevic, Istrian Tourist Board director will be talking about the synergy between the public and private sector with brands such as BMW and Bayern Munich. The pioneer of Croatia's medical tourism industry, Ognjen Bagatin, will be presenting with Deputy Minister of Health, Mate Car, on public-private cooperation in the health tourism industry. Petra Butkovic will speak on the success of clusters in Lika, Berislav Sokac from the phenomenal Run Croatia project, and PR and branding gurus, Kresimir Macan and Bozo Skoko. There were also be keynote speeches from international tourism experts, the details of which are being finalised. 

And, lest we forget the potential of Croatia's gourmet potential, a cooking show run by celebrity chef Mate Jankovic, and the wines of Croatia introduced by Sasa Spiranec, will ensure that there will be much more than just food for thought for the conference participants. 

There is a quiet determination in several quarters to improve both the quality and the cohesiveness of Croatia's tourism promotion and execution, and One Day or Day One #hrturizam2030 is an outstanding opportunity to begin that journey together. 

TCN will be fully supporting the conference, and we look forward to seeing you there. You can learn more about Goran's thoughts in this early announcement of the conference (Croatian version and link to HRTurizam website here). 

As Ana Blaskovic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 28th of January, 2020, by launching a strong investment cycle, Croatian tourism can catch up with leading European countries like France, Italy and Spain in terms of productivity, which also means that Croatian tourism can only be sustained by increasing quality, and investing in what creates high added value for the entire economy, especially when it comes to hotels.

This objective should also be put into the Croatian tourism strategy for the upcoming period, which is expected during the year. The prerequisite for activating this potential is to secure a business environment that will attract investors, so in order to jump up the scale in terms of productivity, taxes and barriers to investment should be dramatically reduced.

The conclusion of this analysis is entitled "The contribution of different types of tourism accommodation to value added and economic development" by the independent Croatian economic analyst Velimir Sonje of Archivalytics.

It was presented at the recent ''tourism briefing'' organised by the Croatian Tourism Association (HUT), the first in a series of new format that will present analysis and expert papers in the field of tourism by leading domestic economists, such as Sonje. The aim is to stimulate greater interest from key stakeholders in Croatian tourism, which generates approximately 20 percent of Croatia's GDP, and thus a encourage a better public debate on the role and potential of tourism in the development of the Republic of Croatia as a whole.

As Sonje's analysis has shown, hotel accommodation, which accounts for only 15.7 percent of the country's total accommodation offer, currently generates about 3.7 times the value added per bed compared to accommodation in short-term rental properties, which currently make up 60 percent of Croatia's total offer. According to Sonje, this is a sub-optimal structure that doesn't allow for the maximum economic impact of Croatian tourism and threatens the sustainability of tourism in general.

HUT director Veljko Ostojic also believes that Croatian tourism, at least with its current offer, has a structure that is vulnerable and unsustainable, ie investments in new high-quality hotels are needed. He detailed that in a proposal.

"According to the proposal, subsidies for large enterprises for the reconstruction and construction of four-star hotels should be abolished. We will prove that such a proposal is illogical and, if nothing else, that we need to return to our current state," Ostojic said.

"The comparison of the structure of the tourist offer across the Mediterranean showcases the outdated structure of the offer in Croatia. This is the main reason for the relatively low added value that is created in Croatian tourism. An estimate of value added by type of tourist accommodation shows that hotels and similar accommodation types with an approximate 16 percent share in the number of tourist beds, and a 28 percent share in tourist overnight stays generate approximately 40 percent of added value,'' said Sonje.

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January 28, 2020 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Pula and Osijek.

Ex Yu Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines has ended its seasonal service between Pula and Amsterdam, which ran once per week in the summer. The nonstop flight between Pula and Amsterdam originated in Dubrovnik.

The airline announced that it would no longer work on this route this year, though that it would instead boost operations between Zagreb and Amsterdam.  Namely, frequencies on this route will be increased from seven to eight flights per week. 

The added flight will operate on Tuesdays from April 28 to September 29, 2020. 

This move could be due to competition, as last year, easyJet launched a service between Amsterdam and Pula. 

Furthermore, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Eurowings announced that it is ending its seasonal service between Cologne and Osijek this year. However, that it would keep its service between Stuttgart to Osijek.

This news comes after Eurowings announced it would discontinue flights from Berlin and Dusseldorf to Zagreb just before the summer season, in March. The final flight from Berlin and Dusseldorf to Zagreb is scheduled for March 28, 2020.

Eurowings announced back in November that it would maintain six flights per week from Cologne and five from Stuttgart to Zagreb this summer. The low-cost airline will also operate eight return flights from Hamburg this summer, running once per week between July 8 and August 26, 2020.

Recall, last week, Avio Radar reported that the new Danish carrier Great Dane Airlines would fly on a charter line from Denmark to Rijeka. The line will operate this offseason between Copenhagen and Rijeka, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from September 10 to October 15. 

This service is operated by Best Travel tourist agency, and is also the airline's first charter flight to Croatia. The Embraer ERJ-195 will fly on this route. It is also currently the only direct route from Denmark to Rijeka. 

Avio Radar also reported last week that Tunisia’s national carrier Tunisair would again fly on the Zagreb-Monastir charter service, which will operate once a week, on Wednesdays, from May. 27 to October 7, 2020. The line was last in service in 2014, and will currently be the only direct line from Croatia to any destination in Tunisia. An Airbus A320 aircraft will operate on this line.

And finally, beginning May 4, 2020, Air France will offer another direct flight from Zagreb to Paris.

In addition to the existing two direct flights, one of which is in cooperation with Croatia Airlines, a total of three flights to Paris are on offer on daily. The new flight allows passengers to depart and return to Paris in one day, but also to board a flight to North America.

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

January 27, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board is conducting its first branding campaign this year, which will be implemented in different key periods, in 16 key markets, until the end of July.

HRTurizam reports that the main goal of the brand campaign is to further increase Croatia's recognition as an attractive tourist destination with a rich offer, which is why the focus of this campaign is on the most recognizable Croatian tourism products such as sun and sea, wine and gastronomy, active tourism, nautical tourism, and culture.

The tourist board’s first brand campaign is being conducted in the markets of Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Hungary, France, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Russia, Ukraine, Slovakia and Spain.

Campaign activities will be conducted through online and offline channels, that is, television programs, print media, outdoor and display advertising channels, social networks Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and YouTube channels, the Croatian Tourist Board points out.

“The strength of the Croatian tourism brand has been continuously growing for several years, making our country increasingly recognized as a diverse and quality tourist destination. In order to keep up with positive trends, we have created a brand campaign that is carefully planned as it follows the preferences of each of the 16 selected markets. Our goal is to offer our guests what they are looking for, and that we are successful in showing the preliminary results of the latest TOMAS research, according to which their satisfaction with most elements of the offer grows, especially with the hospitality of the hosts, hiking and biking trails, the presentation of cultural heritage, the quality of information in the destination, but also the variety of events and the gastronomic offer,” said Croatian National Tourist Board Director Kristjan Stanicic.

Otherwise, as previously announced, the Croatian Tourist Board will carry out four major promotional campaigns in 2020, that is, two pre- and postseason promotional campaigns and two brand campaigns.

In addition to the main campaigns of the Croatian National Tourist Board, in 2020, there will also be campaigns for the promotion of business and nautical tourism, advent and a campaign aimed at the domestic market, which will stimulate domestic tourist traffic in the periods before and after the season.

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

January 26, 2020 - While almost every EU Member State registered an increase in domestic tourism, Croatia recorded the third-largest increase in the number of overnight stays of local guests.

HRTurizam reports that the number of tourist overnights in the European Union was expected to reach over 3.2 billion last year, which is up 2.4 percent from 2018. Since 2009, there has been a steady increase in the number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation in the European Union, mainly thanks to the rise in the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists.

In 2019, Spain (469 million nights, + 0.5% more than in 2018) maintained its lead over France (446 million, + 0.8%), Germany (436 million, + 4.0%), Italy (433 million, + 0.9%) and the United Kingdom (375 million, + 5.7%). Croatia recorded 91.2 million overnight stays, which is up 1.8 percent from a year ago.

These early estimates, which include business and private overnight stays, are from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

The highest increase in overnight stays was recorded in Slovakia and Lithuania

The number of overnight stays in tourist accommodation in 2019 increased in almost all Member States, with the highest being recorded in Slovakia (+ 12.6%) and Lithuania (+ 10%). They are followed by the Netherlands (+ 6.8%), the United Kingdom (+ 5.7%) and Romania (+ 5.6%).

On the other hand, the only decrease in the number of overnight stays was recorded in Greece (-3%) and Malta (-2.7%).

The share of overnight stays of domestic tourists is highest in Romania and of foreign tourists in Malta

In the European Union, the number of overnight stays by domestic tourists increased at the same pace (+ 2.4%) between 2018 and 2019 as the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists (+ 2.4%).

Almost every EU Member State registered an increase in the number of overnight stays of domestic guests, with the largest being recorded in Slovakia (+ 15.1%), Cyprus (+ 13%), Croatia (+ 10%), Lithuania (+ 9.9%) and Malta (+ 9.2%).

Also, the number of overnight stays by foreign tourists increased in most Member States, with the largest being recorded in the United Kingdom (+ 19.2%), the Netherlands (+ 10.6%), Lithuania (+ 10%) and Slovakia (+8. 4%).

In the EU Member States, the highest share of domestic tourist overnights was recorded in Romania (83% of total nights), Germany and Poland (80%) and Sweden (75%). On the other hand, the highest share of overnight stays of foreign guests was recorded in Malta (95%), Cyprus (94%), Croatia (92%) and Luxembourg (88%).

You can check out the full report HERE.

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

January 25, 2020 - The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), which is at the New York Times Travel Show from January 24 to 26, said that Croatia is among the most sought-after tourist destinations, based on the results of market research and the booking announcements by major tourist associations. 

Glas Istre reports that HTZ Director Kristjan Stanicic also visited the fair, along with the tourist boards from Zagreb, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Split-Dalmatia, Zadar and Lika-Senj counties, who are also presenting their offer in New York, HTZ announced.

“Presenting the Croatian tourism offer at the New York Fair is of strategic importance, especially if we know that the US market is one of the most important distant markets for Croatia, from which we generate the largest tourist traffic.

The continuation of American Airlines flights between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik will further stimulate US tourist traffic this year, and the ultimate goal we are intensively working on is stronger air connections between the US and Croatia,” said Stanicic.

He noted that 655,000 arrivals and more than 1.8 million overnight stays were recorded in Croatia last year by American tourists, which represents an annual increase of 12 percent.

During his stay in New York, Stanicic met with representatives of Travel Show Marketing Group, a company that specializes in independent events and brings together tourist entities, buyers and sellers in forums they organize around the world. The topic of the meeting was related to the possibility of Croatia hosting the Travel Agent Forum in 2021, when it is estimated that the forum would bring together 90 European suppliers and travel partners and about 150 US travel agencies.

"This year's appearance at the New York Times Travel Show reaffirmed Croatia's popularity as a leading growing destination for Americans and announced another successful year with double-digit arrivals and overnight stays from the US. Croatia is truly one of the most desirable tourist destinations, supported by the market research results and booking announcements by major travel associations such as USTOA, Virtuoso, Signature Travel Network and Travel Leaders Group, and numerous articles in leading US media such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, National Geographic, Financial Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, USA Today,” said Ina Rodin, director of the HTZ New York office.

A meeting was also held with representatives of the platform and mobile application TravPRO MOBILE, the first of its kind in the market to connect mobile learning and sales. It is an agent training and sales consulting program designed to help agents sell destinations more effectively. Currently, they provide services to more than 60,000 professional travel advisors from the United States and are also collaborating with China's leading B2B travel agency, Dragon Trail Interactive.

Otherwise, major trends in Americans' travel last year include multi-generational travel, discovering new destinations and authentic experiences - or “Live Like A Local" experiences, "transformational" travel, responsible tourism, active tourism, and cruises. Americans in Croatia especially love visits to natural and cultural attractions with a focus on UNESCO sites, nautical tourism, active holidays, and especially visits to locations where the famous HBO series Game of Thrones was filmed, as well as one-of-a-kind gastronomic experiences. Americans visit Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb most. 

The New York Times Travel Show is visited by more than 35,000 visitors who view the offer of more than 700 exhibitors from 175 countries around the world, making this fair the largest tourism fair in North America.

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