December 18, 2020 – The popular French travel show "Echappées Belles", or "Beautiful Escapades", dedicated one episode entirely to Croatian beauties.

The Croatian National Tourist Board reported that the show "Echappées Belles" dedicated to Croatia was broadcast in primetime on the French state television station France 5.

Danijela Mihalić Đurica, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board in France, said that the popular show "Echappées Belles" will significantly help maintain Croatia's visibility in the French market, given that more than 1.5 million viewers watch the show. Positive promotional effects are expected at the time of the resumption of sales and reservations.

"Namely, due to the epidemiological situation this year, many French people spent holidays at home, which is why it is expected that next tourist season they will travel mostly to close, accessible, and safe destinations. Therefore, we believe that Croatia will take one of the leading positions in the French market," said the director.

This travel episode about Croatia was created due to a collaboration between the French television station France 5 and the Croatian Tourist Board, with the support of the tourist board system. The show shows famous tourist destinations, revealing to viewers unknown facts about the local population's lives and customs.

This time, the show presented Istria and the islands of Pag and Cres as locations of incredible natural beauty and rich cultural heritage, emphasizing gastronomic potential and exceptional hospitality.

An article about Mljet, Hvar, and Korčula, published by one of the most influential French women magazines "Femme Actuelle" confirmed that Croatia is positioned on the French market as a fascinating and attractive tourist destination. The magazine, which has a circulation of half a million copies, is followed by more than three million readers. The author of the article is the renowned French journalist Thierry Lacour, who emphasized that he is fascinated by Mljet's natural beauties, the urbanism of Korčula, the scents of Hvar's lavender, and the impressive vineyards.

"In a country with more than a thousand islands, diversity is constant, and Mljet, Hvar, and Korčula are a concentration of the best that Croatia has to offer, preserved nature, as well as an abundance of historical heritage," said Lacour.

However, the French media have previously highlighted Croatia as a top destination. "Echappées Belles" presented Croatian tourist offer back in June 2017, as well as Istria last summer, when the popular French show "Cuisine Impossible" on French TV channel TF1 also promoted Slavonia and Croatian islands. Other French media also wrote about Croatia, including the prestigious French weekly magazine Le Figaro, which dedicated many pages to Sinj Alka.

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

The stories of Croatia were aired on French national television over the weekend through the 90-minute program "Echappées belles."