December 4, 2019 - The Ministry of Tourism, the Croatian Tourist Board, and UNICEF are cooperating on promoting children's rights in the Croatian tourism sector.

HRTurizam writes that the main objective of this cooperation is to promote good tourism practices in the context of young guests, the children of families employed in tourism, and young students and workers.

As part of the cooperation, the Ministry of Tourism, the Croatian Tourist Board and UNICEF will promote the importance of caring for children's rights in the tourism sector, through conferences, congresses, and other events, and organize training on children's rights for tourism professionals. The Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian Tourist Board will also support UNICEF's programs to help the most vulnerable children in Croatia and their families.

"Tourism is an industry of experience and emotions, and we desire that all children who visit Croatia have the opportunity to see all the best that Croatia has to offer so they can remember it forever. Likewise, tourism can be an opportunity for everyone to create together. That is why the Ministry of Tourism always encourages children and students to be creative and innovative through part of its youth programs. We want young people to be involved in creating competitive and responsible tourism, which is why working with UNICEF is another step towards building the foundations for the future of Croatian tourism, because ultimately, people are always the key to success,” said Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli.

"We are extremely proud of our cooperation with UNICEF in promoting children's rights in the tourism sector in Croatia, especially considering that children up to the age of 14 make up 18% of the total Croatian tourist traffic and form a significant segment in tourism. Accordingly, a large number of our promotional campaigns around the world, but also our total tourist offer, is directed precisely at families with children,” said Croatian Tourist Board Director Kristjan Stanicic.

Globally, UNICEF works with the travel and tourism sectors, governments and civil society organizations to promote the perspective of children's rights and to support companies in the sector in identifying and managing their impacts on children.

Cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian Tourist Board is an important step in the realization of children's rights in Croatian tourism and contributes to the sustainable development of tourism and society as a whole, points out Regina M. Castillo, Head of the UNICEF Office in Croatia, and adds:

“Tourism, as an important industry, has a great impact on children. The safety of children traveling with their parents, decent wages and working conditions for parents or guardians, working conditions for young employees, care for the environment in which children grow and develop are just some of the areas of interaction of the tourism sector with children. The Ministry of Tourism and the Croatian Tourist Board are strong partners who, together with UNICEF, will work to raise awareness of these impacts and promote good practices that will positively impact the lives of children and their families. We are happy that one of the leading tourist groups in Croatia - Arena Hospitality Group - will join us in this important work,” said Regina M. Castillo, Head of UNICEF Office in Croatia.

Arena Hospitality Group is the first tourism group in Croatia to support families with children from the welfare system in Istria County in cooperation with UNICEF.

On this occasion, a partnership between Arena Hospitality Group and UNICEF was announced to support UNICEF's Stronger Family Program initiative, which improves the quality of social support for families with disabilities.

Arena Hospitality Group will launch a series of activities focused on guests and employees in its selected hotels, resorts, and camps in collaboration with UNICEF to promote children's rights and solidarity with the most vulnerable members of our society. The funds raised through the cooperation will be used to support families with children from the social care system in the County of Istria.

“Arena Hospitality Group, as the first Croatian hotel company to expand its portfolio beyond the borders of Croatia, is continuously investing in the development of social responsibility towards its guests, employees, partners, shareholders and the community in which it operates. In our work, we are especially focused on families with children who strive to provide a variety of quality facilities and the highest level of service. But we also take into account the needs of families with children in our community who are facing various life difficulties. By joining forces with UNICEF, we will support the implementation of the "For a Stronger Family" program initiative, which will help strengthen systemic support for the most vulnerable families with children in Istria County. We are particularly proud to include our employees in the project, who, through activities with families and children, will draw attention to the importance of solidarity with our guests,” said Reuel Slonim, CEO of Arena Hospitality Group d.d.

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

ZAGREB, December 2, 2019 - A crew of Russia's MUZ TV music channel is currently in Zagreb where it is filming Zagreb's Christmas market as well as the SalajLand Christmas light show in Cažma, the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) said on Monday.

MUZ TV is Russia's version of MTV and the production crew will stay in Zagreb until December 4 where it will shoot on site at Zagreb's Christmas market and the SalajLand Christmas light show, which will be broadcast on its Independent Traveler show on December 21.

"In the past three seasons, the show has attracted more than 25 million viewers throughout Russia. I am certain that the show from Zagreb and SalajLand will be an opportunity for a lot of Russians to come to know Croatia as a quality all-year round destination with a very rich offer during the winter months too," HTZ director Kristjan Staničić said.

Daily direct flights between Zagreb and Moscow throughout the year will certainly contribute to the positive trends from the Russian market, added Staničić.

The increase of the tourist turnover from the Russian market this year will be almost 14% and interest by Russian tourists for Croatian destinations is constantly rising, the director of HTZ office in Russia, Rajko Ružička said.

This is the third study tour that HTZ has organised for Russian television. A crew for the "Let's Go, Let's Eat" show on NTV filmed in Croatia in June, and in September the Friday TV did some shooting for its show "Orel I reshka".

More tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

November 26, 2019 - The Croatian National Tourist Board has launched a promotional Croatia Advent campaign as one of the key motives for traveling here in the winter. 

HRTurizam reports that the campaign is being implemented in the markets of Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, France, Switzerland, Spain, Hungary and Slovenia until the end of December this year. The communication channels through which the campaign is advertised are YouTube and social networks Facebook and Instagram.

The Advent campaign is implemented through the new promotional video "Croatia, full of magic" and encourages the Advent offer of Croatian destinations.

According to the Croatia National Tourist Board, the campaign leads the user to the page "Croatia.hr", where in addition to Advent in Zagreb, which won the title of the best Christmas fair in Europe for three years in a row, the Advent events of SalajLand, Slavonia, Dalmatia, Kvarner, Istria and continental Croatia are also promoted. 

Over 50 foreign established journalists, bloggers and influencers from 11 European countries will visit Croatia in the organization of the Croatian National Tourist Board in December and will have the opportunity to get to know and experience the Croatia Advent offer firsthand. For example, Croatia will be visited by Russian MUZ TV, which creates the show "Independent Traveler", which is viewed by more than 25 million viewers across Russia.

Also, a team from Swedish RES TV and RES Magazine will record three special episodes dedicated to Zagreb's Advent, which are estimated to be watched by a total of 1.5 million viewers in Sweden. Croatian traditional holiday customs will be transmitted to its viewers by TVN Discovery, the oldest and largest private TV station in Poland, which is watched by over 8.38 percent of the entire Polish market.

"In the last few years, our country has become an increasingly sought after and attractive tourist destination in the winter, when diverse Advent programs come to the fore. I believe that the vibrant Advent facilities in many Croatian destinations such as Zagreb, Split, Osijek, Zadar, Rijeka, Porec, Dubrovnik, but also on the islands will attract numerous Croatian and foreign guests and contribute to the conclusion of a very successful tourist year,” said the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić.

According to eVisitor, more than 410,000 tourists visited Croatia during last year's Advent, generating over one million overnight stays.

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

ZAGREB, November 7, 2019 - The Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) and Croatian National Tourism Board (HTZ) on Thursday, presented Croatia's economy and tourism at the China international import expo, which is being held in Shanghai from November 5 to 10.

This is the 2nd edition of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) with more than 150,000 Chinese and foreign buyers and exhibitors from more than 100 countries and Croatia is participating in the expo with its "Croatia Day" exhibition which has enabled numerous contacts between Croatian companies and Chinese partners, HGK and HTZ informed on Thursday.

HGK president, Luka Burilović, said that the Chinese market is no longer reserved for only the most courageous and that the door to the Chinese market is open for the entire world.

"This is an opportunity that we must not miss and this fair is proof that China is turning to imports and reducing its trade surplus. It is important for us to be permanently present here. Our exports to China increased by 25% last year alone which is proof that we can compete on such a large market. On the wings of good indicators and good political relations it is time for even more concrete results," Burilović said.

He added that last year's expo was beyond expectations and business deals valued at 50.8 billion dollars were concluded and that he hopes that Croatian companies will manage to get a piece of that cake, too.

HTZ director Kristjan Staničić underscored that Croatia's exhibition was awarded this year and that this is the 2nd time this year for Croatia to presented its tourism on such an important market.

Staničić explained that so far this year the number of Chinese tourists to Croatia has increased by 24% in arrivals and bed nights year on year, with China being in second place in terms of the number of tourists from distant tourist markets.

According to China's national tourist board, 200 million Chinese residents are expected to travel abroad in 2020 and HTZ expects the number of tourists coming to Europe and Croatia to increase too.

He added that this year 483 Chinese tourist agents completed internet courses on Croatia's culture, nature, gastronomy and adventure tourism.

During the expo Staničić met with one of the most important Chinese partners, Shendi Group and Ctrip for talks on future cooperation.

Ctrip is the largest online tourist agency in China and the second largest in the world and the largest advertiser of hotels and accommodation in China with more than 300 million users in more than 220 countries.

More news about Croatian tourism can be found in the Travel section.

ZAGREB, November 3, 2019 - The year 2020 will be a watershed for Croatian tourism because of a reform of the system, Croatia's Council of the EU presidency and participation in Expo Dubai, the state secretary at the Tourism Ministry, Tonči Glavina, said at a Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) meeting.

The meeting decided on a 2020 public call for the "Sporting Croatia" project as well as on cooperation in the filming of a show for the Chinese market. It also endorsed a draft agreement on the promotion of Croatian tourism during the EU presidency in the first half of 2020.

Glavina said that and participation in Expo Dubai in the second half of the year were excellent opportunities for Croatia to present its business and cultural products. "That's why next year we wish to put special emphasis on all the best that Croatia offers, linking different business and cultural segments in order to present them in the best way possible."

HTZ director Kristjan Staničić said the meeting also discussed promotional guidelines and activities in 2020.

The 2020 "Sporting Croatia" project envisages special forms of marketing and PR cooperation as part of sporting projects and events which position Croatia as an attractive year-round tourist destination and which strengthen the national tourist brand.

More tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

ZAGREB, October 25, 2019 - The Croatian National Tourism Board (HTZ) on Friday informed that Croatia has already generated a tourist turnover so far this year which is equal to the figures for the entire year last year.

Thus 19.7 million arrivals and 106.2 million bed nights have been recorded year to date.

According to data kept by the eVisitor, the number of arrivals is up 5% and there are 106.2 million bed nights or 2% more than for the entire year last year.

Last year there were 19.7 million arrivals all up and 106.1 million bed nights.

The most bed nights were spent by tourists from Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Poland, Italy, Czech Republic and Great Britain.

Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Poreč, Split, Medulin, Umag, Vir, Mali Lošinj are the most desirable destinations.

The results broken down by type of accommodation indicate that the most bed nights were generated in household accommodation (38.8 mn), hotels (24.4 mn) and campsites (18.8 mn).

In other tourism news, in 2018, 1.7 million Croatian citizens or 46.5% of the population aged 15 and over went on at least one private trip with overnight stays spending a total of 8.7 billion kuna, 3.8 billion of which was spent in Croatia and 4.8 billion abroad the latest data released by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS) indicate.

The DZS conducted a telephone survey on a sample of 22,000 citizens regarding their tourist activities.

About 1.9 million or 53.5% of Croatian citizens did not go on a private trip with overnight stays in 2018 with the most common reason being lack of finances (51%), health reasons (28.4%), and lack of free time (17.7%).

A total of 4.3 million private trips with overnight stays were realised, of which 2.8 million (64.0%) were realised in Croatia and 1.6 million (36.0%) were realised abroad. The most common international destinations were Bosnia and Herzegovina (21.7%), Germany (13.3%), Slovenia (9.6%), Italy (9.2%) and Austria (7.9%).

The most common reasons for going on a private trip with overnight stays were seaside vacation (1.4 million trips or 31.2%) and visiting relatives and friends (1.3 million trips or 30.6%).

"Average travel expenditure per private trip with overnight stays in Croatia amounted to 1,395 kuna, while for trips abroad, it amounted to 3 076 kuna," the DZS says.

More tourism news can be found in the Travel section.

So far, from the Asian market, Croatia has seen a ten percent increase in arrivals and overnight stays compared to the same period last year. Could tourists from distant markets like Asia be the key to extending the Croatian tourist season?

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 16th of October, 2019, the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) has been presenting the Croatian tourism offer at the ITB Asia fair 2019, the leading tourism fair for the Asia-Pacific tourism industry that brings together international exhibitors from the holiday and corporate segment and is taking place in Singapore from October the 16th to the 18th. The three-day program of the fair is held at Singapore's Marina Bay Sands.

"Participation in ITB Asia 2019 is a continuation of the Croatian National Tourist Board's activities aimed at a very important Asian market, given that Asian tourists mainly travel in the pre- and post tourist season periods and have a great influence on the continued affirmation of Croatia as a year-round tourist destination. The focus of this year's work is to introduce the entire Croatian tourism offer to distant markets such as Australia, USA, China, South Korea and Singapore because our goal is to reduce the dependence of Croatian tourism on traditional European markets,'' said HTZ Director Kristjan Staničić.

As stated, so far, from the Asian market, Croatia has seen a ten percent increase in arrivals and overnight stays compared to the same period last year. Asian tourists opt for an average of two to three overseas trips a year, with one 'long haul' trip lasting between 10 and 21 days. They mostly come to Croatia in June and their favorite destinations are Dubrovnik, Zagreb and Split.

Staničić revealed that the major tour operators are Holiday Tours & Travel Singapore, Pacific Leisure Group, Globe Travels and C&D Global Tourism Group, Inspiring Vacations, and Wings Away Travel, which have already confirmed increased interest in Croatia in 2020.

As part of the first day of the fair, Staničić also held meetings with Kristian Brumby, Director of International Partnerships, OTT's global renowned online travel learning platform for travel destinations, which is the primary source of knowledge for travel professionals worldwide.

It is used monthly by more than 20,000 tourism professionals who choose from 200 offered courses. A meeting was also held with Gianluigi Bazzini, commercial manager of Skyscanner, one of the world's most famous travel searches for airline flights, accommodation, car rental, travel agencies with over 100 million individual visits on a monthly basis. The possibility of future co-operation was discussed, since Skyscanner has been part of Ctrip since 2016, the largest agency in China and the second largest travel agency in the whole world.

According to the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Zagreb Tourist Board are participating in this, otherwise the twelfth fair.

''We've been performing continuously on this most significant Asian market since 2011, and we're seeing a growing audience interest in the Croatian capital. We're presenting the holiday and business offer of Zagreb with a special emphasis on health tourism and a cultural segment that is of great interest to guests from Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, other Far Eastern countries and Australia,'' noted Zagreb Tourist Board Director Martina Bienenfeld.

The importance of appearing at ITB Asia is especially evident in the structure of Zagreb's visitors, because along with the tourists from the United States of America and Germany, at the top of the arrivals and overnight stays list in Zagreb are tourists from the Far East and Australia.

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

October 9, 2019 - Battle Trip, the most popular South Korean TV show, is using Croatia as its home base this week. 

HRTurizam reports that the Croatian National Tourist Board and Bluesun Hotels, in cooperation with Korean National Television KBS and A9, hosted the production crew of the most popular South Korean TV show 'Battle Trip', as well as Korea's biggest pop stars Park Cho-rong and Yoon Bo-mi.

The crew is on a six-day visit to Croatian destinations, which will be featured in the popular TV show. Otherwise, the Battle Trip broadcast on the KBS channel is followed by over 25 million viewers in South Korea, as well as a large number of Korean expatriates, predominantly in the US, via KBS World.

Korean pop stars Park Cho-rong and Yoon Bo-mi, who are currently in Croatia, are members of the K-pop group Red Velvet. They are followed on social networks by 8.3 million followers on Instagram and 1.3 million followers on Facebook.

The Battle Trip production will visit Zagreb, Hrvatsko Zagorje, Split, Makarska Riviera, and Brac.

HTZ

During their journey, they will learn about traditional Croatian customs such as making gingerbread hearts in Zagorje, enjoying gastronomic delicacies in Split, but also experiencing an off-road buggy adventure in Baska Voda and cycling around Brac. The show, which is 90 minutes long, will be broadcast in South Korea in about a month.

"Croatian destinations have made their way into excellent locations for top films, series, and shows. The positive impact of world-renowned shows and films on the global promotion of our country is beyond question, which is confirmed by the huge jump in our country's popularity in the Korean market after the Korean reality show 'The Romantic' was filmed in Zagreb in 2013. I am sure that the popularity of Croatia in Korea will increase further after their music stars stay in our country, but also after the most-watched South Korean TV show is broadcast,” said Croatian Tourist Board director Kristjan Stanicic, adding that the recent formal opening of the HTZ Representative Office in Seoul further increased Croatia’s promotional activities in Korea.

South Korea, with 51 million inhabitants and an established direct flight between Zagreb and Seoul by Korean Air, represents a significant market potential for Croatia.

To date this year, Croatia recorded over 317,000 arrivals and 402,000 overnight stays from the Korean market, which represents an increase of almost 5 percent in overnight stays compared to the same period last year.

According to the realized number of overnights, the destinations that record the highest traffic from the Korean market are Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, and Plitvice Lakes. Korean tourists mostly visit Croatia in the pre and post-season, mainly during May and June and September and October.

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

ZAGREB, October 3, 2019 - Croatia's five Slavonian counties want to develop tourism, they invest in tourism and other infrastructure and in specific types of services, and they have been recording increases in visits, it was said at an event marking the start of Croatian Tourism Days in the eastern town of Vukovar on Wednesday.

The heads and deputy heads of the five Slavonian counties attending the event expressed confidence that tourism could be a lever of development of the entire region, notably its economy.

Croatian Tourism Days will be taking place in the five counties on October 2-4, with Vukovar, Vinkovci and Osijek as the host towns. Attending the opening ceremony at Vukovar's Eltz Manor were several hundred guests, mostly tourism workers from around Croatia, local officials and politicians.

The heads of the five Slavonian counties underlined the need for tourism to help revitalise the region, notably its villages and agricultural production.

Speakers at the event agreed that with the restoration of cultural and historical heritage, notably castles and monuments, and with the promotion of cycling infrastructure, wine and food production, and conditions for hunting and other forms of tourism, the five counties could only prosper.

Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said that the government would soon present a strategic marketing plan for tourism in Slavonia, which was made in cooperation with the five counties and which would define guidelines for tourism development in that region. The people of Slavonia want to and know how to develop tourism, and some have already done a great deal of work and I thank them for that, he said.

Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) head Luka Burilović said that Slavonia faced several major challenges in the development of tourism, including primarily the development of agricultural and food production, for which it had always been known.

"It is necessary to increase the number of hotels as there are not enough hotels, as well as deal with the issue of labour force and wages and work as many months a year as possible to reduce seasonality. But tourism in not a magic wand that can solve all the problems of Slavonia, a lot of work is needed and it can encourage changes in other sectors as well," he said.

Before the opening event, Minister Cappelli visited Ilok where he signed contracts with 60 recipients of the Tourism Ministry's funds for development of tourism infrastructure.

During Croatian Tourism Days, tourist workers and local officials will visit Kutjevo, Slavonski Brod, Požega, Osijek, Vukovar and Vinkovci.

This is the first time the annual conference of tourism professionals is being held in the country's interior.

More news about Croatian tourism can be found in the Travel section.

September 30, 2019 -  This winter, Dubrovnik will be connected to seven world capitals (Frankfurt, London, Istanbul, Warsaw, Rome, Barcelona, and Athens), and with the Croatian capital - Zagreb.

HRTurizam reports that direct flights between Frankfurt and Dubrovnik throughout the year, co-organized by the Dubrovnik National Tourist Board, the Croatian national carrier Croatia Airlines and the Croatian National Tourist Board, was presented in Frankfurt late last week to fifty German travel agents and travel journalists.

At the Croatian restaurant Damiro Westsite in downtown Frankfurt, director of the Representative Office of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Frankfurt, Romeo Draghicchio, emphasized that the promotion of Dubrovnik in the winter months fits into the strategic plans of Croatian tourism, which seeks to extend the season. Dubrovnik has made the most progress in this regard, and this direct connection in the winter is ideal for attracting additional guests from Frankfurt and its surroundings in the winter.

Mato Radic, director of the Croatia Airlines branch in Frankfurt, presented the winter flights with an emphasis on the direct connection from Frankfurt, which will operate three times a week during the winter months, while Silvana Turcic, director of the Travel Observatory in Zagreb, presented the winter package deals to the present travel agents.

“The Frankfurt-Dubrovnik direct winter flight will operate for the third year within the strategic projects of the Croatian National Tourist Board, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board and Croatia Airlines. At the initiative of the Tourist Board and Croatia Airlines, all open hotels participate in the winter programs," said the director of the Tourist Board, Romana Vlasic.

Vlasic expressed her satisfaction with the excellent air connectivity of the two cities and the number of German tourists, who make up the third-biggest tourist market in Dubrovnik. 

The Dubrovnik Tourist Board has designed and printed leaflets on all events during the winter in Croatian, English, and German, which will be available to all visitors at the Tourist Information Offices.

Dubrovnik welcomed 77,723 German guests in 2018, which is 22% more than the previous year. The German market also achieved 273,764 overnights, or 7% more than in 2017.

You can read more about Dubrovnik’s winter program here. 

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