November 13, 2022 - Before the pandemic in 2019, South Korean tourists were responsible for over 511,000 overnight stays in Croatia, which they consider a safe and desirable destination.

As Poslovni writes, the Korean delegation from the Jeju Tourism Association (JTA) was visiting Istria. On Thursday, they held a meeting with the leaders of the leading destination management company in Croatia and the region, Uniline, who presented Croatia as a safe country in every respect. Great efforts and experience of Uniline in the Asian markets ensured a great interest in Croatia from the guests from South Korea.

"We can state that, after the pandemic, Croatia has returned to the Asian market as a desirable and safe destination. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, guests from this part of the world have not visited Croatia, but this summer, the first tourists have already started coming to our country, and interest is growing. At today's talks, it was announced that a significant number of groups of Korean tourists would arrive in Croatia in the coming period. Guests from South Korea highly appreciate the lifestyle and culture of the destination where they spend their vacation, and they visit Zagreb the most on their tours," said Boris Žgomba, president of Uniline's board.

Uniline opened an office in Seoul in 2017, the company's second office in East Asia after the office in Shanghai, and the long-term goal is for every tenth Korean to get to know the beauty of Croatia.

Data from the period before the pandemic showed how important the emission market of South Korea is. When choosing a holiday destination, tourists from that country especially look at safety and the price-quality ratio and that the destination is suitable for family tourism.

Before the pandemic, in 2019, more than 400,000 tourists from South Korea came to Croatia, which accounted for over 511,000 overnight stays. Before the pandemic, guests from South Korea were the second largest group of foreign guests for the City of Zagreb.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated Travel section.

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. 

The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang from February 9 to 25, 2018.

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