May 30th, 2021 - To mark Croatian Statehood Day, the American Niagara Falls lit up in Croatian colors for the first time in history, twice during the evening of May 29th.

Dalmatinski Portal reports, the beautiful night illumination in red, white, and blue lasted from 9 pm to 9:15 pm and from 10 pm to 10:15 pm East Coast time, which in Croatian time falls on the Statehood Day itself, on May 30 in the early morning hours.

Niagara Falls was illuminated by several hundred LED lights, which light up at dusk, every night of the year. Throughout the year, the waterfalls are specially illuminated to mark significant occasions and holidays and as a sign of support to numerous organizations and associations.

This attractive event, which will further draw attention to Croatia as a desirable tourist destination preferred by Americans, was done at the initiative of the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia in New York with the support and engagement of the Croatian Tourist Board.

'With this initiative, we wanted to symbolically mark the connection and strategic partnership between the Republic of Croatia and the United States, from culture, sports, and science to foreign policy, defense, and economy. Croatian emigrants are especially deserving of promoting ties and cooperation between their homeland and the country in which they found their new home', said the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in New York, Nikica Kopačević.

The ceremony was attended by the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the United States Pjer Šimunović, the Mayor of Niagara Falls Robert Restaino, the Military Envoy of the Republic of Croatia to the United States Brigadier General Tomislav Galić, the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Los Angeles Renee Pea, the Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Chicago Sanja Laković, pastor of the Croatian Catholic Parish of Our Lady of Bistrica, Lackawan, New York Rev. Christopher Ćorić and other members of the Croatian community from the state of New York.

‘This special event is important in promoting our country as an attractive tourist destination in the US market. The interest of Americans in our destinations is growing from year to year, which is confirmed by the two newly introduced direct airlines that connect Dubrovnik and New York this season, which makes us better connected with the United States than ever before. We have achieved more than 80,000 overnight stays from this market so far this year, and numerous announcements from our partners suggest that good trends from the US market will continue in the future,' concluded CNTB Director Kristjan Staničić.

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