As Croatia gears up for the highly anticipated American Airlines flight between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik this year, the country also has plans to be connected to the United States for longer than the summer months, and namely from Croatia’s capital. 

As Ex-Yu Aviation reports on March 25, 2019, the newly formed organization VisitUSA Croatia hopes to expand operations between Croatia and the US. 

"We are primarily looking to secure services between Zagreb and New York as this route would fuel travel between the two countries, however, at this point, we do not have any concrete announcements for a new year-round service. This will only happen if a number of stakeholders get involved in the project. Croatia is a regional tourism powerhouse and we must also use this advantage to position ourselves as a leader in outbound US travel for the entire region,” said VisitUSA Croatia. 

Robert Kohorst, the US Ambassador to Croatia, is also a fan of the idea. 

"This new nonstop service between the USA and Croatia sends a strong and positive message to the tourism sector. I am hopeful that all of the planned nonstop flights this summer will be full and that it will lead to the launch of new routes, which will, in turn, generate additional tourism and business exchange". 

The Croatian Embassy in Washington even said that they hope to achieve direct flights “as soon as it is economically possible." 

Tourism heads in Croatia also welcome the news. Recall, Gari Cappelli, Croatia’s Minister of Tourism, stated that the new American Airlines route would be only the start. The Ministry even introduced the new project "Positioning Croatia as an airline destination,” which primarily aims to attract carriers from distance markets. The project is worth 8 million euro, and in 2020, the budget should double. 

Until anything further is confirmed, Croatia will have to live with its connection to Philadelphia, which has already shown impressive bookings. 

"We have been negotiating the Philadelphia service with American Airlines for years. Advanced bookings have so far been excellent and the Dubrovnik Tourism Board has launched a marketing campaign in the States,” Dubrovnik Tourist Board director Romana Vlašić concluded.

Read the full story on Ex-Yu Aviation. 

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