The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) has opened a representative office in Shanghai that will cover the large and for Croatia's tourism strategically important market of China. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković officially inaugurated the office, in the presence of HTZ director Kristjan Staničić, president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) Luka Burilović, and Croatian Ambassador in China Nebojša Koharović, reports Večernji List on November 5, 2018.
"For Croatia, this will be the best tourist year ever, with almost 20 million arrivals and over 106 million overnight stays, and a billion euro of tourism investment. The next year will be the year of culture and tourism between Croatia and China. This is a great opportunity for us to further position our country on the Chinese market,” Plenković said.
In his speech, Staničić pointed out that the HTZ office was opened at the premises of the HGK office in Shanghai, which will reduce costs and increase institutional co-operation. “We are exceptionally proud to open the office in Shanghai in the year which has been declared the year of tourism between the European Union and China. This is the right moment for us to launch even stronger promotional activities in this large and important market. We want to present Croatia as an attractive all-year tourist destination. This year alone we have recorded the growth in the number of Chinese tourists by 40 percent, and there is room for even better results,” said Staničić, adding that the new office would implement all the key activities aimed at attracting even more Chinese visitors, introducing direct flights between China and Croatia, and developing tailor-made tourism products for Chinese tourists.
“I am delighted by the fact that, in addition to tourists, great interest for Croatia has also been demonstrated by investors who have already started with major investments in the tourist sector. This positive trend should also be stimulated and I do not doubt that we will succeed in our joint efforts,” Burilović said.
Franka Gulin, director of the newly-established office in Shanghai, also spoke about the office’s plans. “China is the world's largest market in every respect, and this fact is also the biggest challenge for us. However, I am confident in the excellent results that we will achieve in the future since the Croatian tourist offer contains everything that Chinese tourists prefer, such as rich cultural and historical heritage, untouched nature and high-quality gastronomy offer,” Gulin said.
During the first ten months of the year, 216,000 arrivals and 315,000 overnight stays were recorded from the Chinese market, representing a 43 percent increase in arrivals and a 42 percent increase in overnight stays compared to the same period last year. Chinese tourists made the most overnights in Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split and Zadar.
When travelling to Europe, Chinese tourists they tend to visit several destinations. Because of this, the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Slovenian tourist organization carry out joint promotional activities on the Chinese market, as part of the project “Experience Croatia, Feel Slovenia”.
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