Croatia's upcoming EU presidency benefits those in tourism, particularly Zagreb hotels, as they will host 25,000 EU delegates. The political weight that Croatia holds when it chairs the Council of the European Union in the first half of next year also has a direct financial benefit.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Radmila Kovacevic/VL writes on the 23rd of December, 2019, the benefit's of Croatia's presidency of the EU will be primarily felt among those working in tourism, who will host about 25,000 delegates during the six months of Croatia's presidency. Zagreb hotels, which will be the venues for most of the official events, should see about 35,000 overnight stays realised.
The estimates also speak of 10,000 official lunches and 5,000 such dinners, and it should be noted that, in addition to prime ministers, ministers, diplomats and other EU officials, members of their families should certainly also be expected in one part.
The largest hotel group in Zagreb, Maistra's Westin, Sheraton, Panorama, International, Adriatic and Zagreb hotels with 1,227 accommodation units, say they're confident that they will realise a better occupancy compared to the same period in 2019. They also revealed that greatest interest during the Croatian EU presidency was recorded in the highest category Zagreb hotels, Westin and Sheraton, which are already very well occupied.
"The preparations are going well. The hotels have well-trained teams of experts who have hosted numerous international conferences and summits for years, and our hotels, restaurants and conference halls are ready for all of the upcoming events. We'll prepare a special menu for the EU delegates to showcase the diversity of our offering, and Every region will be represented by a choice of traditional food and drink,'' they say from Maistra.
The president of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce's Hotel Association and the director of the Hilton Hotels in Zagreb, Josip Jutt Ferlan, estimates that the EU Council Presidency could bring Zagreb hotels 15 to 20 percent more overnight stays during the six months of Croatia's EU presidency than in the same period in 2019.
"In addition to the main events, there will be a number of smaller events held in the margins, all of which are great for our hotels. Many have already been booked, some rooms will no longer be available, but those six months will not only work for delegates but for other guests who are also coming to us,'' noted Jutt Ferlan.
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