The Croatian National Tourist Board, in cooperation with the CNTB representative office in the Austria, organized a presentation of the Croatian tourist offer for the most influential Austrian media in the unique ambience of the Palais Pálffy in central Vienna. The presentation was followed by meetings with the most important Austrian partners, tour operators and tour agencies. The event was attended by the Director of the CNTB Mr. Kristjan Staničić, Director of the CNTB representative office in Austria, Mr. Branimir Tončinić, and Director-General in the Ministry of Tourism and Sports for Tourist Boards, Categorization and Legal Affairs, Ms. Monika Udovičić, as well as Ms. Stella Đurović from the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board and Mr. Nenad Nizić and Ms. Antonia Urlić representing the Association of Unique Croatian hotels STORIES. Those gathered were also greeted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Austria Mr. Daniel Glunčić.
At the press conference, attended by more than 20 Austrian journalists and representatives of the most popular media, Director Staničić presented the overall Croatian tourism results with reference to the results recorded in the Austrian market, while special emphasis was placed on future trends and the position of the Austrian market.
"Austria is one of our most important in-bound markets, with a significant impact on the overall tourism results of our country. That is why we are pleased that to date we have recorded over 1.3 million overnight stays from this market, which is an increase of about 4 percent compared to the same period of the record 2019. We have returned to pre-pandemic trends and I believe that during the summer high-season we will successfully maintain these excellent indicators from the Austrian market ", said Director Staničić, adding that long-term goals in this market include growth of tourist arrivals throughout the year as well as attracting more guests of different age groups with a special focus on a younger demographic.
The Austrian media were interested in the difference between the tourist offer of Istria and Dalmatia, the importance of gastronomy in the overall Croatian tourist offer, the best hiking routes in Croatia, overall tourist offer of our islands etc.
Representatives of the Association of Unique Croatian Hotels STORIES emphasized that the association gathers accommodation facilities primarily intended for consumers who appreciate special, unique experiences and who seek high quality service, while Stella Đurović from Dubrovnik-Neretva County tourist board presented the tourism news from her county with special reference regarding the opening of the Peljesac Bridge. After the press conference, the Croatian delegation met with key partners from the Austrian market - TUI, Gruber Reisen and Mondial.
"Partners are very satisfied with the sales results for this year. Croatian destinations are in great demand and we can expect a strong contribution from the Austrian market this year in the overall results. So far, most overnight stays from Austria were recorded in Istria and Kvarner, but we expect further strengthening of tourist traffic in other Adriatic counties, as well as on the continent of the country", concluded Branimir Tončinić.
Let us add that the positive trends for Croatia are confirmed by numerous market research surveys conducted in Austria, the most recent of which is the "Reisemonitoring" conducted by ÖAMTC, the Austrian national automotive club, according to which Croatia is the leading foreign destination in the Austrian market. Thus, our country leads the list of top foreign destinations of Austrians, which also includes Italy, Greece, Germany, Spain and Turkey.
