The Croatian National Tourist Board and it's Representative Office in Italy organized a promotional event last night in the centre of Rome, where they presented the Croatian tourist offer to Italian media and partners. Croatia was highlighted as one of the most successful Mediterranean tourist destinations, which will strive to continue this year’s positive trends in the upcoming year. The meeting with Italian media and partners was attended by Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristijan Staničić and Viviana Vukelić, Director of the CNTB Representative Office in Italy, who on this occasion presented Croatia's tourism results, while special emphasis was placed on future trends and Croatia's desired position on the Italian market.
“The Italian market is traditionally among the top 10 markets from which we generate the largest tourist traffic, and its status was successfully maintained during the last two years, which were very challenging for all of us. This confirms that Croatia is very well recognized on the Italian market as a quality tourist destination, and our goal is to be additionally recognized as a sustainable destination of high value in the future, and as a destination with authentic and quality tourist experiences”, said Director Staničić, adding that next year, Croatia will be even more competitive considering the country's entry into both Shengen and the Eurozone.
This presentation brought together 37 Italian media representatives such as RAI, La Stampa, Il Messaggero, Mediaset, Gambero Rosso, Nautica, Plein Air and others. The event was also attended by His Excellency, Jasen Mesić, Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia in Italy, Silvana Napoletano, Country Manager of the Vueling airline company, Rosario Piscitelli, Manager of the Italian shipping company SNAV, amongst others.
“This year we recorded great interest from a younger demographic for traveling to Croatia, who were motivated by entertainment and festivals, and a special interest was expressed for Novalja. There is also a noticeable trend for shorter trips with more arrivals during the year, just as in trips in pre- and post-season which are becoming more and more frequent, regardless of their traditional Ferragosto. In the previous period, we have carried out a significant number of promotional activities on the market, and the result is a positive image of Croatia on the Italian market“, emphasized Vukelić.
Ivana Jelinić, the president of the Italian Federation of Travel & Tourism Associations (FIAVET), which includes around 1500 travel agencies and tour operators in its membership, also addressed the attendees.
“This year's season in Croatia was very well prepared despite all the challenges and circumstances caused by the pandemic and war in Ukraine. Hereby, I would like to congratulate the Croatian National Tourist Board and the CNTB Representative Office in Italy for the numerous promotional activities that have been carried out on Italian market, and especially in strong and active cooperation with agencies through participation in numerous workshops throughout Italy in pre- and post- season. FIAVET is available for all forms of cooperation and, as before, will provide maximum support to Croatia“, concluded Jelinić.
According to data from the eVisitor system, more than 906.000 arrivals and 4.1 million overnight stays were recorded in Croatia during the first 10 months of this year by Italian tourists. In comparison to last year, this represents a 114 percent increase in arrivals and 87 percent in overnight stays, while compared to the same period in 2019, the numbers represent about 76 percent of the results. At the same time, Italians recorded the most arrivals and overnight stays in Istria, Kvarner and Split – Dalmatia County, and in terms of destinations, they mostly visited Rovinj, Medulin, Novalja, Poreč and Mali Lošinj.
