VIDEO: Announcement of the tourist season from the broadcasting markets of the USA, Germany and Poland

How interesting is Croatia to Americans, Germans and Poles in 2024?

Author  Goran Rihelj

11. April 2024.

As part of the annual meeting of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies - UHPA Day in Umag - b2b meetings were traditionally held with the directors of HTZ representative offices from broadcast markets.

Representations of the Croatian Tourist Board abroad in our emission markets are the first place to turn if you are targeting tourists from a specific market.

They know the destination best, the b2b i.e. business sector - from the culture and lifestyle of the inhabitants, to travel agencies and other relevant stakeholders. They know how a particular market breathes, what is interesting to it and what is not.

Furthermore, the representative offices participate in various national campaigns in cooperation with partners and HTZ, with the aim of positioning and branding tourism, organize press and agency trips to Croatia, prepare expert analyses, participate in various b2b meetings and open doors for our tourism employees on targeted broadcasting markets. 

tourism Thinking aloud with Goran Rihelja: Conversation with the directors of HTZ representative offices from broadcast markets - announcement of the tourist year 2024.

Reactions from broadcast markets are optimistic. Of course, everyone is different and has their own "rules of the game". We provide more details in a conversation with the directors of the HTZ representative offices that cover emission markets Now, Germany i Poland.

Find out what the situation is on the markets, whether there has been a change in the behavior and interest of tourists, expectations and announcements for this tourist year.

LEILA KREŠIĆ JURIĆ, director of the HTZ Representative Office in New York: Croatia has about 50 companies that are actively working and want to work in America.

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Croatia has a very good position, it has become recognizable among Americans, he says Leila Krešić Jurić, director of the HTZ Representative Office in New York adding that Croatia is synonymous with beauty and everyone smiles at its mention.

"The interest of American guests can best be seen through the numbers, and even more cheerful figures that express consumption - an American tourist in Croatia spends 299 euros per day. Americans participate with about 1 percent in overnight stays and 2 percent in income. Those who have never been to Croatia will, of course, go to Dubrovnik first, but those who come for the second time are very interested in discovering other destinations - and Slavonia is a bit of an issue here. Croatia has about 50 companies that are actively working and want to work in America, that's already a nice number. American guests are very demanding, they want a package of services, there is no room for improvisation", he states Krešić Jurić and adds that safety is important to them, that women can travel alone, and that encourages traveling by car across the country.

ROMEO DRAGHICCHIO, director of the HTZ Representative Office in Germany: Croatia is positioned in 4th place among foreign destinations in Germany 

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The current booking situation in Germany is at the level of last year or even slightly better. Regardless of the recession, Croatia is still quite competitive, he emphasizes Romeo Draghicchio, director of the HTZ Representative Office in Germany.

"The situation on the German market is dynamic, not only for us, but also for German consumers. The most eminent German research on tourist trends and tourist flows in Germany has positioned Croatia in 4th place among foreign destinations for the main annual vacation. If we consider that Italy, Spain and Turkey are ahead, it is a very big success. We reached the 4th place in 2022 and now we have kept it", Draghicchio points out.

There has been a consolidation of Croatia as a tourist destination on the German market, and we can say without exaggeration that we are playing in the first league there, he continues. Draghicchio adding that Croatia has never been more recognizable.

"Arrivals from Germany create about 5 percent of the total Croatian GDP, which is very, very significant. Fortunately for us, that market is responding well so far. The continuation of positive trends is expected. We are working on popularizing destinations that are not directly on the sea, we are presenting the continental part as an attractive area, especially for group and family tourism - we are starting to build a new brand." concludes.

MALGORZATA KOWALSKA, director of the HTZ Representative Office in Poland: Arriving by car gives Poles the freedom to stop and see other parts of Croatia.

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Last year, over a million guests came from the Polish market, who realized 6,6 million overnight stays. This year, we are recording 20 percent more arrivals and 20 percent more overnight stays, she pointed out Małgorzata Kowalska, Director of the CNTB Representation in Poland.

"Poles are most motivated by the sun and the sea, of course, but also by natural and cultural heritage, excellent food and wine offerings, and more and more by city breaks. The majority of Poles come by car, but there is also an increasing number of direct air lines - from Warsaw to Zagreb, Dubrovnik and Split. There are also more and more low-cost flights to other cities. For several years, we have been working on the promotion of the continental part of Croatia, and we can see increased arrivals in the continental counties as well", she said Małgorzata Kowalska concluding that arriving by car gives Polish tourists the freedom to stop and see other parts of Croatia.

VIDEO: Announcement of the tourist season from the broadcasting markets of the USA, Germany and Poland

Representations of the Croatian Tourist Board abroad are certainly an important resource. Although they may be out of our focus, they do a great job for the tourism sector and undoubtedly play an important role in the development and success of our tourism. 

Opening each new market requires large investments and business risk, from time to money. Therefore, contact HTZ representative offices abroad to get quality and key information and advice for each of these markets. 

For more information about each of them, you can always contact them directly network of HTZ representative offices in the world. 

New project 3

/ / / Download the new edition of "Broadcast Market Profiles" for 2024.

Let's add that HTZ, in cooperation with representative offices, has been publishing the publication "Broadcasting Market Profiles" for years, which provides a range of information relevant to the understanding of each broadcasting market, with the context of a wider range of indicators from the domain of political organization, economy, socio-demographic parameters and more.

Market profiles include information from 22 markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Japan, Canada, China, South Korea, Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, Poland, USA, Scandinavia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, UAE and the UK.

Study the market profiles in order to get to know the tourists from the mentioned countries as well as possible and to plan and advertise tourist packages for a specific target group as well as possible.

You can download the data at the link: PROFILES OF EMISSION MARKETS IN 2024

Author  Goran Rihelj

11. April 2024.