Croatia Airlines to serve Kvarner specialties on its flights

(Photo credit: Nikola Cvjetović)

The Kvarner Tourist Board, Croatian Tourist Board, and Croatia Airlines are jointly implementing the promotional project “Tastes of Kvarner” from August 1 to November 30, 2023. 

During this period, specially designed meals inspired by the culinary diversity of Croatia’s Kvarner region will be served on Croatia Airlines flights, showcasing the fusion of coastal, mountain, and island cuisine.

Croatia Airlines will offer its passengers on domestic and international flights, in business class, a large snack box consisting of tuna spread, herb crackers, green and black olives, capers, and fig cake. 

On flights shorter than one hour, a small snack box will be provided, including tuna spread, herb crackers, and fig cake. Economy class passengers will be offered Kvarner herb crackers.

(Photo credit: Nikola Cvjetović)

(Photo credit: Nikola Cvjetović)

A press conference and presentation were held at Villa Ariston in Opatija, where the Director of the Kvarner Tourist Board, Irena Peršić Živadinov, the Director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, the Director of Commercial Affairs at Croatia Airlines, Slaven Žabo, and the CEO of Croatia Airlines, Jasmin Bajić, spoke about the joint project “Tastes of Kvarner”.

(Photo credit: Nikola Cvjetović)

“This gastronomy promotion project on Croatia Airlines flights is an integral part of our long-standing cooperation with the Croatian national carrier and marks the beginning of Kvarner’s promotion as the European Region of Gastronomy for 2026. I believe that passengers will enjoy the unique flavors of Kvarner during their journey, and this ‘gastronomic excursion’ will inspire them to visit and explore our region. Such projects and initiatives to highlight gastronomy represent a leap forward in the development of gastronomy, especially now that we are in the process of earning the title of European Region of Gastronomy, which involves not only promotion but also the protection and promotion of local food and culture, sustainable development, quality enhancement, increased visibility, as well as the encouragement of cross-sector collaboration between tourism, agriculture, gastronomy, culture, education, health, and other sectors,” stated Director Peršić Živadinov.

(Photo credit: Nikola Cvjetović)

Slaven Žabo, the Director of Commercial Affairs at Croatia Airlines, emphasized that the joint project “Tastes of Kvarner” continues the culinary promotion of Croatian regions on flights operated by the national airline: “This project builds upon the broader project of the Croatian Tourist Board called ‘Croatia Full of Flavors’ and represents the culmination of the collaboration between Croatia Airlines and the Kvarner Tourist Board, which resulted in the establishment of the regular international Rijeka-Munich route in November 2022, operated by our aircraft even during this season. Over the next four months, passengers on all our international and domestic flights will have the opportunity to experience Kvarner’s gastronomy, which is based on the meeting of Mediterranean and continental climates. We are pleased that the synergy among all the participants in this project contributes to the promotion of this Croatian region, further developing the Croatian tourism product.”

(Photo credit: Nikola Cvjetović)

Kristjan Staničić, the Director of the Croatian Tourist Board, added: “Kvarner is now a successful tourist region that stands out, among other things, for its excellent food and gastronomy. This is confirmed by the recent title awarded to Kvarner as the European Region of Gastronomy. I am confident that this collaboration with the national airline, whose numerous foreign and domestic passengers will have the opportunity to enjoy the specific aromas and flavors of our region during their flight, will significantly contribute to the additional recognition of Kvarner’s and overall Croatian gastronomy. So far, we have presented the tastes of Slavonian delicacies and Dalmatian snacks in this way, and now we will present the creative gastronomic offerings of Kvarner in the best possible way, making the passengers’ flight more enjoyable, beautiful, and interesting. The goal of this project is to promote the gastronomic offerings of all Croatian regions.”

(Photo credit: Nikola Cvjetović)

Zlatko Komadina, the County Prefect of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, praised the project and highlighted the richness and diversity of the green-blue county’s material and immaterial cultural heritage, as well as its rich gastronomic and enological offerings. He said, “We stand out particularly in gastronomy. In our case, it is a blend of Mediterranean and continental cuisine, which has developed into a distinctive brand of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. This is confirmed by the recent edition of a prestigious guide dedicated to the gastronomic scene of our county and the title awarded to Kvarner, which will become the European Region of Gastronomy in 2026. I believe that the guests who come to us are satisfied with the service and the rich gastronomic offerings of our region, and that they enjoy the delicacies created by the skilled hands and creative ideas of our chefs.”

In addition to providing a unique gastronomic experience for passengers on flights to 24 international and 8 domestic destinations, this project simultaneously represents a unique opportunity to promote Kvarner as a destination offering diverse gastronomic experiences. 

The “Tastes of Kvarner” project on Croatia Airlines flights also involves wider marketing cooperation among the three project partners: the Kvarner Tourist Board, Croatian Tourist Board, and Croatia Airlines. They will promote “Tastes of Kvarner” through their marketing channels. 

(Photo credit: Nikola Cvjetović)

The visibility of Kvarner will be highlighted through Croatia Airlines’ internal channels such as travel magazines, in-flight video screens, the Croatia Airlines newsletter, social media advertising, internal media, posters in branch offices, and a dedicated webpage for Croatia Airlines’ gastronomic offerings.