Croatian Tourist Board to cooperate with FC Bayern Munich
- by croatiaweek
- in News
Croatian Tourist Board to cooperate with FC Bayern Munich
ZAGREB, 9 February 2024 – The 31st session of the Tourist Council of the Croatian Tourist Board held today focused on enhancing the competitiveness of Croatian tourism in 2024.
Key decisions were made to support this goal, including the announcement of public calls for specific initiatives. One such initiative is the Public Call for the development of destination management companies, aimed at fostering the creation of comprehensive tourist products for specialised markets.
Another upcoming initiative is a Public Call for marketing collaboration with top Croatian athletes in 2024.
Destination management companies were highlighted for their crucial role in extending the tourist season and increasing traffic beyond the summer months. Last year, these companies facilitated over 26 million overnight stays, accounting for about 25 percent of total stays in Croatia. Collaboration with active top Croatian athletes was also emphasised as a means to enhance the visibility of Croatia’s tourist brand.
The Council approved nearly 3 million euros in funding for partnerships with key players in foreign markets, including major tour operators and carriers such as TUI, easyJet holidays, DER Touristik, Jet2holidays, Ryanair, Air France, Volotea, KLM, Eurowings, and others.
(Photo: HTZ)
These partnerships aim to bolster Croatia’s presence in international tourism. Promotion efforts will be intensified in alignment with major sporting events like the European Football Championship and the Olympic Games.
Additionally, marketing and PR collaborations were green-lit with the Croatian Ski Association and the Croatian Football Federation until 2026 and 2027, respectively.
These collaborations will leverage skiing events and football matches to promote Croatia as a premier tourist destination. Similar partnerships with the European Handball Federation were also approved.
Strategic collaborations with entities like FC Bayern Munich and ADAC, the largest German automotive club, were renewed to maintain Croatia’s foothold in the German market.
“Destination management companies play a significant role in the development of Croatian tourism, especially in extending the tourist season and increasing tourist traffic beyond the summer months. It is important to note that in Croatia last year, almost 108 million overnight stays were recorded, of which over 26 million were realised through agencies, accounting for about 25 percent of total overnight stays, which is a strong contribution to the overall results of Croatian tourism.
We also value the continuation of cooperation with active top Croatian athletes, medalists at the Olympic Games, European and world championships, as well as athletes participating in significant international sports competitions. This ensures even greater visibility for our national tourist brand and better reach of our communication messages,” stated Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board.
(Photo: HTZ)
Advertising efforts will also target key platforms like Expedia Group and Paramount channels, focusing on markets like the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States.
Overall, the session demonstrated a concerted effort to bolster Croatian tourism through strategic partnerships, marketing initiatives, and collaborations with sports organisations. These efforts aim to enhance Croatia’s visibility and attractiveness to tourists worldwide.
(Photo: HTZ)
“As evident from today’s session, we are intensively working on promotion that will contribute to even better tourism results in 2024 and the achievement of our strategic goals. Promoting the synergy of tourism and sports in the year of the European Football Championship in Germany and the Olympic Games in Paris will bring additional visibility to Croatia.
I am delighted that we are continuing our excellent cooperation with ADAC, which has already brought exceptional results in the German market, and we believe that we will make additional progress in the future. We are also pleased with the involvement of a number of tourist boards in religious tourism projects, which is one of the special forms of tourism that we also aim to develop in the coming period,” said Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac.
