Conventa 2026: Nine Meetings Star Awards went to Croatia
Organized by the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Istria County Tourist Board, 29 Chinese travel agents took part this week in a comprehensive familiarization program introducing them to Istria. The trip was designed to strengthen the region’s positioning as a premium, year-round destination on the Chinese market, with special emphasis placed on high-quality accommodation, top-tier gastronomy, and authentic local experiences. As part of the visit, the Buy Croatia workshop was also held.
„We were very pleased to host this familiarization trip for agents and the Buy Croatia workshop for the Chinese market, as Istria has all the prerequisites for welcoming Chinese guests at a high level. This will be especially important in the years ahead, as the Istria Tourist Board has partnered with Lufthansa, meaning that Pula Airport will have very good connections with both Frankfurt and Munich, two important hubs for links with the Far East“, said Istria Tourist Board Director Denis Ivošević.
The program included inspections of premium accommodation facilities, an introduction to local experiences and historical heritage, as well as Istria’s rich gastronomic offer, including wine tours, tastings of local specialties, and truffle hunting. In this way, the Chinese agents were presented with a complete destination experience tailored to the expectations of higher-spending guests, with an emphasis on personalized, authentic, and content-rich products aligned with current trends on the Chinese market.
Buy Croatia workshop connected Croatian and Chinese partners
The Buy Croatia workshop was held in Novigrad. It brought together 35 Croatian business entities from different segments of the tourism offer – hospitality, private accommodation, transport, travel agencies, and providers of specialized experiences. The response from Croatian businesses was exceptionally strong, confirming the domestic tourism sector’s significant interest in developing business cooperation with the Chinese market.
Following the B2B workshop, Franka Gulin, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board’s Representative Office in China, gave an educational presentation for Croatian business participants on the specific features of the Chinese market, current demand trends, and the expectations of Chinese guests in the premium segment.
„Programs and meetings like these are extremely important for further strengthening cooperation with the Chinese market, especially in the premium segment, where interest in Croatia continues to grow. We are very pleased with the response from Croatian business entities, and we believe the workshop was a useful and practical tool for better understanding the market and establishing high-quality business relationships. It is now up to our partners to further position Croatia on the Chinese market through their unique, authentic, and tailored products, while the Croatian National Tourist Board remains a strong source of support in promotion, networking, and the further development of cooperation. Our shared goal is to attract high-quality, higher-spending guests and encourage longer stays in Croatia, especially in the context of Chinese tourists traveling through several countries in the region“, said Director Franka Gulin, adding that Chinese guests generated more than 369,000 overnight stays in Croatia in 2025, representing a 1% increase compared to 2024.
It is also worth noting that, at the beginning of this week, Croatia received significant international media recognition. At an awards ceremony in Beijing, the renowned Chinese travel and lifestyle magazine Voyage 新旅行 presented Croatia with an award for best gastronomy and wine destination, alongside Spain and Australia’s Victoria, while the Dubrovnik Tourist Board was recognized for achievements in implementing sustainability principles in tourism, together with the French Riviera, the Australian regions of Tasmania and Western Australia, and Tahiti. The awards were presented by well-known Chinese actor Ma Tianyu – Ray Ma.
