Croatian meetings and incentives offer presented at the IMEX Frankfurt
On the occasion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Ministry of Tourism and Sport and the Croatian National Tourist Board, in cooperation with the Croatian Football Federation, organised a promotional event titled "CROATIA IN THE GAME – Tourism. Sport. Culture. Flavors." The event took place at the AKA Hotel in the city of Alexandria, which also hosts the training camp of the Croatian national football team players.
This occasion also marked the premiere of the new promotional film for Croatian tourism, “CROATIA - I hear it's beautiful“, starring the world-renowned actor of Croatian descent John Malkovich, who, alongside the Vatreni, was the main star of the evening. Pete Radovich, the celebrated television and sports producer who is also of Croatian descent and a winner of 45 Emmy Awards across 18 different categories, took on the role of creative director for the video.
The main goal of the event was to promote Croatia's tourism assets by highlighting the connection between our country and the US through sport and the numerous successes of our athletes. Alongside Tonči Glavina, the Minister of Tourism and Sport, and Kristjan Staničić, the Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, the event was attended by Marijan Kustić, the President of the Croatian Football Federation, Leila Krešić Jurić, the Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Representative Office in New York, as well as the players of the Croatian national football team led by head coach Zlatko Dalić and captain Luka Modrić. Our celebrated basketball player Toni Kukoč was also present, along with numerous representatives of American diplomacy, the tourism and sports sectors and the media.
"This is the major breakthrough we are making for the first time, powerfully positioning Croatia on the world stage. While the legendary John Malkovich is the face of Croatia's new promotional film, global sports stars such as LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma and Rafael Nadal have simultaneously gathered in Dubrovnik. Through the E1 competition, which we successfully brought to Croatia, they are sending spectacular images of Croatia to all corners of the world. This is yet another confirmation of how tourism and sport form a powerful, authentic and winning combination. Together they create stories that transcend borders, connect people and position Croatia among the world's most desirable destinations. And when our greatest ambassadors – the Croatian national football team, head coach Zlatko Dalić, captain Luka Modrić and the entire squad – join this story, the promotion of Croatia gains additional strength, emotion and credibility. Today, Croatia is not just a destination the world wants to visit. Croatia is a story the world wants to experience," stated Minister Tonči Glavina.
The American market is our most important long-haul source market and one of the key strategic markets for Croatian tourism, as confirmed by both the results and the continuous growth we achieve year after year. The overall growth since 2019 in terms of arrivals and overnight stays exceeds 30%, which proves that Croatia today holds a strong position among the most desirable European destinations for American guests. This success is driven by continuous promotion, a high-quality tourism offer and increasingly better airline connectivity. As of this year, Croatia has two direct routes to the US, from Dubrovnik and Split, with a total of 440 direct flights expected to operate between Croatia and the US. It is also worth noting that Americans travel throughout the entire year and, according to the TOMAS research, rank first in terms of average daily expenditure.
"For Croatian tourism, the American market represents the most important long-haul market from which we generate the highest tourist traffic. When we add the fact that the World Cup is being held right here, it is clear that this combination represents an excellent opportunity for additional promotion of Croatia as a high-quality, attractive and safe destination. Furthermore, this was the ideal opportunity to premiere the new promotional film for Croatian tourism starring John Malkovich. The video is original, different, and I would say special, representing a departure from previous promotional videos as well as a major step forward in the promotion of Croatian tourism, of which we are particularly proud," said Director Kristjan Staničić. He wished our football players success in the tournament and pointed out that our athletes and the Croatian national football team have been successfully contributing to the international recognition of Croatia for years, serving as valuable ambassadors for our country on a global scale.
It should also be noted that the event program was hosted by Marina Jurica, a CBS television host and journalist of Croatian descent. The musical atmosphere was provided by the Duo Mach & Gilming, consisting of the multiple award-winning Croatian musicians Eva Mach and Petra Gilming, as well as the Croatian singer Roko Blažević, who became known to the wider public by winning Dora 2019 and representing Croatia at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "The Dream", and who currently lives and works in Los Angeles.
