Chinese travel agents in Istria: Buy Croatia workshop held with a focus on premium tourism
The 3rd session of the Croatian National Tourist Board’s Tourism Council was held, during which decisions were adopted on marketing and PR partnerships in the field of sport, cooperation with strategic partners, and collaborations related to TOP events in 2026.
Accordingly, the Tourism Council approved cooperation with the Croatian Handball Federation (HRS) for the period from 2026 to 2028, as well as with the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) for the period from 2026 to 2029. Among other activities, these partnerships include the visibility of the Croatian tourism brand and the publication of CNTB promotional messages across official communication channels, sports equipment, official matches and competitions, and more.
„All decisions adopted at today’s session are extremely important for promoting our country and further positioning it as a year-round destination. In particular, I would highlight the strong step forward we have made in our strategic partnerships with airlines. This year, we allocated record funding for this purpose, with a 30 percent increase, which resulted in cooperation with five new partners, as well as a greater number of routes and improved connectivity throughout the year. One of the new partners is United Airlines, which strengthens direct connectivity with the United States, and alongside the existing New York–Dubrovnik route, a new direct New York–Split service will also be introduced. We also adopted decisions on cooperation with the sports sector, which brings additional value, as we know how much popularity and visibility our athletes generate through their achievements, as recently confirmed by the bronze medals won at the European handball and futsal championships. Likewise, the organisation of TOP events across Croatia, both sporting and other, represents an opportunity to strengthen our offer, especially outside the summer months, which is where we are directing future growth“, said Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sport.
The session also adopted the Decision on implementing marketing cooperation with strategic partners in 2026, for which the CNTB Annual Work Programme has allocated more than EUR 3.3 million for partnerships with airlines, tour operators and other transport providers, including easyJet, Eurowings, Ryanair, Lufthansa Group, United Airlines, KLM, LOT, Jet2holidays, TUI and others.
As for TOP events, a decision was adopted approving funding for marketing cooperation with organisers of TOP events in 2026, with EUR 535,000 secured for 25 event organisers, including Sea Star Festival, Plava Laguna IRONMAN 70.3 Poreč, WACT Zagreb 2026 – the 76th Boris Hanžeković Memorial, Pannonian Challenge, DOBRO World Cup Osijek, the Sinjska Alka, the Neretva Boat Marathon, Rijeka Carnival and others.
„At today’s session, we adopted important decisions that directly support the continued strengthening of Croatia’s international accessibility and the visibility of our offer in the most important source markets. By adopting decisions on the implementation of marketing cooperation with strategic partners and organisers of TOP events, we are further reinforcing our country’s position as an easily accessible, competitive and year-round destination. At the same time, we are confirming just how important major events are for strengthening Croatia’s image and ensuring more balanced tourism development across all regions. Through these partnerships, our goal is to stimulate additional demand, open up new market opportunities, and provide stronger support for the development of year-round tourism in an increasingly demanding global environment“, said Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board.
It should also be noted that the session adopted a decision on advertising across Expedia channels in the Canadian and US markets. Expedia is one of the world’s leading online travel agencies, with a reach of more than 70 million users and over one billion searches recorded each month.
