Growth in Tourist Traffic Expected from Germany

From Germany, including Bavaria, growth in tourist traffic is expected to continue, aided this year by the introduction of the euro and Croatia’s entry into Schengen, emphasized on Wednesday by the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, at the opening of the fr.e.e tourism fair in Munich, where Croatia is the partner country.

Fr.e.e is the largest Bavarian international tourism fair for the general public, where around 130,000 visitors are expected until February 26.

– We entered this year with two major novelties that will facilitate travel from Germany, namely the use of the common European currency, the euro, and entry into the Schengen zone. We particularly highlighted this through the motto of our presentation here in Munich – Croatia has never been closer, as we believe that these advantages will further encourage German tourists to take shorter trips outside the summer season – said Brnjac at the opening of the fair.

She added that this presentation follows the guidelines of the new Strategy for the Development of Sustainable Tourism by 2030, as this concept aims to ensure year-round interest from German tourists in Croatian regions and diverse tourist products.

She emphasized that significant work is being done on the development of new products, investments, and the allocation of funds for underdeveloped tourist areas, and reminded of the Croatian Government’s support measures for tourism.

Booking on the Rise

The Director of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ), Kristjan Staničić, emphasized that bookings from Germany are currently higher compared to the same time in 2019 by double-digit rates, but it is still early for summer forecasts. However, with more flight routes expected, and according to research from the German automobile club ADAC, many more short trips from Germany are anticipated this year, for example, for weekends, he pointed out.

– We believe that more German tourists will come than last year’s 3.5 million, which was already more than the record year of 2019, and we hope that along with Schengen, promotional campaigns in that market and cooperation with partners such as ADAC, ID Riva Tours, TUI Group, FTI, and others will help. All of them have excellent forecasts for Croatia this year, and not just for summer – noted Staničić.

HTZ signed a marketing cooperation and advertising agreement with ADAC on Wednesday, continuing their regular collaboration. According to the president for tourism at ADAC, Karlheinz Jungbeck, quality is extremely important to German tourists, which is why they are willing to pay a higher price.

– Germans love Croatia, especially our members love camps, which are among the best in Europe in terms of quality, but also the most expensive. However, this does not deter them, and as far as I have heard, a large part of the main summer season in camps is already sold out, with Germans being the most numerous – said Jungbeck, who visited the Croatian stand after the fair’s opening.

The head of the HTZ office in Munich, Nera Miličić, told reporters that they are satisfied with what they have prepared for Croatia’s presentation as a partner country at the fair in Bavaria, the most important part of the German market for Croatian tourism.

– All our partners from Bavaria and Germany are very positive, and it is noticeable as a novelty this year that bookings are also happening in winter and that Germans are traveling to Croatia both before and after summer. We are well positioned in Bavaria, we have worked well in tourism even during the pandemic, and Germans returned with better experiences than from other countries, and ADAC recommends us, so we are optimistic – revealed Miličić.

Croatia Airlines Presents Summer Flight Schedule

The national airline Croatia Airlines (CA) presented its summer flight schedule in Munich on Wednesday to 70 German travel agents, and the head of CA’s sales market for Central Europe, Mate Radić, stated on that occasion that the connectivity between Germany and Croatia will be much greater this year than last year. Thus, flights from Bavaria will connect to six airports in Croatia (Split, Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Osijek, Rijeka, and Brač).

In addition, the Croatian national airline plans direct international flights from the German market this season on the routes Frankfurt – Zagreb, Frankfurt – Split, Frankfurt – Dubrovnik, Berlin – Split, and Düsseldorf – Split, with a total of 38 weekly rotations.

– The new route is Munich-Brač, as we noticed demand, and there will be a total of 69 weekly rotations from Germany this summer, of which 31 are just from Bavaria, which is up to 30 percent more than last year. We expect many more passengers, and it is surprising that we currently have very good bookings for summer flights – said Radić.

Overall, Croatia Airlines plans to connect Croatia with 22 international destinations during the tourist season, or 23 European airports, with planes flying on 47 international routes. More than 17,000 flights are planned, and over 1.82 million seats will be offered.

Alongside HTZ as the leader of the Croatian presentation, the offer at the fr.e.e fair is represented by another 27 Croatian exhibitors, including tourist boards from Kvarner, Dubrovnik-Neretva, Šibenik-Knin, Split-Dalmatia, Zadar, Karlovac, and Lika-Senj counties, as well as the cities of Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Opatija, Crikvenica, and Rab, as well as the island of Krk, the Slavonia Cluster, and Central Croatia.

Among the companies, besides CA, are also represented NP Plitvička jezera, Jadrolinija, Maistra, Valamar, Plava laguna, Aminess, Liburnia Riviera Hotels, Jadran, Valalta, and camps Cres&Lošinj, Cresanka, Straško, and Omišalj.

Throughout the five days of the fair, the program will be enriched with numerous performances, presentations, and tastings through which visitors will be introduced to the exceptionally diverse cultural and historical heritage and rich eno-gastronomy of all Croatian regions and areas, from the coast to the interior of our country, while during the first two days of the fair, the presentation of various Croatian cheeses and wines with a sommelier was provided by the Croatian Chamber of Economy.