The day before the grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden, where the Croatian representative Baby Lasagna with the song ‘Rim Tim Tagi Dim’ is a clear favorite, interest in traveling to Zagreb next year is already rising. Although the results of Eurovision will only be seen tomorrow during the final evening, and after yesterday’s qualification of Israel for the final, that country has seriously caught up with us in the betting odds, the biggest fans have already started preparing for a potential arrival in the Croatian capital in May next year. —
— – There is already a noticeable increase in demand for accommodation in Zagreb for May next year on accommodation platforms, which is certainly a positive indicator that we are on the right track – says Tomislav Fain, president of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies, who believes that Eurovision is an ideal opportunity for the tourist promotion of the country.
– Baby Lasagna, with an excellent performance in the first semifinal evening of Eurovision in Malmö, has once again justified the great interest of the audience and the support he currently enjoys. In any case, his performance has done a lot for the promotion of Croatia, and every such positive promotion is a boost for representatives of the Croatian tourism sector, including tourist agencies. Croatia’s victory at Eurovision, which we all hope for, would certainly have a significant positive impact on Croatian tourism and the economy – comments the current situation Fain.
Prices have soared?
A quick look at Booking.com for the days from Tuesday, May 6, to Saturday, May 10, 2025, which is predicted to be the next Eurovision, clearly shows that demand in Zagreb has increased as prices for those dates are quite high. For example, two of the biggest fans for all five nights (May 6-11) could pay up to 18 thousand euros, as seen in the screenshot below. The search result refers to Booking’s ‘best selection’.
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For two nights, from May 9 to 11, 2025, the highest prices of Booking’s best selection of accommodation in Zagreb range from three to seven thousand euros. However, we do not notice a significant price increase from the usual for the final night from Saturday, May 10, to Sunday, May 11.
Struggle for attention
However, in the case of victory, the host country has enormous opportunities for its own promotion, not only in terms of tourism, but Eurovision is an excellent platform for redirecting global attention and revealing to the world all segments, from national identity to lifestyle, destinations, culture, and history, notes Božo Skoko, a professor of public relations at the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Zagreb.
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— – A good placement at Eurovision is primarily an excellent promotion of the creative industry of a country, as it is the best way for people to get acquainted with or at least start to be interested in its music, production, and so on. In this way, the market opens up, not only for the respective performer, but the entire industry gains greater visibility and increases its chances for export – adds Skoko.
In today’s fast-paced world, where we are bombarded with thousands of pieces of information every moment, the hardest thing is to attract attention, and Eurovision has the power to redirect that attention to the winning country.
– That is why, for example, Estonia used its victory at Eurovision in 2001 and the hosting of that music event in Tallinn a year later to begin rebranding the country in the global public eye – from a post-Soviet state to a successful Nordic country. We see how hosting Eurovision has greatly benefited the well-known Sweden, which has excellently utilized it for tourism development, as well as reminding of key Swedish assets and promoting Sweden as an innovative, creative, sustainable, and fun country – cites positive examples Skoko, but notes that not every country takes advantage of the opportunity presented by Eurovision.
– The arrival of that musical force is just an occasion, and the way of organization, connecting with other segments of the offer, and producing the star dust that accompanies that show brings global visibility, popularity, and revenue – concludes Skoko.
