October the 2nd, 2024 – The Croatian Stories tourism concept has been presented to in North America at the International Luxury Travel Market.
As Mladen Miletic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce’s (HGK) platform for the promotion of premium tourism, Stories, was presented for the first time at the ILTM (International Luxury Travel Market) in North America.
The Croatian Stories tourism concept initially appeared as part of the exhibition space of the Croatian National Tourist Board at the fair in the Bahamas. Otherwise, in less than half a year, the concept brought together as many as 95 representatives of the premium tourist offer across Croatia. Its appearance in the Bahamas was also important in terms of the strategy within which Croatia wants to strengthen its position on the international map of premium and sustainable tourism moving forward.
ILTM – the right place for the croatian stories tourism concept
“ILTM is a fair that brings together the most prestigious travel brands and travel agents on the market with high purchasing power. By participating in this edition of the fair, Croatia and Stories want to impose themselves on the American market of premium and luxury travel, where the demand for premium services has been growing for several years now.
The US economy is currently far stronger with a more stable outlook than some European countries. That’s why ILTM is the right place to present the Croatian Stories tourism concept and other premium offers. These are exclusive experiences that go beyond classic sunshine and sea tourism”, said Andreja Vukojević, Director of the Tourism Sector and the Marketing and Communications Department at HGK.
The premium travel agency Permansio Deluxe Getaways also participated in the fair as a member of the Croatian Stories tourism concept and platform. Director Željko Pavletić presented their premium offer of the beautiful wider Dubrovnik area to clients from the North American market.
“For us, this is one of the most important fairs in the entire world because a large number of American tourists visit the Dubrovnik area. More than 50 percent of guests in staying in five-star hotels in Dubrovnik come from the USA. At ILTM, we’re performing with our colleagues to jointly show how many top service providers Croatia actually has. With the membership of Stories, many of us have already had a spring put in our step this year,” revealed Pavletić.
us potential
The Croatian exhibitors meet with “buyers” who want more information because their clients are interested in visiting Croatia, as explained by Iris Domazet Malobabić, the director and owner of the Adriatic Concierge agency.
“The potential of the American market for Croatia is enormous. Direct seasonal flights such as the one connecting New York and Dubrovnik contributed to the increased number of US arrivals. American tourists used to come in an organised manner, more specifically in tours. Now, they’re typically coming more and more independently, to stay in private villas, to rent yachts, and so on,” said Domazet Malobabić. The exhibitors are representatives of premium and luxury hotels, operators, carriers, agencies and destinations from the USA and Europe.
