Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian Tourist Board, gave a lengthy interview to Globus weekly, about the prospects for the 2019 tourist season, interest thus far, rise of the competitors etc. We’ll translate the most interesting highlights from the interview.
He starts off by saying that the numbers from the fairs that were held so far are comparable to last year’s, but that it’s still too early in the year to be making projections. Situation is optimistic, but now is the time to take promotional activities up one notch, in order to secure succesfull year. Croatia’s visibility on foreign markets is continually rising as well, as the activities undertaken in that direction have shown results. The journalist asks Mr. Staničić about the first numbers for the 2019 tourist season on the German market, which are supposedly not too optimistic. Mr. Staničić, however, says that the numbers are very preliminary and that there’s no reason for concern about the largest Croatian tourist market. He adds that there are no surprises on any other major markets either.
Asked about the destinations that have been making a comeback in the past two years, such as Turkey, Greece, countries in Northern Africa, the director says that their come-back is noticeable, because of the large investment into promotion, as well as the very low prices they are promoting. Croatian response to that needs to be in the further increase of the quality of our tourist offering, and insisting on the fact that the value for money is still amazing in Croatia. Comparing Turkish tourist strategy to Croatian, he says that in Turkey the guest is much more within resorts, with all inclusive deals, while in Croatia the tourists are much more in touch with the local folks and their authenticity.
He discussed markets that are a bit further from Croatia, saying that the guests from the far East, the US, Canada and Australia are very important, as they are less oriented towards the summer, sun and the beach; rather they enjoy pre- and post-season, which is very important for Croatia. He talks about the importance of attracting larger number of tourists arriving by plane, so he welcomes Ryanair’s increased presence in Croatian airports.
