It’s no secret that Chinese tourists love Croatia, particularly Dubrovnik, and now things are being taken one step further in an incredible promotion of Croatia’s southernmost city.
Dubrovnik is popular with all and sundry from all corners of the world, and it isn’t really difficult to guess why in spite of the list of potential reasons being incredibly long.
The Pearl of the Adriatic has it all, from beautiful beaches to crystal clear waters to nature to a rich gastronomic offer to art, stunning architecture, culture and an extensive history (both modern and ancient). In more recent times, sustainable tourism has also been a feature on Dubrovnik’s varied list of attractions. Even the quiet little area of Konavle, the home of Dubrovnik Airport (Cilipi), Croatia’s otherwise relatively overlooked southernmost region just south of the City of Dubrovnik and close to the Montenegrin border, has become all the more popular in much more recent times for sustainable, gastronomic and active tourism.
Without going on and on (which is easily done, and with good reason), it’s safe to say that while Dubrovnik has always been extremely popular as a tourist destination and is without a doubt one Croatian city almost everyone, no matter how clueless about Croatia, can name. The city and the entire wider area has come on leaps and bounds in recent years, particularly since the country joined the European Union back in the summer of 2013. From film, TV and commercial crews using Dubrovnik as a stunning backdrop to the city taking on an entire other identity as Kings Landing (GoT), it stands to reason that everyone and their dog now wants to visit Croatia’s tourist Mecca.
Tourists from Asian nations are among the most numerous in Dubrovnik, and they can be seen enjoying this breathtaking city at all times of year, not just during the summer window. Huge fans of the extensive history and culture this city possesses, the Chinese in particular have collectively fallen in love with Dubrovnik, and who can blame them?
As Dubrovacki Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of January, 2018, one of the most famous and influential Chinese shows called “Day Day Up” is being filmed right here in Croatia in order to promote tourism.
An excellent advertisement for Croatia as a whole that is estimated to be watched by approximately 300 million Chinese citizens will surely contribute to increasing the number of curious tourists from China. Filming also took place in the Dubrovnik area, various sites were visited, numerous specialities were tried and local culture, music and dance was promoted. The whole show, which celebrated Croatia’s stunning beauty, people and customs, lasts for an impressive one hour and forty minutes.
Croatia was represented by some famous Croatian names such as Ana Rucner, as well as Maksim Mrvica, Miroslav Ćiro Blažević, Jelena Rozga and the much loved Folklore Ensemble “Linđo”. Citizens of Dubrovnik such as Iva Nikolić, who works in tourism, also took part. For the sake of shooting, she ”turned into” Daenerys Targaryen from the wildly popular Game of Thrones series, a series which helped in shooting Dubrovnik into yet more international fame. She explained to Dubrovacki Dnevnik that she managed to obtain the role via Tom Tepšić.
“They were looking for someone to play Daenerys, and since I worked as a stand-in in the series from the beginning, and I run themed tours, Tom recommended me. We filmed by part really quickly, literally in one morning, because they’re very professional, and also entertaining,” Iva Nikolic stated, adding that she considered the Dubrovnik part of the show to be a top advertisement and added that it was of course also useful to her job.
This kind of “semi-reality” show is designed as a combination of education, games and entertainment, and the show has recently been broadcast on Chinese television in Hunan. The fact that it has been posted on YouTube will surely see it reach even more people and leave an even greater impression on viewers not only in China, but worldwide.
It has been estimated that this is the biggest promotion of tourism in Croatia since the country gained its hard earned independence from the former Yugoslavia.
