September the 29th, 2026 – Croatia and the USA are set to strengthen ties across multiple sectors, from tourism to investments, energy and tech.
The recent Economic Forum in New York, organised by the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) and the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), brought together around 70 American and 35 Croatian companies, including 15 from the tourism sector.
Domagoj Puljizovic reports for Poslovni that over 100 business people from both sides of the Atlantic took part, with the goal of strengthening economic cooperation between Croatia and the USA, connecting companies, opening new business partnerships and creating opportunities for investment and business expansion on the American market. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković also attended the forum together with entrepreneurs from Croatia and the USA, discussing the further development of economic relations between the two countries. B2B meetings were also in focus, enabling direct company connections and the presentation of opportunities for future cooperation.
important croatian companies took part
President of the Croatian Chamber of Economy Luka Burilović emphasised that some of the most important Croatian companies from the energy, food industry and defence sectors participated in the economic delegation. “The strongest Croatian companies from energy, the food industry and defence are taking part in the economic delegation. Some of them are already present in the USA, including Orqa, Končar, Infobip, HS Produkt, Metamorfoza, Podravka and many others. Interest in cooperation is high, and the potential is even greater. This is confirmed by the impressive turnout, both in number and composition, of more than 100 businesspeople from the American side,” said Burilović.
new business bridges
He added that the partnership between Croatia and the USA is strengthening year by year, and that existing cooperation agreements provide an important framework for its further development. As one of the important steps in strengthening economic cooperation, he highlighted the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement, which was signed almost four years ago but has not yet entered into force. Its application is expected to reduce business costs and administrative barriers and further encourage investments, especially in the IT sector.
Prime Minister Plenković emphasised that Croatia wants to further develop its partnership with the USA in areas of strategic importance for future economic development – from energy and technology to industry and innovation. “We see particular potential in energy, digital technologies and artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, the defence industry, research and development, and high-tech investments. The expanded LNG terminal on Krk will reach a capacity of 6.1 billion cubic metres per year, and more than two-thirds of the gas arriving at Krk comes from the USA,” said Plenković.
croatia’s blossoming ict sector
He also highlighted the importance of Croatia’s ICT sector, whose globally successful companies confirm the potential of domestic knowledge, talent and innovation. He stressed that Croatia should be viewed not only as a market of 4 million people, but also as a safe and stable base for access to the European Union market of 450 million consumers.
“We want to connect Croatian and American companies, capital, technology and knowledge even more strongly. We want to further develop tourism sustainably, with investments in higher-quality accommodation, infrastructure, services and stronger air connections with the USA. We are building new transatlantic value chains and opening space for an even stronger economic partnership between Croatia and the USA,” the Prime Minister said.
further tourism opportunities
Tourism was one of the important topics of the forum. Croatian service exports to the USA have amounted to almost one billion euros in recent years, and a significant part of the revenue is generated precisely in this area, along with IT and consulting services. HTZ Director Kristjan Staničić said that the American market shows great interest in Croatia’s tourism offer, especially the premium segment and high value-added products.
“The USA is Croatia’s most important long-haul market, with great potential. American guests are among our tourists with the highest average spending, they increasingly visit Croatia throughout the year, and interest in investing in Croatian tourism is also growing,” said Staničić. He added that discussions were also held on continuing cooperation to improve air connectivity between the USA and Croatia. He also highlighted the promotion of Croatia through a new promotional video featuring John Malkovich, which is being shown on Times Square in New York, one of the world’s most famous tourist locations.
