December the 12th, 2025 – Rural tourism in continental Croatia has landed a brand new accommodation platform – Destination Green Croatia.
As Sinisa Malus/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatia has become an increasingly popular tourist destination, with more attention now flooding over from the islands and the coast to Zagreb and other areas of continental Croatia. These areas were once entirely overlooked, so harnessing this trend properly is crucial.
Excluding Zagreb itself, however, we can see that there’s a massive divide between continental parts of the country and the eternally popular coast and islands. The numbers speak for themselves, and the entire continental part of the country, far from the sea, accounts for only about three percent of all achieved overnight stays. Although everyone agrees that continental tourism has enormous potential, in order to be exploited properly and fairly, it needs to attract investment in all segments of what it actually offers to visitors.
nature lovers are the ideal visitors in the sector of rural tourism in continental croatia
The aforementioned was recognised by entrepreneur Antonija Eman, who created the boutique accommodation rental platform Destination Green Croatia. Her deep connection with the green, fertile regions of continental Croatia gave rise to the desire to bring the hidden beauty of this expansive region closer to visitors seeking authenticity, warmth and a well-spent break in unspoiled nature.
Although brand new, this rural tourism in continental Croatia accommodation platform offers a rich selection of accommodation units in entirely bypassed regions like Bilogora, Gorski kotar, Kalnik and Prigorje, the wider Karlovac region, Lika, Međimurje, Moslavina and Banovina, Podravina, Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem. It also covers Varaždin and the wider Zagreb regions, as well as beautiful Zagorje. All of these areas are characterised by uncompromising quality, comfort and a variety of local offers.
following the trends – authenticity and individuality
Antonija has dedicated the past three decades to tourism, working her way from hotel sales to working with private renters. She has transformed her extensive experience in hotels and sales into a distinctive, personal approach that she uses today in her work with owners of private holiday homes, villas and apartments.
“Trends over more recent years show that tourists are increasingly looking for authenticity and individuality in the destinations they choose. This was exactly my thought when, seven years ago, I started thinking about how to better position and brand continental Croatia on the map of Croatian tourist destinations, competing with Dalmatia and the islands. The key to everything is a carefully selected accommodation offer, but the real success lies in the experience that guests experience from the first contact they have, to the stay itself.
It’s all about a sense of security and support, it’s important for guests to feel welcome and for their experience to be impeccable. On the other hand, enjoying a high quality relationship with the landlords is equally important, they need to know that every interaction will be professional and friendly and that there is someone behind the platform who understands their needs, takes care of every detail and provides professional advice and support”, explained Antonija Eman.
rural tourism in continental croatia needs its own kind of platform
Listening to the needs of both parties, Eman insisted that Destination Green Croatia be more than just another accommodation rental platform. “I wanted it to be an invitation to discover continental Croatia in a way that few experience. I personally selected each house, having previously met each of the owners,” she added.
Rural tourism in continental Croatia is different, and any accommodation platform intended for that area should duly recognise how much it differs from the coast and the islands. The platform therefore offers a variety of options tailored to different types of vacations and guests’ wishes. It also focuses on the small but important specifics of each of these special regions.
that brings us to one important word – identity
Continental Croatia couldn’t possibly be more different than the coastline and the islands. There is an enormous divide in everything from flora and fauna to wealth and history. Another important factor to consider is that there is no real concrete tourist season on the continent, unlike the coast and the islands which are more or less totally chained to sunny weather and a calm sea. This means that constant tourism activity, supplementing the offer and designing new content is very important. The structure of guests is also changing – there are more and more people who want to explore and spend their holidays actively, and not just lounging around lazily on beaches getting tans.
Eman therefore concludes that this new accommodation platform intended solely for rural tourism in continental Croatia doesn’t rest only on a mere catalogue of holiday homes, but also on personal support, a professional attitude towards renters and a clear intention to give continental tourism its own recognisable (and very deserved) identity.
