As Novac/Barbara Ban writes, as another very uncertain tourist season approaches us, Istria has once again received a lot of media attention in the German media, more precisely in ADAC’s Reisemagazin, which is published six times a year and reaches 700,000 readers through its specialised channels.
This edition of the German publication has showcased the northern part of Croatia, including Istria, Kvarner and its islands, as well as Lika. Covering more than 20 pages, the ADAC Reisemagazin places Istria in the spotlight, highlighting its specialties – from culture and its rich historical heritage, to its excellent gastronomy and extra virgin olive oil, truffles, wine and prosciutto.
”In terms of marketing, the price of one page is above 20,000 euros, so it’s very easy to calculate the media value of the presentation of Istria covering more than 20 pages. In this context, Istria continues to expand and strengthen its reputation through the influential ADAC. ADAC is the largest German and European automobile club with more than 21 million members. In addition to their camping guide; the popular camper “Bible” which is the most important source of information for German guests, this time the presentation of Istria was made in a specialised magazine produced by Motorpresse Stuttgart on behalf of ADAC and which also produces many other influential publications such as: Auto.Motor.Sport, Outdoor, PRO MOBIL Caravaninig and Motorrad and Men’s Health.
This big project was realised with the assistance of our PR agent: the ART redaktions Team from Salzburg, which this year was named among the 10 most influential PR agencies for the German-speaking area in competition with more than 320 agencies that were also nominated,” stated the director of Istria’s Tourist Board, Denis Ivosevic.
He also added that Istria has taken a firm position at the top of the list of the most popular destinations-regions to which German guests want to travel, and as the ADAC Reisemagazin places Istria on 20 glossy pages, that number is certain to rise.
In an article entitled Coronakrise verändert das Reiseverhalten im Sommer/The crisis caused by coronavirus which is changing summer holiday habits, published initially back on October the 8th, 2020, the ADAC published the results of the most sought-after travel routes of its members throughout pandemic-dominated 2020. The survey included 350,000 inquiries, conducted between May and September. It turned out that the Istrian peninsula remained the first choice of members of German campers even in these difficult times of crisis, Ivosevic pointed out.
Namely, the famous German car club ADAC – Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club, conducts testing on the topic of holiday travel by car between 1.7 million routes compiled for its members by ADAC experts each and every year. The research includes data on the use of ADAC’s Routenplanner, which is used as information to trace itineraries to destinations where German travellers spend their holidays.
”ADAC members chose Istria for the first time as their favourite holiday region in the results collected back during 2010. From then until today – so longer than a decade – Istria has remained the leader on the annual list of planned trips of members of this German car club. After Istria, Upper Bavaria, South Tyrol, Lake Garda and the Friuli Venezia Giulia region have alternated in their rankings over the years. In addition, the popularity of Istria is increasing from year to year by several percentages. The flattering results of many years of ADAC research greatly contribute to the marketing distribution and better perception of Istria as a destination in Germany, the most important target market of Istrian tourism. In addition to that, diversification in relation to other tourist regions contributes to the strengthening of the Istrian brand and its media presence in the German and Western European area. The results of the ADAC research are published in the ADAC Motorwell magazine, which is published in more than 13 million copies, and on their website,” added Ivosevic.
Of course, the German market is the most important for Istria, especially in this current situation. Last year, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, Germany showed its great loyalty to this part of Croatia, arriving despite difficulties and uncertainties.
”Last year was extremely challenging for all of us. Nothing could be planned in either epidemiological or tourist terms, situations occurred and changed on a daily basis, guests’ habits changed completely due to new rules of conduct, everything happened at the last second. In addition, the emitting markets reacted differently. Italy, Austria and the Netherlands almost “forgot” us. The Slovenians, Czechs and Poles achieved some excellent results, and clearly, as has happened many times before, the Germans have once again shown that they are our most important and most loyal market and I’d say an inexhaustible source for our tourism. This is especially important in the conditions we had last year. The Germans realised close to 35 percent of all overnight stays and if it weren’t for them, the resuls of the tourist year would have been completely different, they wouldn’t have been good. In terms of marketing, everything we do, the biggest result or conversion we get from the German market.
Therefore, these publications, targetted campaigns, strategic partnerships, PR activities, and especially the awards and recognition we’ve received from the German market, are always those which hold the most weight,” concluded Ivosevic as ADAC Reisemagazin places Istria high on a very prestigious list once again.
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