Eastern Croatia is presented among 10,000 exhibitors from all over the globe at the leading European tourism fair ITB in Berlin. In addition to ITB, which will be visited by almost 200,000 visitors this weekend, the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) has organised, in cooperation with the Croatian Embassy in Berlin, the presentation of the tourism potential of the Osijek-Baranja County at the Baden-Wurttemberg Representative Office. The county presented the tourist potential of Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem with a film, songs and its ethno- and gastronomic offer, reports Lokalni.hr on March 9, 2019.
“Eastern Croatia is becoming a more desirable destination on the German market. Tourism is no longer just the sea and the sun. The Danube is an excellent base on which we can build an exceptionally high-quality ethno- and gastronomic offer. Vineyards, cycling routes, river cruises are just some of the opportunities offered by the Danube,” said County Prefect Ivan Anušić at the presentation.
“Although our focus is still on the Croatian tourists, Germany is also a market we need. Also, this is an excellent opportunity for us to learn from colleagues from other countries and share experiences,” said Tatjana Roth, head of the Department of Continental Tourism of Osijek-Baranja County.
According to HTZ director Kristijan Staničić, the HTZ and the government consider Slavonia as an undiscovered tourist gem. That is why they have announced additional investments in infrastructure that will enable eastern Croatia to have better transport connections. “We are in constant contact with the Osijek Airport, where we now cooperate with Wizzair, and I believe that we will intensify our cooperation with other airlines and tour operators with respect to Slavonia and the continental part of Croatia,” said Staničić.
The largest Bavarian tour operator, Selimir Ognjenović, the owner of the I. D. Riva Tours company, also spoke about the recognisability of Slavonia. He was among the first to offer Slavonia as a tourist destination to his clients.
“People from Dubrovnik asked me why Slavonia is so visible, can we talk about the coast a little bit? Now that the global tourism sector is sometimes accusing us that we have overdone certain tourism segments, especially on the coast, Slavonia demonstrates innovation and its tourist power, and I think that is great for the whole of Croatia. Last year, we had 890 people who travelled from Munich through our agency exclusively to Slavonia. Perhaps this is not too many in comparison with the millions of tourists who come, but I always say that we should treat each guest like they are the only one, because until the first and the second come, there will not be the third one and the millionth one. They are all ambassadors of continental tourism because, when they returned to Germany, they all said they wanted to visit Slavonia again. They often tell me that Slavonia is as beautiful as Bavaria was twenty years ago. That is what makes Slavonia unique,” said Ognjenović.
Translated from Lokalni.hr (reported by Suzana Lepan Štefančić).
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