Croatia is becoming an increasingly popular destination for the US market.
The Croatian National Tourist Board participated in the largest annual meeting of North American tour operators, “2018 USTOA Annual Conference & Marketplace”, which this year held its 40th edition in Phoenix, Arizona from November 27 to 30, 2018. Along with the Croatian Tourist Board, the Tourist Board of Zagreb, the Tourist Board of Dubrovnik-Neretva County and the Tourist Board of Dubrovnik also participated in the conference, reports HRTurizam on November 30, 2018.
Croatia is one of the fastest growing destinations in the US market, said HTZ Director Kristjan Staničić, adding: “This is a very significant and important gathering that, besides North American tour operators, or active USTOA members, attracts many other associate members and representatives of tourist offices and the tourism industry from countries around the world. This has also been a chance to have meetings with key partners such as TravelZoo, Collette, Holiday Vacations, Cox and Kings, The Travel Corporation and Stride Travel,” said Staničić.
The excellent status of Croatia in the massive US market was confirmed by the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) market research results, whose representatives were one of the lecturers at the event.
According to this research, Croatia was listed among the top five “Off the Beaten Track” destinations, immediately after Iceland and Cambodia, and before Colombia and Vietnam.
HTZ expects the double-digit growth of US traffic to continue in 2019, and a new direct flight from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik on American Airlines will significantly contribute to the results.
According to the eVisitor system, 578,000 arrivals and 1.6 million overnight stays have been realized by the US market so far this year, which is a 23 percent increase in visitors and an 18 percent increase in overnight stays compared to last year. The top destinations for American tourists are Dubrovnik, Split, Zagreb, Hvar, and Rovinj.
To read more about American tourists in Croatia, visit TCN’s dedicated page here.
