Source: Ministry of Tourism and Sports
The Croatian National Tourist Board is once again participating in the world’s leading tourism fair ITB Berlin, which is being held from 4 to 6 March, with the aim of presenting the entire Croatian tourism offer. The fair is attended by a Croatian tourism delegation led by Tonči Glavin, Minister of Tourism and Sports, Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Romeo Draghicchi, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board’s Frankfurt Office, and Nero Miličić, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board’s Munich Office. This year’s appearance was crowned by the prestigious award from the European Best Destinations (EBD) portal, which declared Croatia the best European travel destination in 2025, and the award was presented by EBD portal representative Maximilien Lejeune.
Germany – the most important issuing market
“Germany is the most important source market for us, Croatia is a destination that offers Germans value for money, which offers quality and a wealth of content 365 days a year. According to ReiseAnalyse for 2024, Germans will travel more this year than before the pandemic, and there is room for growth in arrivals and overnight stays. We are also proud that Croatia was declared the best country to visit in 2025 according to European Best Destinations, as chosen by more than a million travelers, who voted for the most beautiful European destinations, and Croatia took first place. This is another confirmation of the quality of our tourist offer, continuous raising of standards and the best compliment to all our tourism employees. We will also use the ITB fair in Berlin as an opportunity to show at the international level with which activities we have firmly positioned ourselves as leaders in the development of sustainable tourism.” , said Minister Tonči Glavina.
During the fair, the Croatian delegation held meetings with important partners such as the German Association of Travel Agencies (DRV), ADAC, Novasol, Eurowings, TUI, Ameropa, Alltours, Olimar and Jet2, and the main topics were the further development of cooperation, business expectations, the current state of bookings on the German market and forecasts related to this year’s tourism results. The Croatian ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, Gordan Bakota, also visited the Croatian stand.
Value for money
“The interest in our country shown at ITB, as well as the recognition we received from EBD, is an indicator that Croatia has the status of a quality and meaningful tourist destination, and on a global level. This is especially binding for us, given that this is an award based on the votes of travelers from all over the world, including those from the platforms of recognized media partners such as Forbes and Condé Nast. In addition, thanks to the EBD selection, i.e. searching for content and pages dedicated to Croatia, our country gains additional promotional visibility in front of an audience of as many as 220 million potential travelers. Also, according to feedback from numerous partners, in 2025 we expect a stable level of demand from the German market, growth in tourist traffic in the pre- and post-season periods, greater emphasis on exploring our continental authentic destinations, and what numerous partners particularly emphasize to us, reasonable prices and value for money.” , said Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian Tourist Board.
Hrvatska je na ITB-u predstavljena kao destinacija koja mijenja svoje trendove u smjeru održivog turizma te kao odredište koje pruža visoku kvalitetu svojih usluga.
Good cooperation with German and other institutions
“This year’s fair is taking place in the context of a complex economic and political situation in Germany, however, it does not negatively affect tourism trends or the mood of Germans towards traveling abroad. I am very pleased that the appearance of the Croatian Tourist Board at this significant tourism event was marked by a large number of meetings with our partners, as well as with institutional entities from Germany, but also from other countries. This year, ITB remains an important point in the realization of the tourist year, and I am sure that it will provide an excellent landmark for the upcoming season in which Croatia’s competitiveness in the tourism market is expected to further increase, as one of the main destinations for German travelers.” , commented Romeo Draghicchio.
Let us add that Germans are the most important and numerous guests, accounting for over 20 percent of total tourist overnight stays in Croatia during the year. This was the case last year, when Germans in our country recorded more than 22 million overnight stays. The most overnight stays were recorded in Istria (over 10 million overnight stays), Kvarner (over 4.5 million overnight stays), and Split-Dalmatia and Zadar counties (over 2.4 million overnight stays), and in terms of destinations, Rovinj, Poreč and Medulin.
In addition to the Croatian Tourist Board as the main exhibitor, 25 co-exhibitors are also presenting their offerings at the Croatian stand at ITB, including the tourist boards of the City of Zagreb, Split-Dalmatia County, the City of Split, Dubrovnik-Neretva County, the City of Dubrovnik, Šibenik-Knin County, Lika-Senj County and the City of Rovinj. Also, in cooperation with the Croatian Chamber of Commerce, a presentation and tasting of top Croatian wines and cheeses were held at the Croatian stand.
