The 3rd session of the CNTB Tourist Council was held, at which decisions were adopted on marketing and PR cooperation in the field of sports, cooperation with strategic partners, as well as cooperation at TOP events in 2026. In accordance with the above, the decision of the Tourist Council approved cooperation with the Croatian Handball Federation (HRS) for the period from 2026 to 2028, as well as with the Croatian Olympic Committee (HOO) for the period from 2026 to 2029. The aforementioned cooperation, among other things, includes the visibility of the Croatian tourism logo and the publication of CNTB promotional messages on official communication channels, sports equipment, official matches and competitions, etc.
“All the decisions we made at today’s meeting are extremely important for the promotion of our country and its further positioning as a year-round destination, and we particularly highlight the strong step we have made in strategic partnerships with airlines. For this purpose, we have allocated record funds this year with an increase of 30 percent, which resulted in cooperation with five new partners and a larger number of routes and better connectivity throughout the year. One of the new partners is United Airlines, which strengthens our direct connection with the USA, and in addition to the existing New York – Dubrovnik route, a new direct New York – Split route is being introduced. We have also made decisions on cooperation with the sports sector, which bring us additional value, because we know how much popularity and visibility our athletes achieve by achieving their successes, which was recently confirmed by winning bronze medals at the European handball and futsal championships. Likewise, the organization of TOP events throughout Croatia, both sports and all others, is an opportunity to strengthen our offer, especially outside the summer months, towards which we are directing further growth,” said Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sports.
Also, the session adopted a Decision on the implementation of marketing cooperation with strategic partners in 2026, for which the CNTB’s Annual Work Program has secured an amount of over 3.3 million euros for cooperation with partners such as airlines, tour operators and other carriers, including easyJet, Eurowings, Ryanair, Lufthansa Group, United Airlines, KLM, LOT, Jet2holidays, TUI, etc. Regarding TOP events, a Decision was adopted on the approval of funds for the implementation of marketing cooperation with the organizers of TOP events in 2026, for which 535,000 euros have been secured for 25 event organizers, including, for example, Sea Star Festival, Plava Laguna IRONMAN 70.3 Poreč, WACT Zagreb 2026 – 76. Boris Hanžeković Memorial, Pannonian Challenge, DOBRO World Cup Osijek, Sinjska alka, Maraton lađa, Rijeka Carnival, etc.
“At today’s meeting, we made important decisions that directly support the further strengthening of Croatia’s international accessibility and the visibility of our offer in the most important emitting markets. By adopting decisions on the implementation of marketing cooperation with strategic partners and organizers of TOP events, we are further strengthening our country’s position as an easily accessible, competitive and year-round destination, and we are confirming how important major events are for strengthening Croatia’s image and more balanced development of tourism in all areas. Our goal is to stimulate additional demand through these cooperations, open new market opportunities, but also more strongly support the development of year-round tourism in an increasingly demanding global environment,” said Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board.
Dodajmo i to kako je na sjednici usvojena i Odluka o oglašavanju na Expedia kanalima za tržišta Kanade i SAD-a, a riječ je o jednoj od vodećih online travel agencija s dosegom od preko 70 milijuna korisnika i s više od milijardu zabilježenih pretraga svakog mjeseca.
