The event, called "Croatia - Closer Than Ever", brought together about 50 travel agents, strategic partners and representatives of the media from Poland, and it took place at the Croatian House, a project of the Croatian Olympic Committee during the European Games in Kraków and the province of Małopolska.
Along with the director of the HTZ office in Poland, Małgorzata Kowalska, the presentation was attended by head of the department for global PR at HTZ, Lucijana Natalija Jerković, and Tea Šeremet from the marketing department of the Zagreb Tourist Board. The representative of the Croatian Embassy in Poland was the Honorary Consul in Kraków, Pawel Wlodarczyk.
We took advantage of the European Games in Kraków and the presence of our partner, the Croatian Olympic Committee, to present Croatia's offer for the Polish market, and also to present the new director of our representative office in Poland, said Jerković.
During the pandemic, the number of arrivals from Poland increased, and it became one of our top five markets, ranking fourth if we exclude domestic guests. This year has also seen a constant growth in the number of guests from that market, she said.
Croatia invests in all its markets, we use every opportunity to connect motives for arrival, in this case, tourism and sports. We also use athletes to promote Croatia as a tourist destination, and that cooperation proved excellent during the pandemic, she added, thanking the athletes, who she said are the best ambassadors of Croatian tourism.
She also underscored the importance of sports tourism, noting that Croatia is an ideal destination for non-professional sporting events, such as competitions of young athletes and trainings.
Kowalska said that every year there was a rise in the number of Polish tourists in Croatia.
This year, from 1 January to 26 June, their arrivals and overnight stays increased by up to 14%. Up to 70% of Polish tourists arrive by car, but LOT airlines have also introduced many flights to Croatia, she said.
The Croatian Olympic Committee organised the event in cooperation with its long-term partners, which it has been doing at every Summer Olympic Games since Athens in 2004, but this is the first time that a presentation was done at the European Games because Poland is an interesting market for Croatian tourism and the City of Zagreb, it was said.