"Next year I expect the Croatian tourist trade to achieve even better results and ensure the continuation of investments. We also should have in mind the sustainability of he Croatian tourist trade," the premier said, congratulating the HTZ staff and workers in the tourism sector on excellent results.
He said he was particularly happy to see that after the volume of investment of EUR 800 in the tourism sector this year, investments would increase to 950 million euro in 2018.
Tourism Minister and HTZ president Gari Cappelli and HTZ Director-General Kristjan Stanicic thanked all in this organisation for their efforts in the past 25 years.
This year has been registered records with over 101 million overnight stays of guests, investments have risen and the Financial Times has put Croatia on the seventh place in terms of the country's attractiveness for tourism investments, Minsiter Cappelli said at the ceremony in Zagreb.
The first survey of the Financial Times – fDi Tourism Locations of the Future 2017/18, ranked Croatia as the seventh largest destination for tourism with the highest potential for investment, among 43 world tourist destinations. FDi's inaugural Tourism Editor's Choice Awards for tourism single out the countries that have devised specific and successful strategies to attract investment.
According to the fDi Tourism Locations of the Future 2017/18 – Editor’s Choice Awards, Belize, Croatia and Jamaica are just three of the countries punching above their weight. Croatia is becoming increasingly important as a filming location for both TV shows and films, including HBO’s "Game of Thrones" series and more recently "Robin Hood". The country was also commended for its efforts to attract investors in the tourism sector, winning an Incentives award.
Stanicic said that the HTZ was prepared for business activities in 2018 and it would adjust its activities to the demand on the market.