TALKING SHOP
Croatia We're Backing Agents
Destination Dialogue
UK agents and tour operators and suppliers from Croatia attended Selling Short Breaks & Holidays’ Destination Dialogue: Croatia, held in the palatial surrounds of The Dorchester, London. Organised in collaboration with the Croatian Tourist Board, this was an opportunity to discover more about the destination and learn new ways to sell it more successfully
Croatia FACTFILE
Location: Modern Croatia was created out of the country formerly known as Yugoslavia and is perhaps best known for the attractive walled city of Dubrovnik. Its capital, Zagreb, is in the north-west. Other key cities include Split and Zadar, for their historic sites. Beach resorts abound along the 6100km of coastline and cruising and the sailing markets are strong. Offshore there are 1000 islands with some 20 national and provincial parks located inland
Croatia In Context Visitor numbers to Croatia from the UK increased by fi ve per cent, to 260,000, last year. More than 160 UK tour opera- tors offer the destination, selling primar- ily to the 45-55s. The tourist industry generates 20 per cent of the country’s GDP and is actively targeting increased sales from 18-35s and family markets.
The Main Challenges • Lack of awareness 'Older' clients will know it as part of former Yugoslavia, younger generations know it as Croatia, but not all are clear about what the country offers beyond well-known historic towns like Dubrovnik and Zagreb. Elsewhere in Europe Croatia is known
as a family holiday destination but this sector is less dominant in the UK, pos- sibly due to the limited availability of all-inclusive hotels and theme parks. Zagreb, the capital, is less well known for city breaks but equally attractive as many other popular short break cities. Sandy beaches do not abound – many
are stoney, however because of this the waters are exceptionally clear.
The Opportunities
• Key markets are 45- to 55-year-olds and increasingly the 18-35s and families. • Croatia has a strong wine-producing area, has won awards for its wine and is pushing emerging 'wine routes'. • Medical tourism is growing. Dental work in particular can be 50- 70 per cent cheaper than in the UK.
• Gulets and sailing holiday options are widely available and cruise options are growing.
• Weddings can be held at some beautiful
historic sites. Specialists who can help include Balkan Holidays.
• Self-drive holidays can be offered with confi dence: roads are generally safe and destinations are easily linked.
• The range of golf courses is expanding so this is a sector to keep an eye on. • Croatia has a reputation for being relatively safe, so stress this to families. • Croatia offers a lot of activity holiday options – such as mountain-biking, camping, sailing and birdwatching.
• Repeat bookings are strong. • Music festivals are growing in popular- ity among the younger generations.
Getting There
Some 10 airlines operate fl ights to Croa- tia’s seven international airports from 23 UK regional airports. Croatia Airlines fl ies from Gatwick to Zagreb 12 times a week; Split three times a week, Rijeka once a week and Dubrovink once a week.
Hot News
Thomas Cook has rein- troduced Croatia this year
with two fl ights a week to Pula
and two a week to Split. Light Blue Travel took over the forward bookings of Holiday Options. As these were mostly to Croatia the company is continuing a programme into Dubrovnik and Spilt for 2011 featuring top-end boutique hotels. Theme park and attraction ticket special- ist Attraction World has added Croatia with 15 tours in Dubrovnik, Istria and Kvarner. All tours are fully commission- able to agents.
In Conclusion “Croatia is a safe and diverse destination which can generate good repeat bookings. Clients explore many different landscapes and have many different experiences all within a relatively small area.” Meri Matesic, UK director, Croatian National Tourist Offi ce
Discover More:
www.croatia.hr www.croatiaairlines.com www.balkanholidays.co.uk: Varied programme including weddings
www.lightbluetravel.co.uk: Features Boutique hotels
www.interhome.co.uk: Has 2000 villas in Croatia
www.completelycroatia.co.uk: Offers multi-centre trips and has detected a trend towards longer durations – up to 20 days.
www.inghams.co.uk: Offers a small Croatia programme with Dubrovnik as its top seller.
www.classic-collection.co.uk: A small programme concentrates on Dubrovnik
Flying Times: Around two hours 25 minutes between London and Zagreb
Average Costs: Croatia’s currency is the Kuna although confi rmation of its acceptance into the European Union and Eurozone is imminent. Currently a meal out costs around £4 to £8 a head and a beer is about £1.50
Average Length of Stay: The average length of stay in Croatia is around fi ve days but British travellers tend to stay up to 10 days which makes them highly attractive to Croatian suppliers
www.shortbreaksholidays.com • July/August 2011 13
toptip
"Zagreb is a great city destination, especially in
winter. It can be sold as a short break as an alternative to Prague. The architecture is stunning"
ANNA BOULTBEE
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