In collaboration with the European Travel Commission, the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Slovenian Tourist Board are continuing their joint promotional campaign, "Naturally Yours - Taste, Feel, Love."
At the Elevate 2023 Conference held in New York in October, almost 40 hospitality partners, including hotels, tour operators, attractions and destinations represented the travel benefits Croatia and Slovenia have to offer while growing their relationships with fellow travel advisors across individual meeting appointments.
The joint workshop represents the final milestone of the campaign aiming to strengthen Croatia and Slovenia as attractive year-round destinations for U.S. travelers.
"We have excellent cooperation with our colleagues from the Slovenian Tourist Board, as well as the European Travel Commission,” said Kristjan Staničić, director of Croatian National Tourism Board, adding that the representation plays a major role in the implementation of the activities of Croatia in New York.
“Croatia and Slovenia have behind them many successfully realized projects in joint presentation in distant markets such as China and Australia, and on this occasion in America we are highlighting parts of the offer related to natural heritage, active tourism, enogastronomy, culture and sustainable travel,” he explained. “We are sure that we will continue to further bring our countries closer to numerous American travel enthusiasts, but also to Europe as a whole as the most popular travel destination on a global level.”
"Data from U.S. luxury tourism associations highlights the immense interest of upscale U.S. guests in boutique, tailor-made, sustainable experiences, with a growing interest in gastronomy," added Maja Pak, director of the Slovenian Tourist Board (STB).
Cityscape of the Slovenian capital Ljubljana. (Photo via kasto80 / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
"These are precisely the areas where Slovenian tourism truly shines. At the STB, based on the remarkable potential of the U.S. market, we have been engaged in an array of promotional and communication activities and will continue to do so also in the future."
She went on to stress the vital importance of cooperation with neighboring countries in promoting activities in distant markets explaining that "guests from distant markets often want to explore more than one country on their journeys. Following our successful joint appearances with the Croatian National Tourist Board in Asia and Australia in the years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, this is the first time we are joining forces in the U.S. We are truly grateful to our Croatian colleagues for cooperation and we look forward to welcoming more American tourists to our enchanting destinations."
According to the Croatian National Tourist Board, end-of-year visitors have already exceeded 2019 statistics by 12 percent, expecting to surpass 700,000 arrivals and two million overnight stays from the U.S. for the first time.
By August 2023, overnight stays in Slovenia revealed a 32 percent growth in arrivals and 30 percent in overnight stays compared to the same period in 2022.
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