The next year will be special for the Croatian economy and its tourism sector because of several international events, including the Croatian presidency of the European Union, Rijeka as the European Capital of Culture and the World Expo in Dubai, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli says in an interview with Hina.
“In 2020, the many international events in which Croatia will participate and those being organised in the country will be a great opportunity for us to present what we have to offer, and tourism will certainly be important in this regard because of its promotional capabilities and its strength as a brand,” Cappelli said.
He recalled that this year saw the number of tourist arrivals increasing 20 million for the first time, as well as a billion euro in planned investments in one year, adding that based on the indicators so far this year should also set a record in revenues. “Current announcements for 2020 are also good and we are entering the tourist race-ready.”
The Tourism Ministry plans to make maximum use of the Croatian EU presidency in the first half of 2020 to promote Croatia at all levels in Europe and the world, by promoting trade, attracting investment and promoting the country as a travel destination.
“We will intensify the promotional activities of the Croatian Tourism Board in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, primarily by promoting congress tourism and the image of Croatia as a safe and high-quality tourist destination,” the minister said.
The ministry will organise two events – a meeting of experts in the Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem region in March and a ministerial conference in Dubrovnik in April which will include EU countries and OECD member states represented on the OECD Tourism Committee.
“During the Croatian presidency, we also plan to draw up a document in which we will call on the member states and the European Commission to undertake joint activities and cooperate in encouraging sustainable and responsible development of tourism and emphasise the importance of partnership among all stakeholders in achieving the goals of sustainable and responsible development of Europe,” Cappelli said.
