The European Tourism Commission (ETC), a Brussels-based non-profit which promotes European destinations in overseas markets, has awarded €100,000 to national tourist boards of Croatia and Slovenia for funding the two countries' joint promotional campaign in Australia, Croatia's board HTZ said on Monday.

The funding will be used to co-finance a promotional campaign titled “Croatia and Slovenia: Full of Ways to Feel and Explore”, which is set to last until November 2020. The ETC will fund half of the overall value pf the project, estimated at €200,000.

According to HTZ press release, the campaign’s goal is to position Croatia and Slovenia as “attractive year-round destinations, with a special focus on active and adventure tourism, natural beauty,” and pitch Slovenia and Croatia as “undiscovered tourist destinations for higher-paying visitors.”

The campaign will promote the two neighbouring countries’ rich cultural and historical heritage, local winemaking, and gastronomy, HTZ said.

This is the second such bilateral project, after European funds had been used last year to co-finance a campaign titled “Experience Croatia, Feel Slovenia” in the Chinese market.

Apart from online ads, this year’s campaign will also include workshops for Australian tourist agencies in Sydney and in Melbourne. In addition, HTZ said that “cooperation would be established” with Australian “influencers” who will be asked to visit Croatia and Slovenia in the spring of 2021.

“Croatia and Slovenia’s joint promotion on long-haul markets, and particularly this one in the large Australian market, is a unique example of successful cooperation of the two countries in their tourism promotion,” Head of HTZ, Kristjan Stanicic, said.