Croatian National Tourist Board (CNTB) is presenting the Croatian tourism offer at the 46th edition of one of the most important international tourism fairs, FITUR, which is being held in Madrid until 25 January and is expected to attract more than 255,000 visitors. The fair is open to both business professionals and the public, with 161 countries and regions in attendance. Croatia is presenting itself with the aim of further strengthening its position on the Spanish market, as well as promoting its overall tourism offer.
“The Spanish market is of great importance for Croatia, as these are travellers who enjoy travelling throughout the year and value authentic experiences. FITUR, as one of the most important global tourism fairs, represents an exceptionally important platform for presenting the entire Croatian tourism offer, strengthening cooperation with key partners, and further positioning our country as a safe, high-quality and sustainable destination. Our priorities are the development of year-round tourism and providing value for money, along with continuous care for safety, which remains one of the key competitive advantages of Croatian tourism,” said Kristjan Staničić, Director of the CNTB. He added that, according to eVisitor system data, nearly 282,000 arrivals and more than 688,000 overnight stays were recorded from the Spanish market in Croatia last year, representing an increase of 1% in arrivals and 5% in overnight stays compared to 2024.
As part of the fair, Director Staničić held a meeting with Yolanda Sanchez, Director of Strategic Projects at Iberia, Spain’s leading airline and one of the oldest and largest carriers in Europe, which plays a key role in connecting Europe with Latin American markets. Accordingly, special emphasis was placed on continuing the existing high-quality cooperation, with opportunities to strengthen promotional activities on the Spanish market as well as in Latin America.
“Participation at FITUR is an opportunity to meet with our partners who, again this year, aim to achieve further growth in tourist traffic through the introduction of new offers and packages to Croatian destinations. These meetings also include encounters with representatives of Spanish media, whom we inform about current developments in Croatian tourism. Our goal is to maintain positive trends in this important market for Croatia. We are noticing growing interest in group travel, as well as exceptional interest from partners from the South American market, which we are very happy about,” emphasized Viviana Vukelić, Director of the CNTB Representative Office in Italy, which also covers the Spanish market.
In addition to the Croatian National Tourist Board, 13 co-exhibitors are also presenting their offers within the Croatian exhibition area. These include the tourist boards of Dubrovnik-Neretva and Split-Dalmatia counties, as well as the cities of Zagreb, Split and Rovinj. There are some other tourism stakeholders like Valamar, Katarina Line, Uniline, Krka National Park, Abacus, Adriana Travel, Nave Travel and Hotel Park Split which are also presenting their offers. During his stay in Madrid, Director Kristjan Staničić met with the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to the Kingdom of Spain, Nives Malenica.
Additionally, during his visit to Madrid, Director Staničić participated in the first meeting of the UN Tourism Affiliate Members Board in the new mandate. The meeting was also attended by UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Al Nowais. At the session, a new two-year Programme of Work for the Affiliate Membership was presented. Its innovative approach includes academic cooperation in the field of sports tourism, as well as the potential for stronger cooperation among affiliate members and their greater integration and engagement in the development of tourism statistics, specifically the UN Tourism Barometer.
