Darija Reić, CNTB office in Great Britain: It was on the topic of a possible air bridge as well as interest in Croatia from the UK market that I spoke with the director of the CNTB Representation in the UK. Darija Reić. Also, most importantly, there is a great demand, and travel agencies from the UK, are overwhelmed by the demand for travel to Europe, as well as to Croatia. Which is always crucial, if there is a high demand, there is also the interest of travel agencies and airlines. As Patel points out, the plan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to enable the British to go on vacation to the safest destinations without quarantine for 14 days, and it is expected to come into force on July 6. When asked about the interest in Croatia on the British market, Reić pointed out that Croatia is highly ranked as a safe destination, since the beginning of the pandemic, and even today. Photo: HTZ Raić points out that the British are extremely careful about the value of money, and logically, as well as their reduced travel budget, in accordance with the whole situation. “The British traditionally like to get more for their money, and in light of the pandemic and weakened economic power, it is to be expected that price will be a strong motivator in choosing a destination” “Split and Dalmatia and Dubrovnik and the Neretva Valley are traditionally the favorite regions of the British. What many certainly want to experience is, for example, a visit to Dubrovnik without the usual crowds. In light of the pandemic and social distancing, tourists will look for smaller “tourist locations” and the so-called. “Hidden gems”, which are very common on the coast and islands, and they should be given special attention to communication activities. Well-known specialized travel magazines have authority and weight, and national newspapers mostly have sections dedicated to travel that serve as inspiration to readers, with a huge reach, especially online. Nowadays, when we really spend a lot of time on mobile phones and laptops, online communication is crucial, and interactive content such as video ads attract special attention.” For a few days now, the media has been talking about negotiations between Great Britain and certain European destinations on the so-called “air bridge”, including Croatia, and yesterday the whole story received additional media focus, but also concrete official outlines.
Namely, Priti Patel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Dailymail she said that negotiations were under way with certain countries, regarding the establishment of an air bridge without quarantine, and that the ministry was working “overnight” to make them happen. In order to better position itself on the UK market, Raić points out that the CNTB campaign is underway on the UK market, and that currently the British will be looking for smaller tourist locations or “hidden gems”Which are very common on the Adriatic coast and islands. Certainly important and more than useful information for everyone who will target the British market with promotional activities. “In the last two days since the news of the announcement of the categorization of destinations to which you can travel from the UK without the need for quarantine on return, there has been increased interest in Croatia, which ranks high as a safe destination since the pandemic. Airlines operate their programs in accordance with the decisions and recommendations of the Government, and we already have flight announcements from the beginning of July to Pula and Rijeka, and from mid-July to Zadar, Split and Dubrovnik. The UK office is also showing high interest and increased public inquiries, especially over the past weekend.”Reic points out. Considering the whole health situation, but also the economic crisis, the question is how much it has left a mark on the financial power of British tourists who are known as guests with high consumption. According to the research Thomas Summer 2017 tourists from Great Britain are right behind tourists from the USA in terms of the highest daily consumption per person – 139 euros. And in the past few years, consumption has certainly grown even more, thanks to the large number of young British tourists who have visited festivals on the Adriatic. As for the negotiations on the air bridge, they are conducted at the state level, and the CNTB office in London, as Reić points out, continuously communicates that we are open to British tourists and that Croatia is a safe destination, ready to receive guests. What is currently important is concrete negotiations at the state level, not just media speculation, and there is great interest in Croatia from the UK market, and more official positive news can be expected in the coming days around the air bridge between the UK and Croatia. .
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