Presentation of the entire Croatian tourist offer at the fair f.re.eu in Bavaria

Croatian tourist agency presents the entire Croatian tourist offer at the fair f.re.e, which is held in Munich from February 18th to 22th.

This fair is of particular importance for Croatian tourism, given that Bavaria is the part of Germany from which the largest number of guests from that market come to Croatia. The Croatian stand was visited by a Croatian delegation led by the Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonci Glavin and director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić, and the Croatian exhibition space was also visited by Vladimir Duvnjak, Consul General of the Republic of Croatia in Munich.

"At the Munich fair with a record 30 co-exhibitors, we are once again presenting the full diversity and quality of our offer. Germany is the most important source market for us, and guests from Bavaria make up almost 40 percent of the total number of German tourists in Croatia. In 2025, German guests achieved 22,3 million overnight stays and 3,2 million arrivals, and according to the latest research, Germans continue to show great interest in travel, but also remain very sensitive to the price-quality ratio, which is why price competitiveness remains a strong focus for us.", he said Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, and emphasized:

"In Munich, we held a series of meetings with strategic partners, and it is particularly important that we further strengthened our cooperation with ADAC, whose ratings and recommendations have a strong influence on the decisions of millions of travelers. That is why we signed a new cooperation agreement for an integrated year-round promotional campaign, worth 200 thousand euros.", said the minister The hub and expressed great satisfaction that Croatian national football team member Josip Stanišić visited the Croatian exhibition space.

"With this, we have once again demonstrated the strong synergy between tourism and sports and confirmed that athletes are our best ambassadors", he concluded The hub.

The Croatian delegation met with the fair Michael Kaniber, Bavarian Minister for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Tourism, during which the excellent cooperation between Croatia and Bavaria in the field of tourism was emphasized. During the meeting, the results of the implementation of the sustainable tourism reform were presented, with an emphasis on accommodation infrastructure and activities by which Croatia strengthens year-round and more regionally balanced tourism, and the continuation of the implementation of joint projects was also discussed.

Meetings were also held at the fair with representatives of significant German tour operators, platforms and carriers such as the tourism group Thetour, an application and platform for hiking and navigation in nature Komoot and the leading European organizer of study trips Studios Travel.

"Germany is our most important source market, and within it Bavaria holds a special place because it is from this federal state that we generate the largest tourist traffic from the German market. The long-standing loyalty of Bavarian guests to Croatia confirms the strong connection of our destinations with that part of Germany, but also the high level of trust in the quality, safety and diversity of our offer, which our partners have confirmed firsthand. An additional advantage is the geographical proximity and very good transport connections, whether by road or by air, which makes Croatia an easily accessible and attractive destination throughout the year.", he said Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian Tourist Board.

The presence of the Croatian stand caused great enthusiasm among visitors. Josip Stanišić, a Croatian national football team member and player of the FC Bayern Munich football club, who, accompanied by Minister Glavina and Director Staničić, visited our country's exhibition space, all thanks to the strategic partnership between HTZ, TZ Istria and FC Bayern Munich.

"We are pleased that this year Croatia is once again presenting itself at the f.re.eu fair in Munich, one of the most important tourism events on the German market, with the strategic partnership with FC Bayern Munich further contributing to the high visibility and interest of visitors in the Croatian stand. Long-term partnerships with reputable and established partners play a key role in further strengthening Croatia's position on the German market, which is why it is extremely important for us to launch cooperation with Lufthansa, which will become one of our strategic partners in 2026, as well as to continue successful cooperation with ADAC, with which we are entering the fourth year of joint activities this year. All of these collaborations significantly contribute to building a recognizable image of Croatia as a high-quality and reliable tourist destination. We are also pleased with the large turnout of as many as 30 co-exhibitors from Croatia, which confirms how great the interest in promotion at the fair in Munich is and how much potential the German market still has for Croatian tourism.", she stated Nera Milicic, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board's Representative Office in Munich.

During their visit to Germany, the Croatian delegation toured the headquarters ADAC-a, the largest German and European automobile club. During a meeting with Karlheinz Jungbeck, President of ADAC for Tourism and Carsten Cossman, the head of the ADAC Tourism Department, signed Cooperation Agreement between HTZ and ADAC for 2026.

The cooperation relates to the German market and is focused on offline and online promotion of the diversity of Croatian destinations, the richness of cultural and historical heritage, and the preservation of nature, all with the aim of strengthening Croatia's position as one of the most favorite foreign destinations for German guests.

In addition, the meeting also discussed Croatia's tourism strategy for this year, which mainly involves strengthening pre- and post-season and smart price formation.

Let us add that the Croatian stand will feature 30 co-exhibitors, including tourist boards, national parks, hoteliers, agencies and transport companies. During the fair, in collaboration with Croatian Chamber of Commerce, a tasting of top-quality Croatian wines and cheeses was organized.

There will also be a tasting of Makarska torta and performances by the Tempet Folklore Society, while during the weekend all visitors will be entertained by the Munski zvončari (Mun Bell Ringers) from Kvarner.

Photo: Croatian National Tourist Board