Russian tourists interested in Croatian luxury villas

The Days of Croatian Tourism, held in Moscow this week, has confirmed the enormous amount of interest on the Russian market for what Croatia has to boast of in its rich tourist offer, the country’s tourism authorities say, according to Total Croatia News.

The Croatian National Tourist Board‘s (HTZ) representative office in the capital Moscow organized the Days of Croatian Tourism event, at which representatives of numerous Croatian tourism companies, including Uniline from Pula, had the opportunity to connect with potential partners from Russia and bring Croatia closer to them as a top destination.

Representatives of Uniline, a leading destination management company in Croatia and the region were some of Croatia’s representatives, including Dario Guljelmovic, sales and production manager at Uniline, and key account manager Marko Borscak.

“The Russian market is huge and we really recognize its great potential. At one place, we were able to meet a number of potential associates. On the Russian side, more than 100 entities from the tourism sector visited Days of Croatian Tourism. The event was also visited by the Russian Minister of Tourism, various officials, interested parties from the F&B sector and many others,” stated Dario Guljelmovic.

The Russian market is specific in that it doesn’t actually include the middle class, unlike on more western markets. When it comes to Russia, they’re either extremely high paying guests, or the total opposite, he said.

From a Russian perspective, Croatia is an extremely interesting destination, especially among clients seeking top-notch service and with a desire to stay in five or four star hotels. The biggest obstacle to strengthening cooperation with Russian partners is the current visa regime. With the entry of Croatia into the European Union, guests from Russia required a visa to enter the country. As a positive example of addressing this obstacle, Guljelmovic points to 2018’s FIFA World Cup held in Russia, when it was relatively easy for fans with tickets to obtain the necessary visas to enter.