‘Unassuming gem’ Croatia to get boost from Ctrip
07 Juin 2019 - 7:49AM
On 4 June, the Ctrip.com International Ltd. co-founder and
Executive Chairman of the Board James Liang was invited to meet
with the Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović in the capital
Zagreb. Their discussion touched on the achievements of both
countries in the tourism industry, policy reforms and cultural
exchange, as well as destination marketing, among others.
President Grabar-Kitarović commended Ctrip’s contributions to
the tourism industry of China and Croatia, while also expressing
hope that Ctrip and Croatia will continue to collaborate to improve
the recognisability of Croatia among Chinese outbound tourists.
Both agreed that although recent years have seen an increase in
Croatia-bound Chinese tourists, with its rich cultural and economic
tradition, Croatia has much more to offer. In order to address
this, James Liang vowed to help promote Croatia as a destination on
Ctrip’s platform, to improve recognisability of this unassuming
gem.
An unassuming European gemIn recent years,
increasing numbers of Chinese tourists have flocked to Europe,
making the region second only to Asia in terms of visitor numbers.
Situated in south-east Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula bounded by
the Mediterranean Sea, Croatia has become one of the fastest
growing destinations in terms of popularity.
Croatia has always been favoured destination for seasoned
travellers, but until recently, it has remained a relatively
obscure location for most Chinese tourists. The choice of the
historical town of Dubrovnik as the filming location for Game of
Thrones was the driving force behind a gradual increase in
Croatia’s appeal. According to official statistics, 159,000
tourists visited Croatia in 2017, a year-on-year increase of
50%.
In 2018, Croatia’s second-placing in the World Cup further
sparked the interest of Chinese travellers. Ctrip statistics show
that in the same month, there was a month-on-month increase of 500%
in Croatian hotel searches, a trend that would continue throughout
the 2019 Spring Festival holiday period. Between February and March
2019, China had become one of the top ten origins for Croatia-bound
tourists.
During the recent International Labour Day holiday period,
bookings of various types made on the Ctrip platform, including
group tours, independent trips, personalised itineraries, among
others, saw a 450% year-on-year increase in Croatia-bound tourists.
Statistics also reveal that Croatia is most popular among male
clients, accounting for 57% of sales. In terms of age, almost 50%
of Croatia-bound tourists are 20-40 year-olds.
Ctrip promises President
Grabar-Kitarović closer collaborationDuring a
visit to Croatia this April, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced
the launch of the Year of Culture and Tourism in Croatia and China.
This marked China’s first Year of Culture and Tourism partnership
with a Central and Eastern European nation, and was another
milestone for the development of the tourism industry in both
countries. The meeting between Ctrip Chairman James Liang and
President Grabar-Kitarović is a testimony to the substantial
responsiveness of the tourism industry to the initiative, and is
symbolic of the overall advancement of collaboration in tourism for
China and Croatia. In dialogue with President Grabar-Kitarović,
James Liang indicated his primary concerns for outbound tourists
based on Ctrip’s experience. These included travel safety, visa
convenience, the availability of direct flights, and availability
of Chinese language instruction and guides. He called on the
Croatian government to make visas more readily available to Chinese
tourists, and recommended the provision of multilingual guide
services, which should include Chinese.
Ctrip has publicly announced its future plans to improve
collaboration with Croatia in various areas, including product
development, technology, and destination marketing. Ctrip’s data
analysis draws a vivid picture of its users and their consumption
habits, providing a basis for targeted product development and
data-informed marketing. The Croatian government has also indicated
that it will continue to support Ctrip in the future, including the
provision of exclusive access to tourism resources.
Ctrip has maintained a close partnership with the Croatian
National Tourist Board, which opened its Shanghai branch last year,
and local tourism businesses, working to develop the emerging
Croatian market. A representative of Ctrip said in a statement that
currently, Croatia-bound group tour products are primarily based
around the Balkan route. In 2019, over 100 new products based
around the ‘Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia’ and ‘Italy and Croatia’
routes have gone online, and have been well-received by Europe
bound travellers seeking in-depth tours. In the future, a 9-day
in-depth Croatia-bound private tour will be launched, at a cost of
between 20,000-30,000 RMB.
In recent years, Chinese outbound tourist numbers and
expenditure have remained the highest in the world. Further to the
development of the Chinese outbound travel industry, James Liang
has called for an emphasis on the development of the inbound travel
industry, as means of allowing international tourists to better
understand contemporary China. The rise of China’s second and third
tier market and Ctrip’s development of the Croatian market will
breathe new life into co-operation in the tourism industry, and
will be an important platform for trade and cultural exchange
between the two countries.
In light of these developments, the best is yet to come for
Croatian-Chinese collaboration in tourism.
For further information, please
contact:
International PR
Ctrip.com International, Ltd.
Email: Pr@ctrip.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available
at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5503f7f8-4117-4aef-8e75-26131abd836a
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b2c66dfa-d966-4b79-a9bd-b646585e6de7
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