Kristjan Staničić receives new four-year mandate

The 6th session of the CNTB Tourist Council was held, during which Kristjan Staničić was appointed director of the CNTB for a four-year mandate by a unanimous decision of the Council members. This officially concluded the Competition for the election and appointment of the CNTB director, which was open until March 30 of this year. As a reminder, director Staničić has been performing this function since July 2017, when he was first appointed director of the CNTB.

Director Staničić expressed his gratitude to the CNTB Tourist Council, as well as to the minister of tourism and sport, Tonči Glavina, for their trust. "Re-election to the position of CNTB director represents, above all, a responsibility toward Croatian tourism, all tourism workers, partners, but also Croatia as a whole, given that tourism is one of our most important economic sectors. I most sincerely thank minister Glavina and all members of the Tourist Council for their trust. Together, we have successfully responded to numerous challenges over the past few years, and I am particularly pleased that we have further strengthened Croatia's international position as a high-quality, safe, and sustainable destination that attracts guests throughout the entire year," Staničić said.

He particularly emphasized that today, compared to 2017, Croatia records eight million more overnight stays, meaning the figure of 110 million overnight stays on an annual basis has been surpassed. Numerous campaigns and promotional activities conducted by the Croatian National Tourist Board in domestic and international markets played an important role in this. This is also confirmed by the growth of traffic from the most important source markets, both European and long-haul, with the US market standing out in particular, as it has recorded a continuous and significant increase in tourist arrivals and overnight stays over the past few years. Additionally, the CNTB played an important role in positioning Croatia as a fly-to destination.

"In the new mandate, we will continue to work on further strengthening the competitiveness of Croatian tourism, developing the year-round offer, sustainable destination management, and the promotion of all Croatian regions and tourism products. The emphasis will be on digitalization, the use of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, and further strengthening cooperation with strategic partners in order to maintain the growth trend of new airline routes to our country. I would also like to remind you that we will soon release a brand-new promotional video for Croatian tourism starring John Malkovich, which will serve as the foundation for new, innovative marketing campaigns in the coming years. I believe that through the joint work of all stakeholders, we can further improve the quality of Croatian tourism and ensure its sustainable growth for the benefit of local communities, the economy, and all citizens," Staničić concluded.

In addition to the above, the Decision on the election and appointment of directors for CNTB representative offices in six markets was adopted at the session. Specifically, for the markets of Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, the current directors were re-elected, while new directors were appointed for the markets of Slovenia, Scandinavia, and China.

It should also be added that the session adopted the Decision on approving the hosting of the annual general assembly of the Lufthansa City Center International GmbH (LCC) travel agency network, the world's largest independent travel agency franchise, which operates through 600 offices across 110 markets and has been in business for more than 35 years. The LCC annual general assembly is held every two years in different destinations, and interest has been expressed in holding the assembly in Istria in June 2027. The planned number of participants exceeds 400, consisting of high-ranking representatives, agency owners, and leading managers in the tourism industry. Based on this Decision, a letter of intent will be signed, followed by the conclusion of an appropriate agreement between the Croatian National Tourist Board, LCC, and the Istria County Tourist Board.

Source and photo: CNTB