Successful promotion of Croatia at the “DMC dal Mondo” roadshow in Italy: strong B2B start to the tourist year
Promotional activities of Croatian tourism on the Italian market in 2026 began with the presentation of the tourist offer at the “DMC dal Mondo” roadshow, an itinerant B2B event intended for travel agents and tour operators. The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) announced that business workshops were held over five days in Turin, Milan, Verona, Venice Mestre, and Bologna, gathering 35 exhibitors and more than 250 travel agents. HTZ points out that interest was particularly pronounced for Istria and Kvarner, but also for Zagreb and southern destinations such as Split, Zadar, and Dubrovnik, while highlighting Croatia's good transport connectivity with Italy as an important comparative advantage.
According to the Croatian side's assessment, the roadshow served as a platform for strengthening visibility in a market where travel decisions are often made quickly, but at the same time, clearly structured programs are increasingly sought. In such an environment, “one-on-one” business meetings become a key tool for selling the season: agents receive information about products, availability, and logistics in one place, while exhibitors gain insight into changes in demand and the expectations of Italian guests. For Croatian partners, this is an opportunity to communicate more strongly, alongside the sea and the coast, content that extends the season and increases spending per guest.
The Italian market: proximity, quick decisions, and growing demand for a “finished product”
Italy is a specific market for Croatian tourism because geographical proximity allows for frequent short trips, flexible planning, and a high share of arrivals by private car, especially towards the northern Adriatic. At the same time, the Italian market profile published by HTZ shows that alongside classic summer vacations, city break programs, thematic tours, gastronomy, and active holidays are increasingly sought, and interest is more frequently expanding beyond the peak of July and August. Such a change in demand for agencies and tour operators means greater pressure on “packagability”: the trip must have a clear structure, predictable logistics, and content that can be sold in different seasons and price ranges.
Precisely because of this, B2B events like roadshows impose themselves as effective: Italian agents want fast, concrete information about the product, but also arguments they can pass on to the client. In practice, this includes routes, recommended number of nights, accommodation availability, excursion possibilities, and local experiences, as well as reliable arrival options. In this, Croatia appears in Italy with the special advantage of a close market, where part of the demand can be activated through the “last minute” segment, but also with a challenge: competition in the Mediterranean is increasingly stronger, and customers are more sensitive to the price-quality ratio.
What is “DMC dal Mondo” and why the format is important
The “DMC dal Mondo” roadshow is conceived as a traveling professional meeting where the emphasis is on direct conversations and operational agreements, instead of the classic fair model. The Italian specialized medium Qualitytravel.it stated that the second edition of the roadshow was held from January 26 to 30, 2026, with five stages in northern Italy, and that the event connected the international tourist offer with the Italian “trade” through practical meetings. Exactly this “workshop” approach allows agents to compare multiple offers in a short time, ask questions about details, and immediately evaluate what they can include in a catalog or online sales.
For exhibitors, the advantage is the concentration of contacts and a quick feedback signal from the market. Instead of general messages, specific itineraries, terms of cooperation, dates, and targeted segments are discussed, from family trips to active tourism or gastronomic programs. When such conversations take place in multiple cities, the reach to different source zones and different types of agencies increases, which is important for a market the size of Italy. The organizers of the roadshow on the official pages additionally emphasize the continuity of the project and the communication framework that relies on the “incoming” offer, that is, products that can realistically be sold on the market.
Croatian highlights: accessibility from Italy and an offer that works throughout the year
According to HTZ, the performance of the Representative Office in Italy was aimed at targeted promotion and quality prepared materials, with the message that Croatia is an attractive, close, and transport-accessible destination. In practice, this means highlighting road accessibility towards the northern Adriatic, air connections to major cities, and maritime lines that facilitate the organization of vacations on the coast and on the islands. For agents, the transport component is often the “first filter,” because without reliable logistics it is difficult to sell even the best content, especially when the client is looking for a short break or a weekend trip.
In the HTZ statement, it was emphasized that agents showed particularly great interest in Istria and Kvarner, but also for Zagreb and southern destinations such as Split, Zadar, and Dubrovnik, which rely sales-wise on a combination of cultural heritage, events, and good transport links. In B2B conversations, such interest usually translates into very concrete questions: how to put together a program, what are the recommended routes, what are the excursion possibilities, how easily the city is combined with its surroundings, and how flexible the offer is in the pre-season and post-season. Croatia performed with the argument of diversity: from “quick” vacations in the north to planned multi-day trips towards the south.
- Istria and Kvarner in the Italian sales chain are often positioned as regions for short breaks and “escapes” over the weekend, with an emphasis on gastronomy, eno-tours, wellness, and active holidays.
- Zagreb is increasingly sold as a city break, but also as a starting point for continental itineraries and an addition to coastal tours.
- Split, Zadar, and Dubrovnik remain a strong asset in the air segment and in programs that combine urban heritage with excursions to the islands and along the coast.
Agent interest: what they are looking for and how the sales logic is changing
When HTZ emphasizes “exceptionally great interest,” in sales terms this usually means that agents were looking for concrete information: what is new in the destination, how to put together a program, what are the accommodation options, how to solve the transfer, and what a guest can do outside the main season. For Istria and Kvarner, the advantage is the combination of proximity, developed infrastructure, and an offer that is suitable for transition months, when the experience is often of higher quality due to less pressure on destinations. For the agent, the “story” that can be convincingly sold is important, and these are most often gastronomy, wine, and local culture, along with clear recommendations for routes and experiences.
In conversations with Italian partners, Zagreb increasingly appears as a product that can be sold without major logistical obstacles: a city break tolerates a shorter stay and offers the guest a concentration of content in a small space. Southern destinations remain strongly recognized, but transport connectivity is particularly important for sales: when it is possible to reach the destination quickly and reliably, agents more easily build programs with more nights, organized excursions, and combining the city with the islands. In such packages, agencies most often look for a stable framework, but also the possibility of adaptation, from private tours to thematic programs, which is a trend that is increasingly clearly seen in markets across the Mediterranean.
Croatian tourism in numbers: record 2025 and a test of competitiveness in 2026
Promotion in markets like Italy takes place after the strong results of Croatian tourism in 2025. HTZ announced in early January 2026 that Croatia, according to data from the eVisitor system (with integrated eCrew for nautical charter), recorded more than 21.8 million arrivals and 110.1 million overnights in 2025, which represents growth compared to 2024. Such figures provide a strong foundation for promotion, but at the same time raise expectations for the new year, in which competitiveness will increasingly be measured by service quality, offer structure, and the ability to extend the season.
For Croatian partners, the roadshow in Italy is therefore also a kind of “early indicator” for 2026: agent interest shows which regions and products have the highest sales potential, but also where additional investments in content and logistics are expected. When the market reacts strongly to nearby regions like Istria and Kvarner, it confirms the importance of short trips, while interest in Zagreb and southern destinations suggests that there is room for wider geographical-product distribution of demand. In this context, the key is the ability to adapt the offer to different segments, from weekend travelers to clients looking for multi-day programs with a clear itinerary.
Why Turin, Milan, Verona, Venice Mestre, and Bologna are a strategic choice
The choice of cities in which the roadshow is held reflects the map of Italian source zones and the logic of tourist product distribution. Turin and Milan are key for the northwest and the economically strongest regions, with a large base of travelers and agencies that sell both short breaks and longer trips. Verona and the area around Venice are traditionally strong source areas for travel by car and bus towards the northern Adriatic, but also for thematic tours that combine multiple destinations. Venice Mestre functions in this context as a transport and business hub, while Bologna provides reach towards central Italy and markets that often combine different types of transport.
For exhibitors, the advantage of such a layout is also in quickly covering multiple cities and sales teams in a short time. Instead of relying on one large fair, exhibitors get five market “points” and the opportunity to talk in each city with agents who have a different client structure and travel habits. This increases the chance that the Croatian product is more precisely adapted by regions and sales channels, and not just through general messages. For Italian agencies, this is also useful because in their sales, programs for families, couples, group trips, and thematic tours often differ, which requires a different approach and argumentation.
What follows: strengthening cooperation, early booking, and a focus on specific products
HTZ and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports in public announcements for 2026 emphasize the continuation of intensive promotional activities, including appearances at large international fairs, targeted campaigns by markets, and more intensive cooperation with airlines, tour operators, and travel platforms. In practice, this means that the success of the roadshow in Italy will be measured by how many Croatian products will be found in catalogs and online offers for 2026, and whether demand will be more evenly distributed throughout the year. It will be particularly important how products outside the peak season will be positioned on the market, because they are the ones that create space for more stable income and better distribution of tourist traffic.
The interest recorded at the “DMC dal Mondo” roadshow indicates that the combination of proximity, diversity, and accessibility of Croatian destinations is still attractive to the Italian market. At the same time, it is increasingly clear that sales rely on specific, well-defined programs that can respond to guest expectations, from gastronomy and culture to active holidays and quality accommodation. For Croatian tourism, this means continuing work on products that are not tied exclusively to summer vacations, with parallel strengthening of logistical and partner ties with markets in the immediate environment.
Sources:- Croatian National Tourist Board – press release on the presentation of Croatia at the “DMC dal Mondo” Roadshow ( link )- Croatian National Tourist Board – results of the 2025 tourist year according to the eVisitor system ( link )- HRT – report on 2025 tourist results based on HTZ/eVisitor data ( link )- Qualitytravel.it – second edition of the roadshow, dates and format description ( link )- DMC dal Mondo – official roadshow page and event information ( link )- HTZ – “Italy: 2024 Edition” (source market profile; demand context and travel habits) ( link )
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