Zadar County presents its tourism and eno-gastronomic offer in Warsaw on the anniversary of the CNTB in Poland
The Zadar County Tourist Board will be a partner in the ceremonial marking of 25 years of activity of the Representative Office of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Poland, which has been announced for 14 May 2026 at the Polonia Palace Hotel in Warsaw. The programme will bring together representatives of the Croatian and Polish tourism sectors, media, business partners and guests from public life, and the central theme will be the long-standing tourism cooperation between Croatia and Poland. According to the programme announcement, on behalf of the Zadar County Tourist Board, director Vanja Čvrljak will address the participants, together with the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić and the director of the CNTB Representative Office in Poland, Małgorzata Kowalska. The anniversary will be held in the Ludwikowska hall of the Polonia Palace Hotel, in an ambience designed with visual motifs of the Croatian coast and Zadar County. The event is conceived as a ceremonial but also promotional gathering intended to further strengthen Croatia’s position in one of its most important outbound markets.
The anniversary of the representative office as a meeting of tourism partners
The Representative Office of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Poland operates with its headquarters in Warsaw, and the Croatian National Tourist Board states in its official documents and tenders that this is an office responsible for promoting Croatian tourism on the Polish market. According to a 2024 announcement by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Croatian diplomatic network and the CNTB Representative Office in Poland cooperated on projects promoting Croatia in Warsaw, with the Polish market described as an exceptionally significant outbound market for Croatian tourism. It is precisely in this context that the marking of 25 years of the representative office’s work can also be viewed, because this is a market on which the tourism promotion of Croatia does not rely only on the summer season, but also on the presentation of culture, gastronomy, natural heritage, continental destinations and direct transport connections. The ceremony in Warsaw is therefore not only a protocol event, but also an opportunity for a meeting of tourism professionals, media and partners who participate in shaping demand for Croatian destinations. The programme has also announced a commemorative film dedicated to 25 years of work of the CNTB Representative Office in Poland, while the evening will be complemented by a musical and entertainment programme.
Zadar County places emphasis on the authentic flavours of the region
The Zadar County Tourist Board will present part of the region’s authentic eno-gastronomic offer in Warsaw, with an emphasis on products and flavours associated with the Zadar area, the islands, the hinterland and the Dalmatian identity. According to the programme announcement, guests will be offered a tasting of Pag cheese, olive oil and selected wines from the Zadar region. A special part of the evening will be dedicated to cocktails inspired by Zadar and Dalmatia, which will be prepared by cocktail masters Ante Butić and Daniel Krizman. Sommeliers Ivan Stiblik and Toni Čanković will be responsible for the wine offer during dinner, with a selection of Croatian wines including the announced Pošip, Maraština, Plavac and Crljenak. The programme states that wines from the Zadar County wineries Bora, Jokić, Karaba and Kraljevski vinogradi will be presented, which means the promotion does not stop at the general image of the Adriatic, but is directed toward specific producers and local varieties.
Such an approach fits into broader trends in tourism promotion in which gastronomy, wine, oil and local products play an increasingly important role in presenting a destination. On its official tourism pages, Zadar County highlights its position in the centre of the eastern Adriatic and the diversity of the area that encompasses the coast, islands, hinterland, natural areas and urban destinations. In such a tourism identity, eno-gastronomy has the function of connecting the area: Pag cheese points to island production and tradition, olive oil to the Mediterranean landscape, and wines to the development of viticulture in the coastal and hinterland parts of the county. The presentation in Warsaw can therefore also be important for producers, because tourism promotion increasingly creates interest in local products even before the guest arrives at the destination. For travellers who, after presentations like this, plan a stay in the region, accommodation offers in Zadar County are also especially useful, particularly if they want to connect the coast, islands, national parks and wine points in a single trip.
The Polish market remains one of the key pillars of Croatian tourism
According to data published in April 2026 by the magazine Svijet, citing Croatian tourism institutions, Polish guests in Croatia recorded 1.2 million arrivals and 7.3 million overnight stays in 2025. The same publication stated that Poland thereby took fourth place among foreign markets according to tourist traffic in Croatia. These data confirm that the Polish market has great weight for Croatian tourism, not only because of the total number of arrivals and overnight stays, but also because of the stability of demand over several years. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics, in its releases on tourist arrivals and overnight stays, regularly monitors tourist traffic in commercial accommodation, and the 2026 release programme states that annual data for 2025 are published in the release on tourist arrivals and overnight stays in commercial accommodation. Such statistics are important to tourist boards because they allow comparison of markets, monitoring of seasonality and planning of promotional activities toward the countries from which the largest number of guests come.
In its document on the Polish market for 2025, the Croatian National Tourist Board emphasized that demand from the Polish market will depend on prices in Croatia, the standard of Polish citizens, inflation, unemployment, purchasing power and geopolitical circumstances. Such assessments show that the tourism decisions of Polish travellers are not determined only by the attractiveness of the destination, but also by economic conditions and the perception of value for money. For Croatia, it is therefore important to maintain visibility on the market, but also to clearly communicate the diversity of the offer, transport accessibility, quality of service and content outside the main part of the summer season. In this sense, the anniversary of the representative office in Warsaw also has a business dimension, because it brings together stakeholders who can influence the sale of packages, media visibility and the perception of Croatian destinations among Polish travellers. In such an environment, Zadar County presents itself as a region that, in addition to the sea and beaches, offers gastronomy, wine, nature, culture and active holidays.
Destination promotion through personal contacts, media and events
Tourism promotion on foreign markets increasingly relies on a combination of digital campaigns, media presence, direct contacts with partners and experiential events. The ceremony in Warsaw belongs precisely to this type of promotion, because it presents the destination to participants not only through presentations and a speaking programme, but through tastes, aromas, visual identity and encounters with the people representing the tourism sector. According to the announcement, the decorations will be inspired by the Croatian coast and Zadar County, which further supports the goal of creating a recognizable atmosphere. Such events often have an effect that goes beyond the evening itself, because media, business partners and tourism professionals receive a reason for publications, conversations and further planning of cooperation. For destinations such as Zadar County, which compete in a highly competitive Mediterranean area, constant presence in markets where a high level of interest already exists is important.
According to the announcement by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, activities had previously been carried out in Warsaw that presented Croatia to the Polish public, among other things through media projects and tourism promotions. In such continuity, the CNTB Representative Office in Poland has an important role, because it connects Croatian institutions, tourist boards, partners and media on the local market. The 25th anniversary of the work of that representative office therefore comes at a moment when Croatian tourism, after a period of strong recovery and growth, is increasingly focusing on maintaining quality, dispersing demand and extending the season. Within that framework, Zadar County can use the advantages of its transport position, the proximity of national parks, islands and cultural centres, as well as its increasingly recognizable gastronomic scene. That is precisely why the Warsaw programme highlights not only general tourism messages, but specific products, wine varieties and the people who present them.
The Zadar region as a combination of coast, islands and hinterland
The official tourism website of Zadar County describes the Zadar region as an area located in the centre of the eastern Adriatic, surrounded by diverse nature. This geographical position is important in tourism promotion because it enables the linking of different experiences over relatively short distances: the urban heritage of Zadar, islands, beaches, nautical offer, rural area, Velebit Nature Park and the proximity of national parks. For the Polish market, which according to the data of Croatian tourism institutions is among the most important for Croatia, such diversity can be especially relevant because it enables different travel motives. Some guests choose Croatia because of a family holiday by the sea, some because of road accessibility and apartment accommodation, while an increasing part of the market is also interested in gastronomy, active holidays, nature and cultural content. The presentation in Warsaw can therefore serve as a reminder that Zadar County is not only a summer destination, but an area that can be experienced through several themes and seasons.
The economic significance of the Polish market for destinations on the Adriatic is also visible through the fact that Polish guests traditionally record a large number of overnight stays, which points to longer stays and a strong connection with family holidays. When local food and wine are presented to such a market, the message is not directed only toward the luxury or specialized segment, but also toward a broader circle of travellers who want to experience the local identity at the destination. Pag cheese, olive oil and wines from the Zadar region in this sense function as easily understandable symbols of the area, but also as an invitation to visit producers, taverns, wineries and islands. This is especially important in a period when tourism destinations are trying to move away from the image of a one-dimensional beach holiday. Through such appearances, Zadar County can further build recognition among Polish partners and media, which in the long term can influence the choice of destination, travel route and spending in the local economy.
The ceremony in Warsaw as a continuation of long-standing cooperation
In the announced anniversary programme, personal meetings and public addresses by representatives of tourism institutions have an important role. The appearance of CNTB director Kristjan Staničić, the director of the CNTB Representative Office in Poland Małgorzata Kowalska and the director of the Zadar County Tourist Board Vanja Čvrljak should further emphasize the connection between national and regional tourism promotion. The national level provides the framework and visibility of Croatia as a destination, while regional tourist boards concretize the offer and present the particularities of individual areas. In the case of Zadar County, these are the coast, islands, eno-gastronomy, natural values, active holidays and cultural-historical heritage. Such a division of roles is especially important on large outbound markets, where interest in Croatia already exists, but the decision to travel is often shaped through a specific destination, accessibility, price and recommendation.
According to available information, the ceremony will be held on 14 May 2026 in Warsaw, and the programme will combine protocol, promotional and experiential parts. The participation of the Zadar County Tourist Board as a partner of the event is further confirmation that the Polish market is seen as one of the priorities in the international communication of the Zadar region. At the same time, it is an opportunity to present local producers and tourism content to an audience that can convey the message to the wider Polish public. Although the effects of such events are not always immediately measurable through arrival figures, they contribute to maintaining relations, media visibility and destination recognition in a period when competition among Mediterranean countries remains strong. For Zadar County, the presentation in Warsaw therefore has both symbolic and practical value: it marks long-standing Croatian-Polish tourism cooperation, but at the same time opens space for new contacts, promotion of the local offer and strengthening of presence on a market that already holds an important place in Croatian tourism.
Sources:
- Croatian National Tourist Board – profile of the Polish market and demand estimates for 2025 (link)
- Croatian Bureau of Statistics – releases and publication programme for data on tourist arrivals and overnight stays (link)
- Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia – announcement on cooperation with the CNTB Representative Office in Poland and promotional activities in Warsaw (link)
- Zadar County Tourist Board – official description of the destination and the region’s tourism offer (link)
- Svijet.hr – announcement on the results of Croatian tourism on the Polish market in 2025 (link)
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