Croatia targets new US flights
Croatia is seeking to secure year-round flights to the United States, namely from Zagreb, with scheduled services between the two countries set to resume this summer after 28 years, albeit on a seasonal basis, between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik. VisitUSA Croatia, a newly formed organisation dedicated to marketing the United States as a premier travel destination under the Brand USA federal umbrella group, says it is working on expanding flight connectivity between the two countries. "We are primarily looking to secure services between Zagreb and New York as this route would fuel travel between the two countries, however, at this point, we do not have any concrete announcements for a new year-round service. This will only happen if a number of stakeholders get involved in the project. Croatia is a regional tourism powerhouse and we must also use this advantage to position ourselves as a leader in outbound US travel for the entire region".
The Ambassador of the United States to Croatia, William Robert Kohorst, anticipates for new services to be launched between the two countries following American Airlines' arrival this summer. "This new nonstop service between the USA and Croatia sends a strong and positive message to the tourism sector. I am hopeful that all of the planned nonstop flights this summer will be full and that it will lead to the launch of new routes, which will in turn generate additional tourism and business exchange". The head of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, Romana Vlašić, added, "We have been negotiating the Philadelphia service with American Airlines for years. Advanced bookings have so far been excellent and the Dubrovnik Tourism Board has launched a marketing campaign in the States".
The Croatian Minister for Tourism, Gari Capelli, previously said that seasonal flights between the United States and Croatia would launch first, before year-round operations could commence. The Ministry has launched an eight million euro project entitled "Positioning Croatia as an airline destination", with plans to double its budget next year. "The project aims to attract carriers from far away markets", Mr Cappelli said. The Croatian Embassy in Washington previously noted, "We will do all we can to spearhead and facilitate this effort, and achieve direct flights as soon as it is economically possible". On the other hand, Star Alliance-member United said in a statement, "We have not announced anything about the Croatian market, but we’re always looking for new opportunities. We will continue to offer flights to Croatia through our codeshare partners", while Delta said it currently has no plans to launch operations to the Croatian capital.
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