The programme of the Rijeka 2020 – European Capital of Culture project was showcased in Paris at a press conference attended by numerous French journalists and held at the Croatian Embassy. The programme was presented by the Mayor of Rijeka, Mr. Vojko Obersnel and Ms. Irena Kregar Šegota, Partnership and Communications Director of Rijeka 2020, with the participation of Ms. Danijela Mihalić Đurica, head of the Croatian Tourist Board’s French office in Paris.
There’s also a tourism aspect to the Paris presentation of Rijeka as the first Croatian city to bear the title of the European Capital of Culture, in the sense of fostering growth in tourist turnover from this key market, which shows an 8 percent growth in arrivals and overnights this year. We are also more than happy to see high revenue growth rates for the traditionally most popular destinations for our French guests, such as Split or Dubrovnik, but also a growth in the regions and cities where French guests weren’t as common before, such as Rijeka, Zagreb, Slavonia and Istria, said Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board, and added that the CTB also organised a study tour on this topic for 12 French journalists, who visited Rijeka this year in May.
More than 600 programmes were showcased at the presentation, which are being implemented in cooperation with more than 250 partner organisations. The above is only a fraction of the figures the Rijeka team used to announce our city’s year of celebrating diversity, and to invite our French friends to visit the big event during 2020. The conference attendees were also presented with the Informative Lungomare Art exhibition, which showcases projects by eleven artists from home and abroad. They will create a legacy of permanent sculpted works of art in ten locations throughout the Kvarner region.
Rijeka is currently witnessing an increase of 21 percent in overnights and 12 percent in arrivals from the French emissive market, while the Kvarner region is seeing an increase of 7 percent. Showcasing programmes like these, which emphasize the cultural offering, is an important aspect of tourism promotion, given the fact that to almost 60 percent of the French population, cultural heritage is the main incentive for travelling to a foreign destination
, said the head of the Croatian Tourist Board’s French office in Paris Danijela Mihalić Đurica, and added that the attending journalists were delighted with the showcased promo videos and prepared programmes.
The Mayor of Rijeka, Vojko Obersnel, said that using this project, Rijeka will showcase its history and cultural heritage, but it will also demonstrate its respect for the basic human values and togetherness, which are deeply ingrained into the very foundations of modern Europe.
