Wholesale FIT tour operator Avanti Destinations and the Croatian National Tourist Office have launched an educational campaign to familiarize travel advisors with the many options for independent travel in this southern European destination. Avanti has also expanded its offering of vacations, tours and hotels for advisors’ independent travel clients interested in visiting Croatia.
The campaign consists of a new 50-page downloadable, shareable e-brochure, “Croatia: Hopping Across Islands” (https://www.flipsnack.com/779977E569B/croatia-2023/full-view.html) and recorded webinar (https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/3475702922412336477).
Within Croatia, Avanti now offers a total of nine customizable vacations, 56 hotels, 65 sightseeing tours and experiences in 11 locations. Most hotels are four- and five-star, and most tours are private. The new e-brochure describes four recommended vacations, 27 hotels, and 21 tours and experiences.
“Now one of our top 10 European destinations, Croatia has been rapidly rising in popularity among international travelers—and with good reason,” said Paul Barry, CEO of Avanti Destinations. “Because of the resulting high demand, we recommend advisors book clients to Croatia four to six months in advance. This is particularly true for travel between April and October, the season for island-hopping, which is featured in several of our itineraries. For clients who want fewer crowds and a more authentic experience, we encourage off-season travel November through March. And we always recommend traveling to several locations within any country—both the best-known and those more off-the-beaten-path—to get to know the people and their culture in greater depth. Our new self-drive vacation can be done all year long.”
The e-brochure provides useful tools for trip planning—a map, information on getting around via Croatia’s rail, bus, and ferry network, as well as descriptions of festivals and special events such as Zagreb’s Christmas Market, which runs from early December until early January. Ferries connect the islands to the mainland. There are more than 1,000 islands in Croatia.
The 11 destinations Avanti offers in Croatia reflect the multilayered history of the country, which has seen ancient Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian, and Austro-Hungarian rulers: Dubrovnik, Split, the islands of Korcula, Hvar and Brac, Makarska, Trogir, the old town of Zadar, Plitvice Lakes National Park, the Istria peninsula and Zagreb.
Among the 21 commissionable private tours, excursions, and experiences featured in the new e-brochure and which may be added on to any custom vacation in Croatia: “Game of Thrones” walking tour of either Dubrovnik or Split; “Taste of Dubrovnik” tour with stops to sample olive oil, homemade cheeses, smoked ham, sea salt (still made in Roman-era pans), seafood, and wine in three villages; full-day excursion to the towns of Mostar and Positelj in the neighboring nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a stop at a Dervish monastery; speedboat cruise to the Pakeleni Islands to explore a fishing village on Vis and the Blue Cave of Bisevo; “Taste of Split” walking tour featuring pairings of olive oil with fleur de sel, aged red wine vinegar, tapenade, homemade bread, fig jam and cheese; “Plitvice Lakes” tour including boat ride and walking tour among the national park’s 92 waterfalls; “Krka Waterfalls” tour visiting Krka National Park and the coastal towns of Solin, Kastela, Trogir, Primosten, and Sibenik; “Nin and Royal Vineyards” tour with wine tasting also includes walking tour of Zadar; “Truffle Hunter for a Day” tour with truffle-sniffing dogs near a small village and light truffle lunch plus a visit to the medieval hilltop town of Motovun; and “Varazdin and Trakoscan Castle” tour in the Hrvatsko Zagorje cultural region bordering Slovenia.
The two new FIT vacations featured in the new e-brochure include “Discover Croatia” (self-drive, nine days) and “Croatia Countryside and Island-Hopping” (10 days). The itineraries may be modified to include additional nights, cities, tours and experiences, transfers, as well as other European destinations. All Avanti vacations are customizable, and all land components are commissionable.
For more details, call 1-800-422-5053 or visit www.book.avantidestinations.com.
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