4 June 2023 – Eurovision star Baby Lasagna will promote Croatian tourism and bring the attention of people across Europe to Croatia.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ana Roksandic writes, Croatia is in a tough battle with its Mediterranean competitors every summer, and capitalising on its celebrity could be a great option for tourism.
This was exemplified by the recent success of Umag-born performer Marko Pulisic (aka Baby Lasagna) at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Sweden, but opinions are widely divided on how effectively Croatia has utilised Baby Lasagna and his success.
Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) director Cristian Staničić says that in addition to sun, sea and nature, Croatia is also very well known as a destination for quality festivals, while PR expert Božo Skoko believes that a globally attractive event that would put Croatia on the map has yet to be planned.
Event organizer Li Kosovic from LOL Event Management also points out that despite great promotion, Croatia has not been able to translate its many big successes into attractive tourist events.
Of course, HTZ didn’t just sit back and watch Baby Lasagna’s success and do nothing… “We know that Eurovision has an audience of around 160 million people, so we decided to use this opportunity to further promote Croatian tourism and bring it closer to the European public. This year we have set aside 15 thousand euros for promotional and other activities, with a focus on the X (formerly Twitter) platform. Speaking of the selected markets, [we’re aiming that at]”The campaign is focused on Sweden, where the contest took place. It is also being rolled out to other European markets, such as Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Austria, the UK and Italy. The promotion is centred on tourist cities in Istria, with a focus on Umag, as this year’s contestants are from there. Other areas of Croatian tourism were also promoted, such as culture, ethnic cuisine and active holidays,” said Kristian Staničić.
Baby Lasagna will promote tourism in Croatia through 33 events.
Luka Baterich/PIXSELL
A global success like Baby Lasagna is actually a golden opportunity for the local community, where its creator comes from. The singer, who won the Dora Prize and came second at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest, was quickly recognized by the Umag Tourism Board, who signed a long-term collaboration agreement with the author of the hit song “Rim Tim Tagi Dim”. His first performance after the Eurovision stage was actually at the Sea Star Festival in his hometown, Umag.
“All this has given Umag immeasurable publicity on foreign markets and increased its popularity as a tourist destination. An initial analysis of searches for the destination Umag on popular search engines shows a significant increase in interest in the destination. The visibility of Umag, Istria and Croatia as a whole is truly immeasurable,” said the Umag Tourist Board.
Bojo Skoko, professor of public relations at the Faculty of Political Science in Zagreb, also believes that Baby Lasania’s huge Eurovision success will be a great contribution to his country: “Firstly, it will increase the popularity of rural Istrian tourism, which he promotes so well, and secondly, it will increase the popularity of his hometown, Umag.” Baby Lasania’s now iconic music video was shot in several locations in Istria, and the musician wears Istrian national costume in the video.
“They could definitely use him as a brand ambassador,” reckons Skoko. HTZ confirms that the resonance of Pulisic’s performance at the Eurovision Song Contest continues in that it has created a lasting positive impression for Croatia.
“We noticed then an increasing interest in Croatia and our partners have reported the same. We have high hopes for this season. There is interest not only from Sweden but also from Denmark, especially in the area around Copenhagen. Denmark is keeping a close eye on this development. We operate the most number of flights from Copenhagen to various Croatian airports,” Staničić said.
Baby lasagna is boosting tourism in Croatia, but there are other things that are helping too. LOL Event Management’s Li Kosovic pointed out that other events have had a bigger impact. “European and global successes, like Marko’s success at the Eurovision Song Contest, often generate a lot of media interest and raise global awareness of the country. But to be honest, I haven’t seen much of an effect in turning such successes into events aimed at attracting tourists. The biggest thing that becomes an event in this context is the receptions of sports champions all over Croatia, with foreign media writing about it too,” Kosovic commented.
Event organizers also point out that locals will be organizing big receptions for all those who make it big under the Croatian flag, which will lead to an increase in foreigners Googling and asking questions about Croatia…
“The fame that comes with such success may be short-term, but the connection with Croatian identity is long-lasting. We don’t make it into an event, but every year something new comes along and strengthens our offer of so-called tourist events.”
Croatia needs original events with global appeal
Luka Baterich/PIXSELL
When asked what Croatia is missing when it comes to event organization, Skoko points out: “Croatia lacks unique events with global appeal that would contribute to promoting its identity, raising Croatia’s profile in the world and strengthening its brand overall.”
Meanwhile, Staničić explained that through its support and cooperation, HTZ encourages the organization and hosting of various events, such as the Sea Star Festival, the ATP tournament Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag, the IN Music Festival, Rijeka Carnival, the Dubrovnik Summer Olympics and Sinj Arka.
Overall, HTZ cooperates with 33 organizers of the country’s biggest events, and Staničić singles out one in particular: “The ULTRA EUROPE festival in Split is definitely worth a look. This festival generates a huge number of guest visits and overnight stays not only in Split but throughout the whole of Split-Dalmatia County. HTZ is also a partner of this festival.”
Fields marked with * are required to subscribe to our newsletter
Source link
