While Croatia's coast gets the postcards, the country's inland counties have been quietly putting up some serious numbers. Tourist arrivals in continental Croatia have climbed 60% over the past decade, with overnight stays up 58% — and per the latest TOMAS research, visitors there now spend 21% more per day than they did in 2022.
The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) wants to keep that momentum going. At its ninth session, the HTZ Tourism Council approved a fresh round of public tenders for 2027, aimed squarely at continental and less developed regions. Money comes from two dedicated pots: the Fund for Touristically Underdeveloped Areas and the Mainland, and the Fund for Associated Tourist Boards.
One of the headline calls is an Open Call for Expressions of Interest targeting organisers of "TOP events" of national significance, plus events across eno-gastronomy, nautical tourism, culture, sport, entertainment, MICE and health tourism. Separate tenders support regional tourist boards in underdeveloped areas and joint projects between boards.
Tourism and Sport Minister Tonči Glavina framed the move as part of a push for more balanced development across the country. Since 2021, the funds have channelled 51.6 million euros into more than 2,000 projects. HTZ director Kristjan Staničić added that the priority is events with the quality and scale to become genuine reasons for domestic and foreign visitors to travel inland — helping lesser-known destinations build a profile and spread tourist traffic more evenly across the year and the map.
For travellers, the takeaway is simple: Croatia beyond Dubrovnik and Split is becoming easier to sell to yourself. Slavonia's wine cellars, the river towns of the Sava and Drava, Zagreb's event calendar, and the inland heartland around Zagorje and the Plitvice corridor are all beneficiaries of this funding push. Expect more food festivals, cultural happenings and wellness offers popping up in places that a decade ago barely registered on the tourism radar — often at prices well below the Adriatic hotspots, and with a fraction of the summer crowds.
If your Croatia experience so far starts and ends with a beach towel, the inland counties are now actively courting you — and the state is paying event organisers to make the trip worthwhile.
