Croatia wants more American visitors — and more American money — and it made that case in New York at the end of September. A business forum co-hosted by the Croatian Chamber of Economy and the Croatian National Tourist Board pulled in roughly 70 US and 35 Croatian companies, 15 of them from tourism, with Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on hand and more than 100 American businesspeople in the room.
The pitch was broader than tourism alone. Delegates from energy, food production, defence and IT — firms including Končar, Infobip, HS Produkt and Podravka — sat through B2B meetings aimed at opening new partnerships. Plenković flagged the expanded LNG terminal on Krk, set to hit 6.1 billion cubic metres a year, noting that over two-thirds of its gas already arrives from the United States. He also pressed a point Croatians have been making for years: the country shouldn't be seen as merely a market of four million people, but as a stable EU gateway to 450 million consumers.
For travellers, the tourism news is the real hook. The US is now Croatia's most important long-haul market, according to tourist board director Kristjan Staničić, and American guests spend more per head than almost anyone else. Croatian service exports to the US have run at close to a billion euros in recent years, much of that driven by tourism alongside IT and consulting. Staničić noted that Americans are visiting more of the year rather than just in the summer peak, and that US interest in investing in Croatian hotels is growing — which should mean more high-end rooms in the years ahead.
Air links are a big part of the conversation too. Officials at the forum discussed improving transatlantic connectivity, and more US-Croatia routes would make a Dubrovnik or Split trip far easier for travellers outside the big East Coast hubs. Meanwhile, a new Croatia promo featuring John Malkovich is running on a screen in Times Square, so expect Croatia's profile among American holidaymakers to keep climbing.
One diplomatic snag worth watching: the Croatia-US Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement was signed nearly four years ago but still hasn't taken effect. Once it does, it should lower costs for businesses and is expected to boost investment, particularly in IT — the kind of thing that quietly improves the travel-adjacent economy too.
Why does this matter for a holidaymaker? Because the forum signals where Croatia is heading: a push upmarket, better service and infrastructure, year-round activity instead of a July-and-August crush, and a government keen to strengthen direct flights from the US. If you've been waiting to visit the Adriatic, this is a good moment — the country is actively investing in being easier and more comfortable to visit.
