Croatia is making a serious play for the winter travel market. At this year's WTM London — one of the world's biggest tourism trade fairs, with over 4,000 exhibitors from 180 countries — the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) launched its first-ever national Advent campaign, alongside a broader push to sell the country as more than a summer beach destination.

More than 30 Croatian co-exhibitors joined the stand, and the delegation is being led by Tourism and Sport Minister Tonči Glavina and HTZ director Kristjan Staničić. Their schedule is packed with meetings aimed squarely at the British market: EasyJet Holidays, British Airways, Jet2Holidays and the ABTA association are all on the list. That matters for UK travellers, since these are the operators and airlines that decide which winter routes and packages actually get built.

Staničić framed the London appearance as a way to open new possibilities for Croatian destinations, with a particular focus on shoulder-season travel — the pre- and post-season months where good offers and fair pricing can tempt visitors outside the July-August crush. In other words: expect more competitive deals for late autumn, Christmas and early spring trips.

The stand itself got a refresh, with a new visual identity, multimedia content featuring John Malkovich, and a tasting line-up of Croatian wines presented with the Croatian Chamber of Economy. Not a bad combination for winning over tour operators.

The bigger news for travellers is the Advent campaign itself. Starting in early November and running across 11 European markets, it promotes festive and winter programmes in Zagreb, Varaždin, Osijek, Opatija and other cities. Zagreb's Advent has regularly ranked among Europe's best Christmas markets, while Varaždin and Osijek offer smaller, less crowded takes on the festive format, and Opatija adds a seafront winter setting on the Kvarner coast.

For anyone who associates Croatia with pebble beaches and August crowds, winter is a genuinely different experience: mulled wine in Zagreb's main square, Advent lights along Opatija's Lungomare, hearty Slavonian food in Osijek, all usually at noticeably lower prices than high summer. With the national tourist board now actively marketing these months and courting UK airlines and tour operators, expect more flight options and packaged winter deals to follow.

If you've been curious about a European Christmas market trip that skips the usual Vienna-Prague-Budapest circuit, Croatia's festive season is worth a look this year.

Thanks to Total Croatia for the original report.