Croatia, a scenic European country located along the Adriatic Sea, has emerged as a hot tourism destination among Chinese tourists, with an increasing number of Chinese travelers flocking to visit the country since the summer.
Chinese holidaymakers are showing a growing appetite for long-haul tourism. During the just-concluded seven-day National Day holiday, dubbed the "Golden Week" by the Chinese, China's international flight bookings doubled compared to the same period of last year, with Europe seeing the strongest growth, according to a report by Bloomberg, citing two of China's largest online travel agencies, Qunar and Trip.com. Additionally, online travel platform Fliggy noted that Croatia was among the destinations with the steepest rise in travel bookings.
In Croatia's capital, a group of Chinese tourists from Beijing were posing for a group photo. It was their first visit to this part of Europe.
"It is beautiful. So, we have seen the whole about Croatia. I wish I can come again," said one of the tourists Shen Guixiang.
Jiang Xiaoliang is a local guide for Chinese groups arriving in Croatia. He has lived here for 18 years.
According to the Croatian National Tourist Board, Chinese tourist numbers to the islands of Croatia are up more than 90 percent compared to last year. But Jiang believes more can be done to attract Chinese money.
"A group of around 30 people said that everyone had around 3.000 euros in cash, and they wanted to buy some local souvenirs. But at the end they spent almost nothing because there wasn’t anything they wanted to buy. They complained that something has to be done so they could spend more money in Croatia," said the tour guide.
One of the major local tourist agencies agreed that Croatia has to do more in this regard.
"That means to offer more unique local products in a way that Chinese clients can see more of our traditions, more of some local culture, special thing that we only offer in Europe," said Ivan Rukavina, sales director of Uniline.
Tourism is a key driver of Croatia's economy. The country's tourism revenues reached a record high of 4.13 billion euros in the first half of 2024, marking a 7.5 percent increase compared to the same period of last year, according to the Croatian National Bank.
"When we look at the level of satisfaction with their visit and experience of Croatia, security is the top aspect that they appreciate the most, followed by overall satisfaction with stay and beauty of nature and landscape," said Sasa Popovac, head of Market Research and Analytics at Croatian National Tourist Board.
Most of Croatia's attractions are located along the beautiful Adriatic coastline. Although the high tourist season at the coast is finished in Zagreb, a city known for many historic landmarks, tourist numbers are still quite above the average. This also applies to the Chinese visitors. The Croatian National Tourist Board expects this upward trend to continue as Chinese tourists travel year-round.
Croatia emerges as hot tourism destination for Chinese tourists
Croatia emerges as hot tourism destination for Chinese tourists
The Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 began preview screenings in London on Friday ahead of its official release in the country and Ireland on March 21, attracting excited crowds to watch the film in advance.
The film made its debut in the UK at London's BFI IMAX, home to the country's largest IMAX screen and is scheduled to screen in over 250 cinemas of 100 cities across the UK and Ireland during the first week of release.
The film's Europe-wide distributor, Trinity CineAsia, announced that it has acquired theatrical distribution rights for Ne Zha 2 across 37 countries in Europe, including the UK, Ireland, and Germany. This scale of film release is exceptionally rare in the history of overseas distribution for Chinese-language films, reflecting the strong confidence of local cinemas in the movie's market potential.
"The fact that it is here and, you know, that we are getting a lot more influx of films from all across Asia from China, South Korea, Japan, South Asia as well. I think it's really good to kind of like widen the palate, because we all want to escape our little cinematic bubble and see what the rest of the world has to offer," said Jack Martin, a film reviewer, in an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV).
"Ne Zha 2" has shattered global box office records to become the No. 1 box office animated film of all times and also the first non-Hollywood production to crack the global all-time top 10 box office chart.
Rooted in 16th-century Chinese mythology with a bold reinterpretation, the movie has attracted attention of global audiences with its stunning visuals, well-crafted storytelling, and deep cultural heritage.
"And I think all these elements show that Ne Zha 2 is both a film that's modern, but also has its roots in something very deep and very ancient," said Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia, in an interview with the CCTV.
Many audiences attending the preview screening in London have shared their thoughts about the movie in interviews with the CCTV.
"It was moving like heartwarming. Yes, I'll go home now and talk to it to all my friends," said a moviegoer.
"I thought that the humor of the film was really great, but it balances so perfectly with some of the more dramatic and heartfelt moments of it. And yeah, I really, really enjoyed it. And the language barrier was not a problem at all," said another moviegoer.
"We might not speak the same language, but at its heart is a very universal theme of friendship and just trying to do right in the world. And I think that a lot of people really resonate with that. I can see why it's done so well in China already," said Jack Martin.
James Smith, an social media influencer, shared his views about the movie in Chinese language during the interview. He thought the movie can serve as a bridge for foreigners to understand Chinese culture.
"I watched Ne Zha, the 2019 box office hit, in China. When I heard that its sequel was set to debut in the UK today, I rushed to the cinema to see it. It's definitely a great movie, filled with humor, touching moments, and encouragement. My friends often ask me how they can better understand China, because they think I know something about the country. I would say that you can watch the Ne Zha 2, as I believe it's a great film and through which you can learn something about Chinese culture," he said.
Ne Zha 2 begins preview screenings in London, captivating local audiences
