Macedonia, Croatia Step Up Tourism Advertising

The campaign, designed to attract more business during the forthcoming summer season, will be concentrated primarily in major towns and cities in Bulgaria, Serbia, Albania and Slovenia, Dnevnik daily reported.

A promotional clip for the Macedonian tourist sector will also be aired on CNN, beginning next week. Exact figures for the cost of the campaign have not been disclosed.

Croatia will also launch an advertising campaign in Bulgaria this summer, which is poised to "strengthen the relationship between Croatian hoteliers and Bulgarian tour operators" and subsequently "draw more Bulgarian tourists to the country".

Croatia will invest about €30 million on advertising to boost its tourism sector, €2 million more than the amount allocated in 2009. The country's promotional campaign will encompass 12 countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and countries in western Europe.

Last year, the Croatian government singled out Bulgaria as one of the countries that "present a strong future potential for tourism growth". To date, most Bulgarian visitors are not counted as tourists by the Croatian national statistics institute, and according to official statistics, in 2009, only 230 Bulgarians travelled to the country as tourists.

Like Macedonia, Croatia will also launch an advertising campaign on prominent networks such as the BBC, Eurosport, Euronews, and CNN, featuring clips of Croatia, and concentrating on its natural riches and beauty, cultural and culinary traditions, and that the country represents a "lifestyle destination".