Why Croatia’s capital wants to host the best Christmas market

Christmas markets are not only a tradition across Europe, but also a major business that brings huge economic boost to cities every December. For Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, it’s an effective way to attract tourists to the country outside of the summer.

The words “tourist” and “Croatia” likely conjure up images of the glistening Adriatic Sea during the hottest months of the year.

Tourism accounts for more than fifth place in economy The Balkan country’s tourist hotspot is keen to encourage more visitors to come outside of the height of summer. The Christmas romp is a key part of the strategy.

“We are undergoing a transformation,” said Tonci Glavina, Croatia’s tourism minister.

“We are developing into a year-round destination – we are no longer a summer destination. Croatia has really developed significantly. A long time ago it was just sun and sea, but now Croatia offers many tourism products throughout the country.”

Zagreb Advent (Zagreb Advent), the collective name for Christmas markets and events in the capital, is a good example of this approach, with billboards in neighboring countries urging people to attend. In fact, this year the campaign has spread to London Underground stations and Milan bus stations.

There are even special trains carrying tourists from Slovenia and Hungary. All this is part of Zagreb’s efforts in a very crowded field to become one of the most popular Christmas markets in Europe.

While some cities may limit their events to one location, Zagreb Advent is a multi-venue event that takes up a large area of ​​the city centre.

“Throughout December, the whole city turns into a festive place to celebrate Christmas,” says Slavica Olujic Klapcic, who manages one of the Christmas market areas.

“What’s really special here is that each location has its own theme and is a little different in decoration and what’s on offer. So for tourists I think it’s a good deal because by walking around Zagreb you can see a lot of different sights.”

Like other Christmas markets in Europe, there’s no shortage of common seasonal staples like sausages and mulled wine. Additionally, there are multiple music stages, craft stalls, vendors serving traditional Croatian food, art installations and a giant ice skating rink.

“It brings life to Zagreb,” believes Zrinka Farina, who is involved in organizing a Christmas market outside the city’s historic Hotel Esplanade and a food and music market called Fuliranje (Fuliranje means roughly “hanging out”) in nearby Strossmayer Square.

But she said Croatians were serious about trying to offer the best Christmas markets in Europe. “We’re a nation that loves sports, we love competition – when we do something we really want to be the best in the world.”

The city’s efforts for Zagreb Advent have seen it voted the best Christmas market in Europe since it first took place in 2014 three consecutive yearsfrom 2015 to 2017.

The competition is organized by travel website Europe’s Best Destinations, and Zagreb’s success has helped drive the number of visitors to the city each December.

Back in 2014, 100,198 people stayed in the city for at least one night in the last month of that year. That number will more than double to 245,352 by 2024, which the tourism board says will generate a €100 million ($117 million; £88 million) economic boost for the city.

However, Zagreb still has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with Europe’s Christmas market heavyweights.

It was widely reported that an event in the German city of Cologne was the most popular. expected to attract The number of tourists this year reached 4 million. The economic impact amounted to €229 million.

At the same time, Vienna, the capital of Austria, attracted people from all over the world 2.8 million visitors Christmas market in Strasbourg, France Two million people.

The tournament also has a limited history in Zagreb – only held for 11 years. In contrast, Dresden’s Christmas Market is widely considered the oldest Christmas market in the world, having been founded in 1434. The Christmas market in Strasbourg began in 1570, in Vienna in 1764 and in Cologne in 1820.

Although Advent in Zagreb is still in its infancy, it is said to attract visitors from all over Europe. “They come from Italy, Spain, Bosnia, Slovenia and even England,” said Lucija Vrkljan, who works as a waiter at the rink.

“It’s a great place,” said Dario Kozul, founder of BioMania, a bistro that has a stall at the Marina Hotel Christmas market and offers vegan and gluten-free options. “We face cross-marketing situations all the time,” he added.

“People come into the event and test our food – and they’re really happy with it. Then we talk about our restaurants, and we’ll see them there over the next few days.”

Marko Peric, dean of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Rijeka in Croatia, agreed that Advent in Zagreb brought “exceptionally high” arrivals and overnight stays in December.

But he warned that the rest of Croatia’s heavy reliance on the summer season was a weakness that still needed to be addressed. “We need to work on developing our tourism product at other times of the year, including winter,” he said.

“We don’t have snow, but we have a lot to offer. We should rely on our gastronomy, which is well known and many tourists come here for that reason. We can take advantage of other types of events, such as carnivals or sporting events in February.”

Tourism Minister Tocci Gravina insists Croatia is moving in the right direction. He noted that visitor numbers in July and August were actually slightly lower than the same period in 2024.

But the country is still on track for a record-breaking year thanks to significant growth around the summer peak, with arrivals up about 5% in June and September. The minister said it was “perfect”, with year-on-year growth of 10% in the first week of December.

“We are making Croatia a sustainable tourist destination, which means that the number of tourists in the high season remains the same, development in the low season and of course the development of the rest of the country makes it a major tourist destination.”

Advent in Zagreb has already shown its benefits. Although this may not be the first thing that tourists think of when enjoying all the traditional Croatian food.

After all, what’s better than a post-skating quesadilla, other than a quesadilla with chocolate sauce?