Zagreb's Bid To Be Europe's Top Christmas Market

Think "Croatia" and most people picture turquoise seas and summer sun. Zagreb wants to change that image — and it’s doing it with festive lights, stalls and a serious marketing push to turn December into a high season. Tourism already makes up more than a fifth of Croatia’s economy, so attracting visitors outside July and August matters. The capital’s winter festival, known as Zagreb Advent, has been built into a city-wide takeover rather than a single square, with themed pockets of entertainment, craft sellers, music stages and a vast ice rink. Organisers even run special trains from Slovenia and Hungary and have splashed adverts as far afield as London Tube stations and Milan buses. The strategy appears to be working. Zagreb Advent, launched in 2014, was voted Europe’s best Christmas market three years running early on. Overnight stays in December have jumped from about 100,000 in 2014 to roughly 245,000 in 2024 — a surge the tourist board says delivered about €100m to the city’s coffers. Local traders report spillover benefits: bistro owners whose market stalls introduce visitors to their food then see many turn up at their restaurants days later. Still, Zagreb faces steep competition. Cologne alone expects around four million visitors and an economic impact of about €229m. Vienna and Strasbourg attract millions too, and several of the continent’s markets trace their roots back centuries — some as early as the 15th and 16th centuries — making Zagreb a relative newcomer. Officials are candid about that gap but optimistic. The tourism minister frames the push as a wider move to make Croatia a year-round destination, pointing to modest growth in months either side of summer — around 5% up in June and September — and a double-digit rise in early December. Yet experts warn the country still leans heavily on summer demand and needs to broaden offerings across winter and shoulder seasons, drawing on food, cultural events and sports. There’s a touch of national competitive spirit at play. Organisers and locals talk like athletes: they want to compete and to be the best. For visitors, that means more choice than a single market — from traditional sausages and mulled wine to Croatian specialties and vegan options — and plenty of atmosphere to warm even a grey December evening. If Zagreb keeps investing in the spectacle and selling it abroad, its Christmas lights might do more than brighten the streets — they could help reshape how Europe thinks about Croatia all year round. --- Managing your business finances? TaxAce provides smart online accountancy services for UK businesses with flexible monthly plans. Image and reporting: https://www.bbc.co.uk | Read original article