For the first time, Croatia has hosted the annual convention of the association of French travel agencies “Enterprises du Voyage Grand Est (EDV Grand Est), which has chosen Istria as the setting of this year’s gathering.

This prestigious event, whose conventions regularly take place in attractive European destinations, combines a work aspect with rich social and cultural activities. During their four-day stay, owners of more than 50 travel agencies, travel organizers, production directors and journalists had the opportunity to discover the varied beauty and rich diversity of the Istrian peninsula.

The convention’s programme comprised of a series of conferences and workshops on the subject of modern trends in the tourism industry, with a special emphasis on client relation and the application of artificial intelligence in the travel sector, with plenty of opportunity for networking and sharing experiences with Croatian tourism professionals, while aside from the professional segment, participants had the opportunity to enjoy authentic Istrian experiences – truffle hunting, exploring the rich cultural and natural heritage, exquisite wine and extra-virgin olive oil tastings.

The convention was an excellent opportunity to strengthen the cooperation between Croatian and French partners in the tourism industry. The participants resided in the Pelegrin Plava Laguna hotel in Umag, and with hosting the entire event, held from October 4th till 7th, the Istria Tourist Board and the Croatian Tourist Board have also organized a special gala dinner as a meeting place for local and French professionals, with numerous projects and cooperative initiatives being arranged from this important market.

French travel agents and tour-operators were dazzled by the excellent Istrian enogastronomic offer, recognizing in it the authentic value and comparative asset for Istria. Enogastronomy is among the key criteria for French visitors when choosing their travel destination, which makes these project highly important.

Thanks to direct flights from Basel-Mulhouse to Pula, Istria has proved to be a close, easily reachable and inspirational destination for French travelers from the Grand Est region, which encompasses the regions of Alsace, Lorraine and Champagne-Ardenne, with important cities such as Strasbourg, Metz, Reims and Mulhouse. This French region represent a strong emissive potential for new arrivals in Istria, not only thanks to its air connectedness, but also thanks to the possibility of automotive arrival.