September the 24th, 2025 – Several Chinese airlines are considering introducing direct Croatia flights, with Zagreb likely to profit from such a move.
As Sinisa Malus/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatia hopes to establish a direct connection with China as the number of visitors from that country continues to grow year on year. In the first eight months of this year, Chinese tourists in Croatia achieved a two percent increase in overnight stays compared to the same period last year. Chinese airlines introducing direct Croatia flights is therefore only logical going forward.
Last week, the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, spoke with Air China and Hainan Airlines in Beijing about the potential introduction of flights to Croatia. “During my working visit to China, we held meetings in Beijing and Shanghai with representatives of leading Chinese airlines such as Air China, Hainan Airlines, China Eastern Airlines and Juneyao Air.
We discussed the growing interest of Chinese tourists in Croatia and the importance of airlines for the further growth of tourist traffic between Croatia and China,” said Staničić. “We’re increasingly recognisable for the quality, sustainability, attractiveness of what we have to offer, as well as for the safety the country offers visitors. The Chinese market is one of the most important when it comes to the development of year-round tourism in Croatia,” he added.
All this is happening ahead of the Routes World Summit in Hong Kong, the largest annual gathering of airlines and airports to negotiate new services. There, Zagreb Airport will be represented by its CEO, Head of Route Development and Head of Ground Operations.
Back in 2017, Beijing Capital Airlines, a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines, intended to introduce services between the Chinese and Croatian capitals. Unfortunately, the planned operations were later postponed. The carrier initially applied for permission for a biweekly flight with an Airbus A330-200.
If Chinese airlines do introduce long-awaited direct Croatia flights, Zagreb could particularly benefit. The Croatian capital city has been one of the most important destinations for Chinese tourists visiting the country for years now, according to the comments made in Shanghai at the recent celebration of the 45th anniversary of the friendship between Zagreb and Shanghai.
“Cooperation based on 45 years of true friendship between our cities further strengthens Zagreb’s position on the global tourist map. This has been further confirmed by the numbers – in the first eight months of this year, the number of Chinese tourists increased by 11 percent and they’re among the ten most important markets. I’m convinced that the friendly cities of Shanghai and Zagreb will continue to open up new opportunities for the development of both tourist flows and joint projects,” stated Martina Bienenfeld, director of the Zagreb Tourist Board.
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