Scandinavian tourists will have an additional route to Croatia from Finland, as Finnair announces direct flights to Dubrovnik after requests from Asia.
The increasing international appeal of the Dalmatian city of Dubrovnik continues with the announcement that Finnair is the latest airline to announce direct flights to Croatia's premier coastal destination, according to reports on September 29, 2011.
Strong Interest in Dubrovnik from Asia
The flights will commence on April 2, 2012, and operate three times a week from the Finnish capital, Helsinki, until October 12. Announcing the route, Petteri Kostermaa, the airline's Director of Sales for Singapore and South East Asia, revealed that at least some of the impetus for the route had come from Finnair's Asian customers.
“Dubrovnik in Croatia has been a frequently requested route by Finnair’s Asian customers," said Kostermaa. "We are happy that from next April, our customers from Singapore who are looking for a good value destination in the Mediterranean can add Dubrovnik to their list of must-visit destinations.”
Scandinavian Flights to Dalmatia
The announcement is also good news for Scandinavian tourists, who are hitting the Dalmatian coast in ever greater numbers. Much of the increase is down to the startling success of low-cost carrier Norwegian, which entered the Croatian market recently, and is steadily building up an impressive network, both of destinations on the coast, and regional departure points in Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
The Norwegian carrier also operates flights from Helsinki to Split and Zagreb, and is joined by Finnish low-cost carrier Blue1, which also flies to Dalmatia in the summer season.
The strong interest from Asia will be welcome news to the Croatian tourist authorities, who have begun looking east in a bid to attract additional tourists. Aeroflot commenced direct flights with Dubrovnik this season, while some 40,000 Chinese tourists visited Zagreb this year, and the first direct charter fligthts between Japan and Croatia also took place this summer.
Dubrovnik Booming Once More
After undergoing a tough time following the war in former Yugoslavia - both from the physical destruction from attack and the decimation of the tourist industry, Dubrovnik is once more booming. There has been a marked increase in the number of carriers offering direct connection to the city's Cilipi Airport, thereby making its stunning walled city more accessible to more visitors.
In addition to the increased flights, there has also been a sharp rise in the number of tourists visiting the city on the numerous cruise ships cruising down the Adriatic. With the growing interest from Asia, the issue for the authorities will not be so much how to attract the tourists, as to how to manage their arrival en masse without endangering the reason for their coming, the stunning beauty of the Pearl of the Adriatic.
No comments:
Post a Comment