Mention Croatia or Zagreb to most Asian travelers, the reaction will likely be “where is this place?”, “is it safe?”, “Oh...tennis star Ivanisevic’s home town!”.  Many either do not know its history as part of the former Yugoslavia; or they remember too well the ethnic conflict and war associated with Bosnia, Serbia not very long ago..

The reality is that today, Croatia is a beautiful place to visit and an excellent destination for small to medium-sized meetings and incentive groups. It is already a popular destination for Western Europeans and Japanese. While Europeans flock to its coastal cities of Split and Dubrovnik, Asian business travellers might find Croatia’s capital city Zagreb a very rewarding trip as well.

In fact, Zagreb is probably one of the safest place in Europe to live in. Unlike most of the major European cities, Zagreb is more compact and intimate. Everything, such as buildings, roads and squares, are of a smaller scale. There are green parks around the city, many street malls and open squares for alfresco cafe. As a result, Zagreb is a really lively city that is extremely easy to get around by foot or by trams, yet possess enough attractions, loops and corners for conducting some interesting team building exercise.

Just outside the city, within an hour’s drive away, attractions such as the Trakoscan Castle, the Zagorske wine district, Kumrovec old village, and the small town of Samobor are great for sightseeing as well as for special theme events or team-building activities.

Zagreb also qualifies as a gastronomy destination with its supply of Istrian white truffle, fresh cottage cheese, abundance of seafood from Croatia’s coastal waters, and wine from the Zagorske region.

For MICE, due to the lack of dedicated convention facilities at the moment, Zagreb is best suited for meetings and incentive groups of up to about 500 delegates. International hotel chains such as the Regent, Westin, and Sheraton would be able to accommodate such events. And with the help of the Zagreb Convention Bureau, creative and flexible use of historic buildings such as the national archives, museums and theatres will make meeting in Zagreb a memorable experience.