The Flavours of Kvarner on Croatia Airlines’ flights
Opatija, 19th July 2023 - The Kvarner Region Tourist Board, the Croatian National Tourist Board, and Croatia Airlines are launching a joint promotional project called the Flavours of Kvarner. In the period between 1st August and 30th November 2023, the meals served on Croatia Airlines’ flights will be specially designed, inspired by the culinary diversity of the Kvarner Region, where the culinary traditions typical of its coastline, of its mountains, and of its islands intertwine.
In the business class of Croatia Airlines’ both domestic and international flights, a large snack box will be served containing tuna spread, herb crackers, green and black olives, traditional flourless biscuits native to the Island of Rab starring chocolate, almonds, ground cinnamon and cloves, and olive oil called muštaćoni, and smokvenjak or traditional fig cake starring only figs and grape spirit or rakia. On flights that are less than an hour long, a small snack box will be served containing tuna spread, herb crackers, and smokvenjak, while economy class passengers will get to snack on crackers flavoured with aromatic herbs from the region of Kvarner.
To mark the occasion, a press conference and presentation was held today in Villa Ariston in Opatija, where Irena Peršić Živadinov, CEO at the Kvarner Region Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, CEO at the Croatian National Tourist Board, Slaven Žabo, Commercial Division Director at Croatia Airlines, and Jasmin Bajić, CEO and President of the Management Board of Croatia Airlines, spoke about their joint Flavours of Kvarner project.
– This project that promotes the gastronomy of our county on Croatia Airlines’ flights is not only an integral part of our long-standing collaboration with Croatia’s flag carrier, but is also the launch of our promotion of Kvarner as a European Region of Gastronomy in 2026. I believe that passengers will enjoy the specific foods of the region of Kvarner on their flights, and that this little “gastro tour” will inspire them to visit and explore us. Projects and ways of promoting gastronomy of this kind are a step forward, and work on the development of gastronomy, particularly now that we are in the process of being awarded the title of European Region of Gastronomy. The title is not only about the promotion, but also the protection of local foods and culture, sustainable development, quality improvement, and increasing visibility. Moreover, it encourages the building of cross-sectoral networks and collaboration between the sectors of tourism, agriculture, gastronomy, culture, education, healthcare, and other sectors – said Irena Peršić Živadinov, CEO at the Kvarner Region Tourist Board.
Slaven Žabo, Commercial Division Director at Croatia Airlines, pointed out that the joint Flavours of Kvarner project is an extension of the promotion of the gastronomies of the different regions of Croatia on the flights of Croatia’s flag carrier:
– This project is rooted in the broader project of the Croatian National Tourist Board called Croatia Full of Flavours. At the same time, it is the culmination of the collaboration between Croatia Airlines and the Kvarner Region Tourist Board, within the framework of which we joint forces to launch the international Rijeka-Munich route in November 2022, on which we operate scheduled flights during this season as well. In the next four months, passengers flying on all our international and domestic flights will have the chance to experience the flavours of Kvarner, whose diversity is based on the meeting of the Mediterranean and continental climates. We are happy that the partnership between all those who partake in this project contributes to the promotion of this particular region of Croatia, thereby further developing Croatia’s tourism product.
– Kvarner is today a successful tourist region, which stands out thanks to, amongst other things, its superb wines and foods. This is confirmed by the fact that the region of Kvarner has recently been awarded the title of European Region of Gastronomy. I am sure that this joint collaboration with Croatia’s flag carrier will significantly contribute to the visibility of the gastronomy of not only the region of Kvarner, but also of Croatia as a whole, given that Croatia Airlines’ many foreign and national passengers will have the chance to enjoy not only their flight, but also the specific tastes and smells of our region of Kvarner. So far, the flavours of Slavonia’s delicacies and Dalmatia’s brunch called marenda have been presented in this way, and now the creativity of the culinary traditions of Kvarner will be presented in the best possible way, which will make flights for passengers more pleasant, beautiful, and interesting – said Kristjan Staničić, CEO at the Croatian National Tourist Board, adding that the goal of this project is to promote the gastronomy of all of Croatia’s regions.
Praising the project, Zlatko Komadina, the Prefect of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, said that the richness and diversity of the green-blue county is observable in its tangible and intangible cultural heritage, as well as in its rich offer of foods and wines:
– What makes us stand out in particular is our gastronomy, which is, in our case, a combination of Mediterranean and continental cuisine, which has grown into a recognisable brand of the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. The recent edition of a prestigious guide dedicated to the culinary scene of our county, and the fact that the region of Kvarner has recently been awarded the title of European Region of Gastronomy in 2026 confirm this. I believe that our guests are satisfied with the service and the rich gastronomy of our region, and that they enjoy the delicacies prepared by hard-working hands and our chefs’ creative ideas.
Besides providing Croatia Airlines’ passengers a special gastronomic experience on Croatia Airlines’ flights to 24 international and 8 domestic destinations, this project represents a unique opportunity to promote Kvarner as a destination that offers culinary and a variety of other experiences. The Flavours of Kvarner project on Croatia Airlines’ flights also includes wider marketing collaboration between the 3 project partners – the Kvarner Region Tourist Board, the Croatian National Tourist Board, and Croatia Airlines – which will promote the Flavours of Kvarner through their marketing channels. More specifically, Kvarner will be promoted through Croatia Airlines’ internal channels, such as in its inflight magazine, on video screens in Croatia Airlines’ aircraft, in Croatia Airlines’ newsletter, in advertisements on Croatia Airlines’ social media sites and platforms, and internal communications, on posters in the company’s offices, and on a special web subpage that contains information on Croatia Airlines’ offer of foods and drinks.