China’s relaxed Covid restrictions to benefit Croatian tourism: Croatian Mayor

Monday, February 20, 2023

Marko Filipovic, Mayor of Rijeka, Croatia’s third biggest city, extended an invitation to Chinese tourists to attend the Rijeka Carnival.

In an interview to Xinhua news agency, the Mayor said, “I strongly encourage Chinese travellers to come to Rijeka for the true carnival experience,” adding that the mood, festivities, and energy of the Carnival feature over 600 years of traditions and customs.

Filipovic said he was “extremely happy” that Qi Qianjin, China’s Ambassador to Croatia, attended Sunday’s Carnival procession, which marked the end of the month-long Rijeka Carnival, which runs from Jan. 17 to Feb. 22.

Filipovic welcomed China’s relaxation of pandemic restrictions, which he believes will benefit Croatian tourism.

“We believe that Chinese tourists will come in even greater numbers and discover Rijeka not only during the Rijeka Carnival, but throughout the whole year,” he said.

He noted that each year before the COVID-19 pandemic some 2,000 Chinese tourists visited Rijeka.
Rijeka has established friendly and cooperative relations with three Chinese cities — Qingdao, Dalian and Ningbo. Chinese delegations from these towns have visited Rijeka numerous times to explore collaboration in fields ranging from the economy to culture and tourism, according to Filipovic.

“It is a special opportunity to deepen the relationship between our cultures and continue to nurture excellent bilateral relations,” Filipovic said.

Almost 100,000 tourists from Croatia and other nations gathered on the streets to see the Carnival parade, which featured 9,000 masked paraders from Croatia, Italy, Hungary, Montenegro, India, and Malaysia, among other countries.

The Rijeka Carnival, which began in 1982, has evolved to become the most recognised and largest such festival in Croatia, as well as one of the largest in Europe.

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