Zagreb, Croatia and Amsterdam, The Netherlands June 2014 – iambassador and the Croatian National Tourist Board are pleased to announce a new collaboration to highlight the unique sights and experiences that make Croatia an ideal tourist destination. The Croatian National Tourist Board has long been one of the early adopters in engaging within the digital sphere, and this campaign will further deepen that commitment to promoting Croatia via social media and on a variety of travel related web sites.
Dubrovnik – Author: Damir Fabijanić (image courtesy of the Croatian National Tourist Board).
Four bloggers will begin their special Croatian road trip on June 17, 2014 starting in Zagreb and ending in Dubrovnik on June 24, 2014. Along the way the influencers will discover some of the popular and little known reasons that make Croatia a world-class travel destination. As they drive through Croatia they will also engage with local influencers and social media users to help them find the best experiences, food offerings and secrets that all travelers want to know about.
Their schedule is more than just about discovering some of the great cities of Croatia; they will also experience the cultural aspects that make Croatia stand out. Whether it is learning how to tie the perfect cravat in Zagreb or learning about the culinary treasure Pag cheese, the bloggers will focus on the experiences and people of Croatia, following their instincts and investigating the country on their own. Throughout their adventures, the bloggers will share what they find with their audiences as well as encourage locals to share what makes their country so much fun to visit, especially in the off-season.
“We are extremely excited to be working with the Croatian National Tourism Board on this special campaign,” says Keith Jenkins, CEO iambassador, “Bloggers aren’t just great ambassadors for destinations, they are also adept at engaging locals which helps build a more robust image of the country. Leaders like the Croatian National Tourism Board understand this and it’s through campaigns like #ExploreCroatia that will help evolve digital marketing into the future.”
By following the hashtag #ExploreCroatia on social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, people around the world will have an opportunity to become acquainted with both Croatia and how much fun it is to explore independently.
#ExploreCroatia promises to be an innovative blogger-driven social media campaign that highlights Croatia as the ideal destination for independent travel, especially in the offseason.
“We are very proud of our continuing engagement with some of the top bloggers and influencers in the world and are excited to see how they share the wonders of Croatia with their significant audiences,” said Andreja Cvitkovic, Director for USA & Canada, Croatian National Tourist Board. “This campaign with iambassador is another way for us to tell the story not just of our amazing cities and regions, but of our culture and history and why we offer some of the best travel experiences in the world. We look forward to seeing our beautiful country through the eyes of these global influencers and are eager to journey with them on this special road trip.”
After their visit, the bloggers will continue to write about their journey over the following months, through quality articles, videos and photographs, which will be posted on their blogs, highlighting their experiences in Croatia and providing great trip ideas and tips for anyone visiting. Follow the #ExploreCroatia hashtag to keep track of all that will be posted.
The objectives of this campaign are to show the cultural depth of Croatia, to demonstrate that it is easy to visit and that the experiences there are diverse and engaging. Through the eyes of the bloggers, centuries old traditions will be highlighted as well as smaller cities and towns that may be new to the bloggers and their audiences. Croatia’s online presence will continue to grow through the rich multimedia content produced by the campaign.
We invite you to follow the #ExploreCroatia hashtag for what will be a remarkable and exciting journey.
The Bloggers
Matt Long, Land Lopers
An experiential luxury traveler at heart, Matt Long shares his adventures with thousands of readers every day through his award winning site LandLopers.com. As someone who has a bad case of the travel bug, Matt travels the world in order to share tips on where to go, what to see and how to experience the best the world has to offer. Based in Washington, DC, Matt has been to more than 60 countries and all 7 continents.
Rob Lloyd, Stop Having A Boring Life
Travel blogger, Rob Lloyd, is living proof that quitting your job during an economic crisis may not be such a stupid idea. In 2009, he left a great career and a home in Ottawa, Canada in search of adventure, and now Rob travels full-time, instigating others with his blog, Stop Having a Boring Life. His new life is anything but boring — winters in Central America, and a new headquarters based in Nicaragua.
Rachelle Lucas, The Travel Bite
As a former innkeeper, Rachelle learned to cook by practicing with chefs she met while managing social marketing for multiple bed & breakfasts. Her blog at the time was recognized as one of FoodBuzz.com’s Top 9 Featured Publishers and instilled in her the belief that best way to learn about a destination is through its flavors. Today on her site TheTravelBite.com she explores the world through its food, while still finding time to deliver over 50 television and radio interviews reaching millions of consumers.
Kate McCulley, Adventurous Kate
Kate McCulley quit her job in 2010 to travel the world. More than three years later, she’s still traveling and has visited more than 45 countries so far. As a full-time travel writer and the blogger behind AdventurousKate.com, she encourages women to travel solo and independently while staying safe and having the time of their lives.
Originally from the Boston area, Kate is now based in London. She has written for publications including The Boston Globe, and TNT Magazine.
About the Croatian National Tourist Board
The Croatian National Tourist Board is Croatia’s national tourist organization founded with a view to promoting and creating the identity, and to enhance the reputation of, Croatian tourism. The mission also includes the planning and implementation of a common strategy and the conception of its promotion, proposal and the performance of promotional activities of mutual interest for all subjects in tourism in the country and abroad, as well as raising the overall quality of the whole range of tourist services on offer in the Republic of Croatia. Its headquarters is located in Zagreb.
About iambassador
Founded in 2011 by Keith Jenkins (CEO), iambassador is an international network of travel bloggers and currently counts more than 50 leading travel, food and lifestyle bloggers in its core team, as well as award-winning television and video producers. In addition, iambassador has partnerships with travel blogger networks in Germany, France, United Kingdom, Brazil and China, allowing it to tap into a broader pool of specialists.
iambassador offers a suite of innovative, value-adding products and services. These include creating attractive marketing concepts, blog trip planning and advisory, social media campaign planning and execution, video production and seminars. The iambassador team has a proven track record of cooking up new and exciting blog trip concepts and social media marketing campaigns. Examples include the #GoJordan social media campaign, in partnership with the Jordan Tourism Board, during which almost two million people were reached in two days; the hugely successful #Blogville project, a ground-breaking partnership with the Emilia Romagna tourism board; #LoveCapeTown, a collaboration with the Cape Town Tourism Board with a focus on crowdsourcing local travel tips and ideas; and the historic #MeetSouthAfrica campaign with South Africa Tourism.
