Christmas markets in Europe are not just a tradition, but also big business that brings a huge economic boost to cities every winter season.
For Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, this is an effective way to attract tourists even outside the main summer season.
The words "tourism" and "Croatia" usually conjure up images of beautiful Adriatic landscapes during the warmer months of the year.
Tourism makes up more than a fifth of the Balkan country's economy, and authorities want to encourage visitors in months other than summer.
Christmas and holiday events have become a key part of that strategy.
"We are making a transformation," says Croatian Tourism Minister Tonči Glavina.
He adds that Croatia is developing as a year-round tourism destination and is no longer just a country to visit during the summer.
"Croatia has truly achieved significant development; a few years ago it was a country of only sun and sea, and today it offers many different tourist products," says Glavina.
Zagreb Advent, as the Christmas markets and events in the Croatian capital are collectively called, has become a prime example of this strategy.
Billboards in neighboring countries invite people to visit Zagreb, and this year the campaign has even spread to London subway stations and Milan buses.
Direct trains bring visitors from Slovenia and Hungary.
While in some cities Christmas markets are limited to one location, Zagreb's Advent is a multi-location spectacle.
"The entire city has become a festive arena for celebrating Christmas throughout December," says Slavica Olujić Klapčić, who manages part of the Christmas market.
He adds that it is truly special that each location has its own theme, slightly different decoration and content it offers.
"It's a great offer for visitors, because they can visit many different places by walking through Zagreb," he adds.
As at other Christmas markets in Europe, there is no shortage of traditional seasonal specialties such as sausages and mulled wine.
But visitors also have access to handicraft stalls, traditional Croatian food vendors, art installations, music stages, and a huge ice rink.
"Zagreb lives thanks to this," says Zrinka Farina, who is involved in organizing Christmas events at the Esplanade Hotel, as well as in preparing a gastro-music fair on nearby Strossmajer Square called Fuliranje, which could be translated as "foolishness."
She points out that Croatians are extremely serious when it comes to organizing the best Christmas market in Europe.
"We are a nation that loves sports and competitions, when we do something, we want to be the best in the world," adds Farina.
The city has been investing a lot of effort into Zagreb Advent since its first edition in 2014, which resulted in the fair being declared the best Christmas fair in Europe for three years in a row, from 2015 to 2017.
The competition is organized by a tourist website The best destinations in Europe, and thanks to Zagreb's success, the number of visitors to the city increases significantly every December.
Back in 2014, 100.198 tourist overnight stays were recorded in Zagreb in December.
By 2024, that number had more than doubled to 245.352, which, according to the tourism organization, brought an economic boost of 100 million euros.
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However, Zagreb has a long way to go if it wants to catch up with the European giants among Christmas markets.
The fair in the German city of Cologne is often cited as the most visited.
It is expected to attract four million visitors this year, with an economic impact of 229 million euros.
The Christmas market in Vienna, Austria, is visited by an average of about 2,8 million people, and in Strasbourg, France, by about two million.
Zagreb Advent has a short history, this is only its 11th year.
For comparison, the Christmas market in Dresden, Germany, which is considered the oldest in the world, was first held in 1434.
The first such gathering was held in Strasbourg in 1570, in Vienna in 1764, and in Cologne in 1820.
Despite being in its early stages, Advent in Zagreb is said to attract visitors from all over Europe.
"They come here from Italy, Spain, Bosnia, Slovenia, and even Great Britain," says Lucija Vrkljan, who works at the rink.
“It’s a great place to stay,” says Dario Kožul, founder of BioManija, a bistro with a counter offering vegan and gluten-free food at the Esplanada Hotel’s Christmas market.
“We constantly have a cross-marketing situation,” he adds.
"People come into this event and test our food – they're really happy with it. Then we talk about our restaurant and in the next few days we see them there."
Marko Perić, dean of the Faculty of Tourism at the University of Rijeka in Croatia, agrees that Zagreb Advent brings an “unusually high” number of arrivals and overnight stays in December.
But he warns that the rest of Croatia's heavy reliance on the summer season is a weakness that still needs to be addressed.
"We need to work and develop our tourism offer in other parts of the year, which includes winter," he says.
"We don't have snow, but we have a lot to offer. We should rely on our gastronomy, which is well known and many tourists come precisely for that."
"And we could use other types of events like the carnival in February or sporting events."
Tonči Glavina, the Minister of Tourism, says that Croatia is taking steps in the right direction. He points out that the number of visitors during July and August was actually slightly lower than the same period in 2024.
But the country is still on track for a record year, thanks to significant growth on both sides of the summer peak, with around five percent more arrivals in June and September. This, the minister says, is “perfect,” as is a 10 percent year-on-year increase in the first week of December.
"We are transforming Croatia into a sustainable tourist destination, which means roughly the same number of guests in the peak season, developing the pre-season and, of course, developing other parts of the country to be major tourist destinations."
Advent in Zagreb has already shown its advantages.
Although that may not be the first thing that comes to mind for a visitor with all the traditional Croatian delicacies on offer.
After all, what could be better than a fritula (dumpling) after skating, except maybe a fritula with chocolate sauce.
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