John Malkovich protagonist of the new promotional film for Croatian tourism, premiering in the USA
The Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia and theCroatian National Tourist Boardin collaboration with Croatian Football Federation have organised, on the occasion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup,
the promotional event “CROATIA IN THE GAME – Tourism. Sport. Cultures. Flavors.”, which took place on Saturday evening at the AKA Hotel in the US city of Alexandria (Virginia), where the Croatian national football team’s retreat is located.
On this occasion, the new promotional film for Croatian tourism “CROATIA – I hear it’s beautiful”whose main role is entrusted to the famous world-famous actor of Croatian origins John MalkovichThat,
together with the Croatian national team, he was the big star of the evening. The creative director contributed to the creation of the video Pete Radovichrenowned television and sports producer, also of Croatian origins, winner of 45 Emmy Awards in 18 different categories.
The main objective of the event was to promote the excellence of Croatian tourism offerings, highlighting the ties between Croatia and the United States through sports and the numerous successes of Croatian athletes. Beyond Tonči Glavina,
Minister of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia, ea Kristjan Staničićgeneral director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, also attended the event Marijan Kusticpresident of the Croatian Football Federation,
Leila Krešić Jurićdirector of the Croatian National Tourist Board in New York, as well as i players of the Croatian national football team led by the technical commissioner Zlatko Dalić and the captain Luka Modrić.
The famous former Croatian basketball player was also present Toni Kukočtogether with numerous representatives of US diplomacy, the tourism and sports sectors and the media.
“This is the great leap in quality that we are making for the first time and which allows us to significantly strengthen Croatia’s positioning on the international scene. While the legendary John Malkovich is the face of Croatia’s new promotional video, world-famous sports stars such as LeBron James, Kyle Kuzma and Rafael Nadal have gathered in Dubrovnik and, through the E1 Series competition – which we have also brought to Croatia – are spreading spectacular images of Croatia to every corner of the world.
This is further confirmation of how tourism and sport represent a winning combination, of great strength and authenticity. Together they create stories that transcend borders, bring people together and help position Croatia among the most sought-after destinations globally.
And when our best ambassadors – the Croatian national football team, coach Zlatko Dalić, captain Luka Modrić and the entire team – join this narrative – Croatia’s promotion gains further strength, emotion and credibility. Today Croatia is not just a destination that the whole world wants to visit. Croatia is a story that conquers the world”declared the minister Glavina.
The American market represents our main long-haul source market and one of the strategic markets for Croatian tourism, as also confirmed by the results and continuous growth we record year after year.
The overall growth since 2019 in terms of arrivals and overnight stays exceeds 30%confirming the fact that Croatia today occupies a prominent position among the most sought-after European destinations by American tourists, thanks to constant promotion, a quality tourist offer and increasingly better air connections. As of this year, Croatia has two direct connections to the United States, from Dubrovnik and Split, and a total of 440 direct flights between the two countries are expected. It should also be underlined that American tourists travel all year round and that, according to TOMAS research, they are at the top of the list for average daily spending.
“The American market represents the main long-haul market for Croatian tourism and the one from which we generate the largest volume of tourist flows. If we add to this the fact that the football World Cup is taking place here,
it is clear that this is an excellent opportunity to further promote Croatia as a quality, attractive and safe destination. It was also the ideal opportunity to premiere the new Croatian tourism promotional film with John Malkovich as the protagonist.
The video is original, different, I would say unique, and represents a clear evolution compared to previous promotional content, while at the same time marking an important step forward in the promotion of Croatian tourism, of which we are particularly proud”,
said the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Staničićwishing our footballers success at the World Cup and underlining how our athletes and the Croatian national football team have contributed significantly for years
to the international visibility of Croatia, as valuable ambassadors of our country on a global level.
The event program was hosted by Marina JuricaCBS host and journalist, of Croatian origins. The musical atmosphere was taken care of by duo Mach & Gilmingformed by the award-winning Croatian musicians Eva Mach and Petra Gilming,
together with the Croatian singer Roko Blaževićknown to the general public for his victory in the Croatian music competition Dora 2019 and for representing Croatia at Eurovision with the song “The Dream”, and who today lives and works in Los Angeles.
Summary of the main contents of the new promotional video of the Croatian National Tourist Board “CROATIA – I hear it’s beautiful”
John Malkovich:
John Malkovich, one of the most appreciated actors in the world, nominated twice for an Oscar, winner of an Emmy Award and numerous other awards, known for his roles in films such as Dangerous Liaisons, In the center of the viewfinder and Being John Malkovichis the protagonist of the new promotional video of the Croatian National Tourist Board.
The actor, of Croatian origins and endowed with a strong authenticity and great international prestige, has visited Croatia several times, both privately and for work. At the beginning of May he obtained Croatian citizenship and, during the premiere of the promotional video, he was also given a Croatian passport.
Pete Radovich:
In the making of the video, an important role as creative director is also played by Pete Radovichfamous television and sports producer, also of Croatian origins and winner of 45 Emmy Awards in 18 different categories. It is precisely Radovich’s involvement and his long collaboration with the prestigious actor that contributed to Malkovich’s participation in the video.
This is the fourth collaboration between John Malkovich and Pete Radovich, whose previous joint projects have seen several prestigious awards in the TV and marketing industries, including five Emmy Awards, five Cannes Lions Awards and eight Clio Awards.
Promotional video:
The Croatian National Tourist Board’s new promotional video represents a further step in promoting and positioning Croatia as an attractive, authentic and globally recognizable tourist destination, and filming took place in numerous locations across Croatia.
The promotional video premiered during the event “CROATIA IN THE GAME – Tourism. Sport. Culture. Flavors” organized by Ministry of Tourism and Sports of the Republic of Croatia and fromCroatian National Tourist Board in collaboration with the FederationCroatian footballon the occasion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and took place at the AKA Hotel in the US city of Alexandria (Virginia), where the Croatian national football team’s retreat is located. In addition to the coach Dalić, the players of the Croatian national team and other important guests, John Malkovich and Pete Radovich also participated in the event.
