73 MARTINDALE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE Figure 1 City map with sites of damage inflicted during the siege of Dubrovnik Source: Grad Dubrovnik, n.d. the war. In 1997, only 50,000 UK citizens visited, in stark contrast to the half million in 1990. In response, in 1998, the CNTB decided to spend 7M HRK (equivalent to $1M today) on marketing in the UK, including posters in the London Underground and full-page newspaper ads. The advertisements hoped to reach a wealthier audience (Kaminski, 1998). Dubrovnik was a focal point of many of the ads; pictures showcased its historic walled city and medieval architecture. The campaign sold Dubrovnik’s tangible heritage and photogenic structures, while the intangible heritage of what happened within the city walls went unmentioned. The same marketing strategy successfully repositioning Croatia as a tourist destination also can be seen at the end of and immediately after the Homeland War in domestic and other international newspapers (Wise, 2011). For example, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The Budapest Sun, and The Gazette each refreshed articles about Croatia that did not focus on the past or the conflict but rather the present and future (Wise, 2011). Beyond newspapers, the campaign could also be seen in “tourism brochures, advertisements in international media sources, participation in international tourism fairs, expense-paid visits for foreign journalists, and training for domestic tourism representatives” (Rivera, 2008, p. 620). These brochures and other informational materials, all created in-country by the CNTB, omitted the conflict and battles fought on Croatian land. Instead, in a clear marketing attempt to portray Croatia as safe and desirable, pamphlets typically outlined Croatia’s history through 1991, disregarding events after Croatia claimed independence and the war began. Postwar tourism materials also likened Croatia to its neighbors in Western Europe, separating it from Yugoslavia. Brochures boasted of “Croatia’s European heritage and history…, physical resemblance to Europe…, and topographic diversity” (Rivera, 2008, p. 621). Similarly, descriptions of Croatian culture switched from strong local traditions to customs Key Roof damaged by direct hit Roof damaged by shrapnel Direct hit on pavement Burnt-down building
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