Dubrovnik tourism authorities are working hard to make the "Adriatic jewel" into a popular destination even in wintertime.

President of the Dubrovnik destination management Pave Župan Rusković says most people think of Dubrovnik as a place to visit in the summer, but the city has a lot to offer even in the winter.

"We want to change that and show tourists that a stay in the city can be even more pleasant in the winter, when there are no crowds. Visiting Dubrovnik’s walls is much more pleasant without the summer heat, there are many possibilities for excursions and the weather is quite nice," says Zupan Ruskovic.

The promotion of Dubrovnik as a winter destination started at the WTM London tourism fair earlier this year, but the campaign is expected to start paying off next season.

The programme is not only interesting for closer markets like Britain, but also for visitors from America. Regional cooperation is very important in such cases and Dubrovnik is already working with Venice on combined tour packages, daily Slobodna Dalmacija writes.

Croatia Airlines has also announced it would implement two flights per week connecting Dubrovnik with Heathrow in London starting next winter. Regular flights from London in wintertime are currently operated by British Airways from Gatwick, but tour operators cannot rely on those connections because of frequent time changes. Dubrovnik has direct connections to Rome, Frankfurt, Paris and London during the winter months.