Members

Today, UHPA has 280 members who, in turn, have 346 offices in Croatia and abroad. Active members are travel agencies, both tour operators and retailers, including all major and medium-size, as well as 140 small ones. Associate members are business entities, other than Croatian travel agencies - tour operators or retailers, primarily engaged in providing products or services to travel agencies or tourist directly located in Croatia or other countries. All Croatian members' companies are privately owned.

Most of the Croatian incoming travel agencies are ground operators, organizing tours, excursions and cruises within Croatia and abroad for foreign tourists, or are professional congress, incentive, events or destination management companies. Major agencies have developed their own branch office networks.

In 2009, 67,39% of travellers to Croatia arranged their own holidays, while 32,61% OF guests used tour operator or travel agency services. Between 70 and 80% of these packages and bookings were organised or serviced by UHPA member agencies.

Qualifications for active and associated membership

Applicants for active and associated membership have to submit a copy of their registration with the Commercial Court or other relevant authority, certificate of their statistical or tax payment number and income and payments balance sheet for the previous year.

In addition, candidates for active membership have to provide the copy of the form submitted to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics with statistical results of their tourism activities in the previous year and two letters of recommendation by UHPA active members.

To qualify as an active member, a business entity must operate as a travel agency and:

• have all required licenses to function as a travel agency and have travel agency licence number
• sell travel services to the general public as its primary business
• comply with the UHPA Professional and ethical Code of conduct
• abide by the Collective agreement on salaries for employees working in travel agencies
• be physically located in Croatia.

Candidates for the associated membership, in addition to the above-mentioned registration and financial documentation, have to give their signed consent on the implementation of UHPA Professional and ethical Code of conduct. Tour operators and travel agencies not registered in Croatia are also expected to submit a letter of recommendation by the official representative of the Croatian National Tourist Board in their country and A list of their partners in Croatia authorizing UHPA to check their business relations with some of them.

The Board of Directors decides on the admission of each candidate and, in case of a complaint, the UHPA Assembly makes a final decision.