Croatia’s Challenge at the 2025 Osaka Expo: A Concept Centered on “Climate Diversity”
I felt that the 2025 Osaka Expo, held on Yumeshima, was the most ambitious global exposition of the past decade.The Expo is a gathering where nations come together to present their visions for the future of humanity. The Grand Ring, an architectural masterpiece, symbolizes unity and circular sustainability, while the official mascot, Myaku Myaku—a character representing cells, water, and continuous transformation—quickly became a symbol of the event around the world.Over the course of six months, Expo 2025 welcomed more than 29 million visitors, including heads of state such as presidents, prime ministers, and kings, as well as high-ranking officials from around the world.
Croatia at Expo 2025: Silver Award in the Theme Interpretation Category
I had the honor of representing the Republic of Croatia at this historic event as the director of the Croatia Pavilion within the Shared Pavilion (Future Society Zone: A Future Where Life Shines).
The Croatia Pavilion was awarded the Silver Medal in the “Theme Interpretation” category of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Official Participant Awards, in recognition of the originality and consistency of our concept, “Climadiversity.” This was Croatia’s first-ever award, and personally, I felt a sense of pride that is beyond words.Competing against nations from around the world, our pavilion proved to stand out because it was deeply rooted in our national identity while being grounded in a concept that combined realism with experiential elements.
Climadiversity: A Concept Created for the Expo
For the 2025 Osaka Expo, we introduced a new term: “Climadiversity.” This represents the diversity of climates that have shaped Croatia’s ecosystems, architecture, traditions, and the identity of its people over the centuries.Croatia encompasses Mediterranean, continental, mountainous, and microclimatic zones within a small geographical area. The pavilion served as a space to convey this diversity as a vivid, sensory experience.
Through real-time temperature displays from 45 weather stations, 500 touchable tubes filled with water, and live thermal camera images allowing visitors to see their own body heat, visitors could choose their preferred “climate position” based on their current mood and comfort level. This allowed them to not only “tour” the pavilion but also gain a “physical sensation,” a feature that proved particularly popular.
From Aichi to Osaka: My 20-Year Journey with the World Expo
My personal connection to the World Expo began in 2004. As the representative of the Republic of Croatia at the 2005 Aichi Expo, I was in charge of developing the Croatia Pavilion. After the opening, as Director of Public Relations, I worked to convey Croatia’s culture, identity, and tourism potential to visitors from around the world who had gathered in Japan. Perhaps as a result of these efforts, the number of Japanese tourists visiting Croatia nearly doubled the following year.Subsequently, after serving as Director of the Japan Office of the Croatian National Tourist Board, I took on the role of Representative of the Official Japanese Delegation at Expo 2020 Dubai. There, I took on the challenge of positioning the Expo not merely as an exhibition, but as a strategic diplomatic and economic platform. For me, Expo 2025 Osaka represents a moment of true maturity, where my 20 years of experience have culminated in this historic, major event.
The Impact of the Expo on Tourism:
The 2025 Osaka Expo has proven to be a tremendous opportunity for tourism growth for the host country, capable of benefiting both international and domestic travel.
Specifically, the effects included growth in inbound tourism (including high-level diplomatic visits that raised international profile) due to its function as a large-scale international event; an increase in domestic long-distance travel; extended stays combining the Expo with visits to Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, and Tokyo; improved occupancy rates for accommodations in the Kansai region; increased rail and air passenger numbers; and insights for future host cities.
Furthermore, because World Expos are time-limited, they create a unique sense of urgency and exclusivity that cannot be achieved through ordinary tourism campaigns, making the experience more memorable.
Based on my experience with the three Expos, the following are the factors I consider important for maximizing tourism ROI.
- Promotion strategies in collaboration with the region: Avoid isolating the host city
- Experience-driven pavilion design: Provide unique experiences and increase sharing on social media
- Collection and utilization of customer data: Converting Expo visitors into repeat customers
- Integration with sustainability: Positioning goals within a long-term, global perspective
Croatia’s award-winning “Climate Diversity” concept demonstrates that even a small country can leverage its participation in an Expo to achieve lasting brand differentiation.
Summary
For Croatia, Expo 2025 Osaka validated the potential of a concept-driven national brand strategy rooted in environmental identity.
Furthermore, Japan was able to establish an image as a technologically advanced society, a leader in sustainable innovation, and a culturally immersive destination.
From the perspective of tourism research, it was demonstrated that the Expo is one of the few global platforms capable of simultaneously promoting short-term visitor growth, synergistic effects on the local economy, and long-term destination branding.
We hope that, through such opportunities, various countries and regions around the world will continue to advance strategic tourism promotion.
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