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Iva Kutleš Krlec
Episode · #440

TURIZAM 385 Iva Škrlec Kutle

Guest Iva Kutleš KrlecHosted by Goran RihtarićMay 3, 2026
About this episode
What you'll hear in this conversation

In a region overflowing with five-star hotels, where does a global giant like Hilton fit into the concept of 'destination marketing'? Iva Kutleš Krlec, Hilton's Director of Destination Marketing for the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey, manages this paradox. Her role isn't just to promote a location, but to ensure that of Hilton's eighteen distinct brands, one becomes the traveler's first choice amidst hundreds of luxury options. Iva brings a unique, three-dimensional perspective to this challenge, having navigated the marketing landscape from a traditional agency, through a major Croatian hotel group (Valamar), and then for seven years at Google, where she led efforts to help the global tourism sector recover from the pandemic. Her insights reveal how marketing has transformed from offline campaigns to a highly digital, fragmented, and technologically dependent discipline, especially in hospitality. This conversation unpacks the strategic shifts required to stand out in hyper-competitive markets, the value of direct bookings, and how a tech giant like Google pivoted to support an industry in crisis. Readers will walk away with a clearer understanding of how global brands build loyalty in an era of abundant choice, and the evolving skill set required for modern tourism marketing.

Insights from the conversation
What to take from this episode
01
Hilton's central marketing oversees eighteen brands, but regional destination marketing ensures those strategies adapt to local cultural and commercial needs. Their task isn't just to promote a place, but to make Hilton the preferred choice in regions already rich with luxury options, even in places where tourism has recovered quickly.
02
In Dubai, hundreds of five-star hotels mean the value for money is often higher than in many other regions. This intense competition, combined with newer, often more luxurious properties, means hotels must offer exceptional experiences at competitive prices to stand out.
03
During the pandemic, Iva led Google's Global Tourism Acceleration Center, shifting from traditional partnerships to directly helping the industry recover. Google saw the opportunity to apply its digital transformation and data expertise to aid tourism bodies, understanding trends and reshaping marketing strategies when traditional planning had collapsed.
04
Iva's career path—from a marketing agency to Valamar's e-commerce, then to Google—shows how a marketer's perspective shifts with the platform. Agency work teaches the craft, client-side forces a focus on direct digital sales, and a tech giant reveals the mechanisms of platform-driven demand. Each stage compounds the understanding of how to reach a customer.
05
Hospitality marketing, Iva explains, is 'something entirely different,' highly digital, fragmented, and technologically dependent. It demands finding specific individuals in numerous source markets, making it operationally complex and focused on direct online sales to individual guests, a preferred model for hotel chains.
06
After seven years at Google, Iva returned to hospitality, stating it's 'the industry I am primarily passionate about.' For some, the impact a person can make is less about the prestige of the company and more about their deep connection to the industry itself, where their energy feels most effective.
07
Hilton's expansion plans in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey involve opening 'practically one new hotel every month.' This rapid growth means destination marketing isn't just about maintaining existing brand image, but constantly ensuring new properties successfully launch and integrate into a fiercely competitive market.
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