Tourism Promotion and Destination Choice in Croatia: A Multicriteria Analysis Using PCA and AHP

Croatia’s tourism market is highly exposed to digital platforms and peer-to-peer information flows, yet evidence on how Croatian users differentiate between promotional formats (digital channels, agency websites, traditional media and word-of-mouth) remains fragmented and rarely translated into actionable priorities. This study aims to identify the underlying dimensions of perceived promotional influence and to prioritize promotional formats for destination choice in Croatia by integrating PCA and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). An online survey (N = 299) was used to extract promotional dimensions via PCA and to test group differences by gender, age and primary information source, while AHP translated expert judgments into a comparative priority structure. Results consistently indicate that word-of-mouth is the most persuasive driver of destination choice, but its perceived importance varies significantly across demographic segments and information-source profiles. Younger respondents place greater emphasis on digital channels (especially social media and travel agency websites), whereas older respondents show higher reliance on traditional formats. The combined PCA–AHP approach provides a structured bridge between user perceptions and managerial prioritization, offering segment-specific guidance for more efficient allocation of promotional resources in Croatian destination marketing.