Source: HRT
Izidora Marković Vukadin from the Institute of Tourism commented on the current state of the pre-season and what further expectations are given the changed energy and geopolitical circumstances.
Given the unstable geopolitical situation, we can be very satisfied with the pre-season, claims Izidora Marković Vukadin from the Institute of Tourism. She also pointed out that according to data for the first three months plus the Easter weekend, “we have almost half a million more overnight stays.”
“That’s a really big increase of 15 percent. We can be very optimistic about the pre-season. We see that the Easter weekend is actually better than the comparable Easter weekend. The pre-season is really going well so far,” she said.
This is part of the trend towards year-round tourism. The summer season is stagnant, while the pre-season and post-season have potential for growth, something that Marković Vukadin does not see as a problem and which is “expected in the long term.”
– We cannot always have growth of 10 to 15 percent within the season because we simply do not have the capacity, infrastructure or offer. If we start from the basic offer, which is beach space, we do not have the capacity for such growth, she explained.
“This is in line with international trends and trends in relation to climate change, which are also causing changes in guest behavior. In fact, this is what our tourism policy calls for, to have year-round, not seasonal tourism,” she added.
Despite the energy crisis, ”stable demand” is expected
Given the current geopolitical tensions, Vukadin assessed that Croatian tourism, compared to, for example, Turkey, “maybe even dawn”.
– Because we are still close to our source markets. We can expect that our strongest source markets will remain the same, which are the Western and Central European markets, she claims.
Regarding inflation and recession in Germany, rising fuel prices, and the large number of car guests coming to Croatia for tourist reasons, Marković Vukadin claims that “travel is a must”.
– More and more often, traveling is not perceived as a luxury but as a necessity. It is to be expected that they will travel, but to closer destinations, which are safer. Our safety has been proven many times as one of the main perceptions of our guests, she believes.
– It is to be expected that we will continue to have stable demand from these markets, she concluded.
‘It would be good not to go for a significant price increase’
Regarding prices this season, and whether they will continue to rise, she pointed out that “it would be desirable to have some growth with inflation.”
– We have already achieved great growth in the last three years. That is a decision for each private entrepreneur for themselves. Given the trends where we have begun to be recognized among our guests as an expensive destination, it is important to respond with quality, whatever that means, she said.
– It would be good if we were realistic in our expectations of price increases, not to go for a significant price increase, especially due to the increase in energy prices. Our guests are predominantly car guests, the price of their arrival will increase, if we significantly increase the price of their stay, it could be a double-edged sword for them, she emphasized.
Hotel accommodation key to the development of year-round tourism
Marković Vukadin believes that “we should not demonize” private accommodation, which is “a recognized feature of Croatian tourism”, adding that there are “numerous socioeconomic benefits that come through private accommodation for the local community”, but also pitfalls such as expensive rent and real estate.
– It would be desirable to strengthen other segments of our accommodation offer. In this pre-season, 60 percent of all overnight stays are in hotels. Year-round tourism without hotel tourism does not work, she pointed out.
She also emphasized that OPGs had experienced 84 percent growth in the previous three months.
– Private accommodation, but one that offers interaction with the host, that also offers food and the whole experience, is what we should encourage, she said.
– Existing private accommodation that is empty for 300 days and requires infrastructure throughout the year can be considered dead capital, she concluded.
