Source: Ministry of Tourism and Sports
According to data from the eVisitor system, which includes tourist traffic in commercial and non-commercial facilities and nautical charter through the eCrew system, from January to the end of June, more than 7.6 million arrivals and 29.5 million overnight stays were recorded. Compared to the same period last year, the number of arrivals and overnight stays remained at the same level.
The Adriatic region continues to account for the largest share of tourist traffic, with 27.1 million overnight stays, a repeat of last year’s result. The continental part of Croatia, including the City of Zagreb, recorded 2.4 million overnight stays, an increase of one percent.
Glavina: Croatia among leading European destinations
Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina pointed out that the achieved results are encouraging, especially in demanding international circumstances. He emphasized that geopolitical circumstances and disruptions in the tourism market marked the first part of the year, but Croatian tourism nevertheless remains stable.
According to Eurostat data for the first quarter, Croatia is the fourth European destination in terms of the number of overnight stays, ahead of competing tourist countries such as Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
“Given all the geopolitical circumstances and market disruptions, we are satisfied with the results achieved in the first half of the year, which are at the same level as last year. According to Eurostat data for the first quarter, Croatia is the fourth destination in Europe in terms of overnight stays, leaving behind competitors such as Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal. We have adapted our promotional activities to the current situation and the challenges we face, which has yielded good results. We believe that, with a smart pricing policy, we will successfully complete this second half, the main part of the tourist year and the post-season,” said Glavina.
Istria leads, followed by Split and Kvarner
Among Croatian counties, Istria once again recorded the highest number of overnight stays, with 8.7 million overnight stays in the first six months. Split-Dalmatia County followed with 5.3 million overnight stays, while Kvarner recorded 4.7 million overnight stays.
When it comes to individual destinations, Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Poreč, Zagreb and Split achieved the most overnight stays, once again confirming their status as the most sought-after Croatian tourist destinations.
Promotion brings more airlines to Croatia
The Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, assessed that the achieved results confirm the quality and competitiveness of the Croatian tourist offer. He pointed out that promotional activities during the year were focused on key source markets, but also on encouraging travel outside the main season.
He added that communication campaigns were adjusted to current trends in the tourism market. Special emphasis was placed on cooperation with airlines, tour operators, travel agencies and transport companies.
The Croatian National Tourist Board and the tourist board system have secured more than six million euros this year for cooperation with around 70 partners. This approach has resulted in a greater number of international air connections. This year, Croatia has a total of 330 airlines, or 74 more than last year.
“The achieved results confirm the quality and competitiveness of our overall tourism offer, but also the importance of continuous promotional activities that we carry out in key source markets, with which we further strengthen Croatia’s visibility, stimulate interest in travel outside the peak season and promote the diversity of our offer,” said Staničić.
Germany remains the most important issuing market
The most overnight stays in the first six months were recorded by guests from Germany, a total of 5.6 million. This was followed by domestic guests with 4.2 million overnight stays and tourists from Slovenia with 2.9 million overnight stays.
The most important markets continue to be Austria with 2.5 million overnight stays, Poland with 1.6 million and the UK with 1.4 million overnight stays. Guests from the Czech Republic accounted for 1.1 million overnight stays, while tourists from the United States accounted for one million overnight stays.
Hotels account for almost half of commercial arrivals
Data for commercial accommodation show that hotels continue to achieve the highest turnover in relation to available capacities. Although they make up 14 percent of commercial accommodation capacity, they account for as much as 47 percent of all commercial tourist arrivals.
Camps have 20 percent of commercial capacity and 15 percent of commercial arrivals. Household facilities have the largest share of capacity, a total of 52 percent, while they account for 27 percent of all commercial arrivals.
