Source: danas.hr/Governemnt
Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina was a guest on RTL’s Danas show yesterday. He spoke about the figures so far and plans for the continuation of the tourist season. He pointed out that we can be satisfied with the overall pre-season, which is still ongoing, as well as with current tourism trends.
He believes that, although the tourism figures for May are not ideal, there is no reason for concern. It is very important, the minister said, not to analyze month by month because tourism results in each of them depend on holidays and school holidays, especially Easter. Thus, this year, slightly worse results were achieved in March, then better in April, then worse again in May, and in the first 14 days of June we have a growth of over 20 percent.
“We will make the first interim period from July 1, when we will cover the entire pre-season. But I think we can be very satisfied because, according to the trends we are seeing, we can see this pre-season as a measure of success. We are no longer necessarily looking for an increase in numbers in July or August, but we are looking for it in the pre-season. It will probably prove to be record-breaking, compared to last year. June grew by 20 percent, and the growth in arrivals of German guests is over 85 percent. The indicator is the entire blood count, and I once again appeal to the entire tourism sector – price competitiveness is the motive for choosing a destination,” Glavina said.
Good price-quality ratio
Asked about the increase in accommodation prices, the minister stated that the umbrella professional association for the hotel and camping industry in Croatia recently presented statistical data showing that prices in hotels and campsites increased by only 1.9 percent compared to last year, while official Eurostat data shows a higher price increase.
“As for overall prices in tourism, the increase is not so much driven by the price of accommodation itself, but by other factors, primarily prices in retail, catering and transport. When we talk about prices, we are not only addressing people who provide accommodation services, but the entire tourism sector, which is much broader than just this part. Here we create the impression and perception of a possibly expensive destination or a destination that offers a good price-quality ratio. Our task is to present and sell Croatia as a country that offers a good price-quality ratio,” Glavina emphasized.
The minister believes that in the future Croatia will neither be an exclusive destination for rich tourists, nor a destination for mass tourism, but rather the kind of country that the Government has defined it to be in the strategic framework.
Tourism with a focus on the quality of life of the local population
“It is a destination that has more or high added value, a destination that focuses on the future, that focuses on the quality of life of our fellow citizens. Tourism that endangers the quality of life of our fellow citizens is tourism that has no future,” the minister pointed out, adding that this is precisely why the government is carrying out a comprehensive reform and making a big step forward that is not easy and not acceptable to everyone, but is absolutely necessary.
“Our cities and our destinations must not become empty backdrops and museums, but should be places of life,” Glavina said.
The task of the Ministry of Tourism and Sports is to create a framework for a balanced quality of life through major reform steps every year so that our fellow citizens can stay in their cities and destinations.
“There is no perfect formula that can precisely calculate this, but there must be a perception that we are such a destination. We have to implement all of this together and our guests must feel it. It is important to emphasize that Croatia has a reputation as a sustainable country that cares about the quality of life and where our guests are completely integrated with the local population. We want to maintain that and improve that relationship, not create division,” concluded Minister Glavina.
