Croatian tourism maintains positive trends in the first six months

According to data from the eVisitor system—which tracks tourist traffic recorded in commercial and non-commercial accommodation as well as nautical charter (eCrew system)—Croatia recorded more than 7.6 million arrivals and 29.5 million overnight stays between January and the end of June. This represents an equal result in arrivals and overnight stays compared to the same period last year. Of that total, 27.1 million overnight stays were realized on the Adriatic coast, matching last year's figures, while the mainland together with the city of Zagreb recorded 2.4 million overnight stays, representing a 1 percent growth.

"Given all the geopolitical circumstances and market disruptions, we are satisfied with the results achieved in the first half of the year, which are on par with last year's. According to Eurostat data for the first quarter, Croatia ranks as the fourth European destination by overnight stays, outperforming competitors such as Greece, Spain, Italy, and Portugal. We adjusted our promotional activities to the current situation and the challenges we face, which yielded good results. We believe that, with smart pricing policies, we will also successfully navigate this second half—the peak tourist season and post-season," highlighted Tonči Glavina, Minister of Tourism and Sport.

When segmenting Croatia's tourism performance by counties, the highest number of overnight stays in the first half of the year was recorded in Istria (8.7 million overnight stays), Split-Dalmatia County (5.3 million overnight stays), and Kvarner (4.7 million overnight stays). Looking at individual destinations, the top spots were Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Poreč, Zagreb, and Split.

"The achieved results confirm the quality and competitiveness of our overall tourism offering, as well as the importance of ongoing promotional activities conducted in key source markets. Through these efforts, we further enhance Croatia's visibility, encourage interest in travel outside the peak season, and promote the diversity of our offer. Throughout the process, we monitored market trends and adapted our communication messaging within completed campaigns accordingly. Additionally, we placed special emphasis on cooperation with strategic partners, including airlines, tour operators, agencies, and carriers, for which we allocated over 6 million euros this year together with the network of tourist boards for partnerships with around 70 partners. In doing so, we directly contributed to increasing the number of air routes to our country, reaching 330 routes this year—74 more than last year," stated Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board.

Looking at source markets during the first six months, the highest number of overnight stays was generated by guests from Germany (5.6 million overnight stays), Croatia (4.2 million overnight stays), Slovenia (2.9 million overnight stays), Austria (2.5 million overnight stays), Poland (1.6 million overnight stays), the UK (1.4 million overnight stays), the Czech Republic (1.1 million overnight stays), the US (1 million overnight stays), among others.

When examining the results achieved by accommodation type in the commercial segment: hotels—which account for a 14 percent share of commercial capacity—generated 47 percent of commercial arrivals; campsites—accounting for a 20 percent share of commercial capacity—generated 15 percent of commercial arrivals; while private/household accommodation—accounting for a 52 percent share of commercial capacity—generated 27 percent of commercial arrivals.

Source and photo: MINTS / HTZ