Tourism in six months: 7.6 million arrivals, at last year's level

Croatia recorded 7.6 million tourist arrivals and 29.5 million overnight stays in the first six months of this year, the same as in the same period last year, according to data from the eVisitor system which covers commercial and non-commercial accommodation as well as nautical charter.

27.1 million overnight stays were recorded on the Adriatic coast, at last year's level, while the continent together with Zagreb recorded 2.4 million overnight stays, a growth of one per cent. By county, Istria leads with 8.7 million overnight stays, ahead of Split-Dalmatia with 5.3 million and Kvarner with 4.7 million, with the most visited destinations being Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Poreč, Zagreb and Split.

Guests from Germany recorded the most overnight stays, 5.6 million, followed by domestic tourists with 4.2 million, and guests from Slovenia with 2.9 million and Austria with 2.5 million. Hotels with 14 per cent of capacity account for 47 per cent of arrivals, while guesthouses hold 52 per cent of commercial capacity but account for 27 per cent of arrivals.

June saw a drop in arrivals and overnight stays compared to last year, but Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), told RTL Danas that there was no reason for concern. The weaker June was, he said, expected due to the different schedule of holidays and school holidays on key source markets.

"When looking at cumulative results, which is the most important indicator, we repeated last year's pre-season results, which were record-breaking," Staničić said. Croatia, he believes, "is neither too expensive nor too cheap", and the key value is what the guest gets for their money. This year, he added, there is a particularly pronounced trend of last-minute bookings.

According to initial, unofficial data, around two per cent more arrivals were recorded in the first nine days of July than in the same period last year. "The booking is good, and according to information from the ground, we expect a fight for every guest at the peak of the season," Staničić concluded.