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16.2 million tourists visit Croatia so far in 2023, up on last year

Croatia welcomed 18.9 million tourists in 2022, 37 percent more than the previous year, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said in a statement on Monday. There were also 25 percent more overnight stays last year with 104.8 million recorded, according to date from the country’s eVisitor system. The record year for Croatian tourism is still 2019 when 21 million tourists visited. The most overnight stays were realised in the counties of Istria (29.5 million), Split-Dalmatia (19.5 million) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar (18.3 million), followed by Zadar County (14.9 million overnight stays), Dubrovnik-Neretva County (8 million) and Šibenik-Knin County (6.8 million). Looking at the results of destinations, the most overnight stays in 2022 were recorded in Rovinj (4.2 million), Dubrovnik (3.8 million), Poreč (3.4 million), Split (3.1 million) and Medulin (3 million). The largest number of overnight stays in Croatia in 2022 was achieved by foreign guests from Germany (24.9 million), Slovenia (10.1 million), Austria (8.2 million), Poland (6.7 million), the Czech Republic ( 6 million), Italy (4.2 million), the United Kingdom (3.7 million), Slovakia (3.3 million) and the Netherlands (3.3 million). More revenue generated than record year "Once again, I congratulate all tourism workers and all those who contributed to this historic tourism year. We achieved results that are at the record level of 2019 so far when it comes to tourist traffic, while in the first nine months we already exceeded our revenues by more than one billion euros. Already in the first nine months, the Croatian National Bank's estimates of income from foreign tourists for the entire year 2022, which spoke of a total of 11.3 billion euros, were exceeded. In this context, we expect that the income from foreign tourists for 2022 will amount to around 13 billion euros, which is an excellent indicator of the growth of the quality of the offer as well as the continuation of demand for Croatia. This year was also a record year in terms of some of our biggest markets, such as Germany, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the Netherlands, from which we achieved almost 800,000 more arrivals than in 2019. This is also a great announcement for the year 2023, especially in the context of Croatia's entry into the Schengen area and the eurozone. Our focus in 2023 remains on quality, sustainability and innovation, so that the successes of tourism are long-term and additionally contribute to the overall economic and social development of Croatia,” said Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac. “Thank you once again to the entire tourism sector for the synergy with which we achieved the best result in the Mediterranean for the third year in a row. With Croatia's entry into the eurozone and Schengen, which will make our tourism even more competitive, we optimistically entered the year 2023, in which the implementation of the new Strategic Marketing and Operational Plan for Croatian Tourism, a new umbrella communication concept and slogan, and a new marketing direction towards sustainable development await us. and preserving the resource base by which we are recognized and praised by millions of guests around the world. In 2023, our goal is the complete recovery of tourism, the achievement of pre-pandemic tourism results at the level of the entire country, and an even stronger dispersion of tourist traffic in the pre- and post-season. We will emphasise the promotion of Croatian islands, the hidden pearls of the Croatian tourist offer in the interior of the country, luxury offer, gastronomy, but also all those tourist products that generate tourist consumption throughout the year," said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, announcing that , considering inflation, rising energy prices and geopolitical tensions, another very demanding and challenging tourist year. U 2023. godini cilj nam je potpuni oporavak turizma, dosezanje predpandemijskih turističkih rezultata na razini cijele zemlje te još jača disperzija turističkog prometa na pred i posezonu. Naglasak ćemo staviti na promociju hrvatskih otoka, skrivenih bisera hrvatske turističke ponude u unutrašnjosti zemlje, luksuznu ponudu, gastronomiju, ali i sve one turističke proizvode koji generiraju turističku potrošnju tijekom cijele godine“, izjavio je direktor Hrvatske turističke zajednice Kristjan Staničić najavivši kako je pred nama, s obzirom na inflaciju, rast Income from foreign tourists is 23 percent higher than in the same period of 2019 According to the data of the Croatian National Bank (CNB), in the first nine months of 2022, the income of foreign tourists amounted to 11 billion and 641 million euros, which represents a growth of 43 percent compared to the same period in 2021, that is, the income was 3 billion and 527 million euros more. Compared to the first nine months of 2019, the income was 2 billion and 206 million euros more, that is, the income from foreign tourists in 2022 is 23 percent higher than in the same period of 2019. Before that, in the third quarter of 2022, the income of foreign tourists amounted to 8 billion and 469 million euros, which represents a growth of 27 percent compared to the same period in 2021. Compared to the third quarter of 2019, income from foreign tourists in the third quarter of 2022 is 28 percent higher than in the same period of 2019.

Croatia

ZAGREB, 5 September 2023 – According to data from the eVisitor system, which includes tourist traffic in both commercial and non-commercial facilities as well as nautical charter (eCrew system), Croatia has seen 16.2 million arrivals and 88.5 million overnight stays from January to the end of August.

Compared to the same period last year, this represents an 8 percent increase in arrivals and a 2 percent increase in overnight stays. These figures are on par with those from the record year of 2019, the Croatian Tourist Board said in a statement on Tuesday.

“The tourist traffic during the peak season, in July and now in August, confirms the observed trends where our guests are making more visits to our destinations but staying slightly shorter. This traffic pattern is logical, considering that global travel was most intense during the main summer months last year, while this is the first year after the pandemic without travel restrictions and with full competition restored. When we also factor in the impact of global inflation and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, we can conclude that Croatia has achieved excellent results despite all circumstances. We will further strengthen this result in the upcoming post-season, where promotional activities are underway, and we have very promising forecasts,” stated Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board.

Looking at the regions, during the first eight months, the highest number of arrivals and overnight stays were recorded in Istria (4 million arrivals, a 4% increase, and over 25 million overnight stays, a 2% increase compared to 2022), Split-Dalmatia County (3 million arrivals, a 9% increase, and 16.4 million overnight stays, a 2% increase compared to 2022).

Kvarner (2.6 million arrivals, a 3% increase, and 15.4 million overnight stays, on par with 2022), Zadar County (1.7 million arrivals, a 5% increase, and 13 million overnight stays, a 2% increase compared to 2022), Dubrovnik-Neretva County (1.6 million arrivals, an 18% increase, and 6.7 million overnight stays, a 7% increase compared to 2022), Šibenik-Knin County (855,000 arrivals, a 1% increase, and 5.5 million overnight stays, a 3% decrease compared to 2022), and Lika-Senj County (626,000 arrivals, an 11% increase, and 2.9 million overnight stays, a 2% increase compared to 2022).

In Zagreb, 1.6 million overnight stays were recorded, a 15% increase compared to last year, while in the rest of the continental area, more than 1.9 million overnight stays were recorded, a 14% increase compared to last year.

(Photo: J. Duval/Zagreb Tourist Board)

“We are pleased to see the positive trend in tourism results continuing through the summer months. After the best pre-season in the history of Croatian tourism, we are entering the post-season with great optimism. Continental regions are achieving better results than in 2019 and 2022, which is important because it indicates that we indeed have the potential for tourism development throughout Croatia. These results confirm that achieving a more balanced and year-round tourism is possible, which is a prerequisite for Croatian tourism to remain competitive in the future. That’s why we must continue to focus on quality and year-round offerings. I believe that with the new investment cycle through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, as well as the Multiannual Financial Framework and the state budget, we will further strengthen our tourist offerings and contribute to the achievement of our strategic goals,” emphasized Nikolina Brnjac, Minister of Tourism and Sports.

Breaking records: Croatia earns €13.1 billion from foreign tourists in 2022

Rab

Looking at destinations, the highest number of overnight stays during the first eight months were in Rovinj, Dubrovnik, Poreč, Split, and Umag. When it comes to source markets, the highest number of overnight stays in the first eight months came from Germany (18.8 million overnight stays), Croatia (10.6 million overnight stays), Slovenia (9 million overnight stays), Austria (6.6 million overnight stays), and Poland (5.7 million overnight stays).

In August alone, there were 4.6 million arrivals and 31.5 million overnight stays.

The trend of more tourist arrivals but shorter stays in destinations was also confirmed in August. According to eVisitor data, Croatia saw a total of 4.6 million arrivals and 31.5 million overnight stays in August, representing a 1 percent increase in arrivals and a 2 percent decrease in overnight stays compared to last year.

In August, coastal counties recorded 4.3 million arrivals and 30.8 million overnight stays, which is on par with arrivals from the previous year and a 2 percent decrease in overnight stays. In Zagreb, there were 154,000 arrivals (a 9% increase compared to last year) and 275,000 overnight stays (a 5% increase compared to last year), while in the rest of the continental area, there were 195,000 arrivals (a 4% increase compared to last year) and 452,000 overnight stays (a 6% increase compared to last year).

Dubrovnik ahead of Venice as No.1 city in Europe with most tourists per resident

Dubrovnik

The most overnight stays in August were generated by guests from Germany (7.3 million overnight stays), Croatia (3.8 million overnight stays), Slovenia (2.9 million overnight stays), Poland (2.1 million overnight stays), Austria (2 million overnight stays), and Italy (2 million overnight stays). In terms of destinations, the most overnight stays in August were recorded in Rovinj, Vir, Medulin, Umag, Poreč, Dubrovnik, Split, and Crikvenica.

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