Croatian tourism results for peak season presented

Croatia

Croatia’s Minister of Tourism and Sport, Tonči Glavina, and Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, have presented the country’s tourism results for July, August and the first eight months of 2024, alongside updates on accommodation capacity and upcoming promotional activities.

As HRT reports, Glavina emphasised that the results prove Croatia is on the right path in meeting its strategic tourism goals.

“We are satisfied with the results, although there is still room for improvement, particularly when it comes to price stabilisation,” he said.

The Minister highlighted that Croatia continues to see record-breaking performance, both in terms of traffic and visitor spending.

He pointed out that growth is not just reflected in the overall value, but also in the higher number of invoices issued throughout the year, including during the peak summer season.

Describing the current state of tourism as “almost an ideal situation”, Glavina noted a key shift: for the first time, growth has not been generated solely by the two summer months. “The results show that we are becoming a year-round destination, with continued growth in the pre-season and post-season,” he explained.

According to the eVisitor system, Croatia achieved 17.2 million arrivals and 89.8 million overnight stays from January to August, marking a 2% rise in arrivals and a 0.5% increase in overnight stays compared to last year.

The pre-season recorded particularly strong results, with 5% more arrivals and 4% more overnight stays — equal to over 260,000 additional arrivals and more than one million extra overnight stays.

Mixed results in July and August

While overall figures are encouraging, July and August saw a slightly lower number of arrivals and overnight stays compared to the same period last year. In August, arrivals were on par with 2023.

Glavina attributed this to price competitiveness and broader economic conditions.

“Some prices may not have been competitive compared to other destinations. Added to this, the economic situation in some of our most important markets, such as Germany, was weaker than last year,” he said.

The Minister stressed that government measures supporting the tourism sector would help ensure fairer price setting going forward. “We expect realistic pricing for the rest of this year and especially for the next season. It is in nobody’s interest to work fewer days or generate lower revenues,” he added.

Transport growth supports tourism

Transport infrastructure has also recorded solid growth. Motorway traffic rose by 4% in the first part of the year, air traffic increased by 6%, maritime transport by 2%, while nautical tourism saw a 1% rise.

Glavina concluded that these results reflect Croatia’s continued development into a more balanced, year-round destination, with strong foundations for further growth in the years ahead.