Slovenian tourists record most foreign overnight stays in Croatia as winter tourism sees growth

Zagreb (Photo: Boška i Krešo/Zagreb Tourist Board)

Croatia’s tourism sector continued its positive momentum in December 2025, recording strong growth in arrivals and overnight stays, with visitors from neighbouring Slovenia emerging as the leading foreign market for the second month in a row.

According to official data published by the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 440,000 tourist arrivals and 942,000 overnight stays were registered in commercial accommodation during December, marking a 7.3% increase in arrivals and a 7.0% rise in overnight stays compared with the same month in 2024.

On average, tourists stayed 2.1 nights per arrival.

Foreign visitors accounted for the majority of overnight stays, contributing 64.8%, while domestic tourists made up the remaining 35.2%, highlighting Croatia’s continued appeal to international travellers even during the winter season.

For the second consecutive month, Slovenian tourists recorded the highest number of foreign overnight stays, totalling 107,000, which represents 17.6% of all foreign overnight stays in December.

Compared to December 2024, overnight stays by visitors from Slovenia increased by 14%, reinforcing Slovenia’s position as one of Croatia’s most important year-round tourism markets.

Overall, foreign tourists recorded 256,000 arrivals and 610,000 overnight stays, reflecting annual growth of 7.4% in arrivals and 8.5% in overnight stays. Domestic tourists also contributed to the positive results, generating 184,000 arrivals and 332,000 overnight stays, up 7.3% and 4.2% respectively year-on-year.

Zagreb remains Croatia’s most popular destination

Zagreb once again confirmed its status as Croatia’s most visited destination, ranking first among both domestic and foreign tourists.

For the fourth consecutive month, the Croatian capital recorded the highest number of domestic overnight stays, with 77,000 nights. Coastal destinations followed, including Split (18,000 overnight stays), Opatija (16,000) and Dubrovnik (14,000).

Domestic tourism in Zagreb continued to show modest growth, with 1.7% more arrivals and 0.3% more overnight stays compared with December 2024.

Zagreb also led among foreign visitors, recording 165,000 overnight stays. It was followed by Opatija (45,000), Dubrovnik (34,000) and Split (31,000).

Year-on-year, foreign tourist arrivals in Zagreb increased by 0.7%, while overnight stays rose by 1.4%.

The largest foreign markets in Zagreb during December were Germany (9.1%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (8.2%), Italy (8.0%), Austria (6.6%), Slovenia (6.5%), Serbia (5.9%) and the United States (5.3%).

Middle-aged travellers dominate overnight stays

In terms of age demographics, tourists aged 35 to 44 recorded the highest number of overnight stays nationwide, with 175,000 nights, accounting for 18.6% of all overnight stays in December 2025.

They were closely followed by the 45 to 54 age group, which generated 171,000 overnight stays, representing 18.1% of the total.