Tourists flock to Croatia in June despite rising prices

Croatia has welcomed a large number of tourists in June

Croatia’s Minister of Tourism and Sport, Tonči Glavina, has shared positive early results for the 2025 tourist season, emphasising strong performance in the first six months and the importance of long-term sustainability.

Speaking on the podcast Poslovni svijet s Ilijom Jandrićem, Minister Glavina highlighted that June saw 11 percent more arrivals and 19 percent more overnight stays compared to the same month last year.

At one point in June, growth was as high as 25 percent.

“June was fantastic,” Glavina said, noting strong results for the entire first half of the year.

Glavina explained that the tourism sector evaluates success in three phases: after six months, after the peak summer months of July and August, and after the post-season.

He stressed that while numbers are important, especially in pre-season and post-season, the main season is no longer about growth but about managing sustainable tourism.

Addressing media reports of a weak start, Glavina clarified that although March saw a 20 percent drop, April bounced back with 20 percent growth, and June more than made up for May’s lower numbers.

“You cannot judge the pre-season month by month,” he said. “As a whole, we are currently up four percent in arrivals and five percent in overnight stays compared to last year.”

He also responded to growing concerns over high prices. While acknowledging that Croatia has become more expensive, Glavina insisted the country still offers good value.

He pointed out that wealthier visitors tend to arrive during the pre-season, while peak months attract more budget-conscious travellers, and warned against hiking prices unnecessarily in July and August.

Finally, he reported encouraging results from a new legal reform aimed at limiting excessive apartment growth. Compared to 26,000 new beds in 2024, only 7,500 have been added so far this year.

“We want to protect our most valuable resource – the coast,” Glavina concluded.