Another popular country with tourists followed the path of Turkey, leaving the class of “low-cost destinations”, which led to the fact that tourists there were disappointed and bookings fell. It is about Croatia. According to the local press, although there is a “certain tourist activity” in the country, the influx of tourists is still lower than expected – and what’s more, lower than the increase in hotel seats.
In numbers, everything does not look so bad – the number of inbound tourists who visited Croatia in June increased by 4% to 2.9 million people, and in the first half of 2023 this figure reached 6.7 million tourists. and the increase compared to last year was 16%. The total number of overnight stays in the country increased by 10% to 27.3 million, while in June it increased by 2%.
However, according to local media, although there is some tourist activity in the country, the expected “inflow of tourists” did not occur. The increase in the offer of places on the part of hotels is much higher than the increase in tourists, they assure. The reason for the slow growth is, first of all, the rise in prices, which led to the departure of Croatia from among the inexpensive price destinations, and the “return to the game” of all competitors in the Mediterranean.
Croatia’s accession to the EU this year probably also played its role. The fact is that tourists from the European Union – mostly “short-term” tourists from German-speaking countries – Croatia were already available without a visa; but on the way of tourists from countries not included in the Schengen zone, additional difficulties arose.
And the German market, considering everything, reacted to the rise in prices. According to sources, the disappointment in Croatia is similar to the one experienced by Turkey this year.