Croatia counting on domestic tourists once coronavirus measures are relaxed

Dubrovnik

ZAGREB, April 15 (Hina) – Domestic tourists cannot salvage the tourist season in Croatia because their share in the total turnover in the last two record-breaking years was about 12%, but the industry certainly counts on them once the coronavirus measures are relaxed, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said on Wednesday.

“We always prepared special projects for domestic tourists. This year it was the campaign A Week’s Worth of Rest and the Cro discount card. They were unrelated to the coronavirus crisis because they were prepared long before its outbreak in the world,” Cappelli said in response to questions from the press before a cabinet meeting.

He said that they would try to change the purpose of the Cro card so that it could be used not just in restaurants on the coast but throughout the country and for various purposes, in order to boost domestic tourist spending.

Asked if tourism services would be cheaper this year to attract domestic tourists, provided that the healthcare situation permits, Cappelli said that prices would be lower. “It will be cheaper, especially private accommodation,” he said.

A record 21 million tourists visited Croatia in 2019, which was 5% more than in 2018 and the first year in Croatian tourism history that more than 20 million tourists visited.

Foreign tourists made up 90% of all arrivals and overnight stays last year. Foreign tourists made up 18.2 million of all arrivals. They also contributed almost 95 million overnight stays.