Big spending Korean tourists love affair with Croatia 

Dubrovnik

Croatia has seen a remarkable 37% rise in arrivals and a 34% increase in overnight stays from South Korea this year, with even greater growth expected in 2024.

Croatia has welcomed 160,000 arrivals and 210,000 overnight stays from the South Korean market so far this year, representing a 37% increase in arrivals and a 34% rise in overnight stays compared to last year, the Croatian Tourist Board said in a statement today.

Even better results and continued positive trends are expected in the coming year.

This was confirmed to the Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, during meetings and discussions with numerous representatives from South Korea’s tourism sector. Staničić is currently in Seoul, where the international travel fair, Travel Show, is being held.

The event is expected to attract over 50,000 visitors, showcasing tourist destinations, their attractions, and various travel programmes.

“Croatia, as a tourist destination in the South Korean market, is seen as interesting, but more importantly, a safe destination, rich in cultural and historical heritage, and with well-preserved nature. Korean travel enthusiasts are showing the greatest interest in this kind of offering.

This provides an excellent foundation for deeper cooperation, especially in the process of recovering long-haul markets and reopening intercontinental travel links.

It will take a little more time to return to pre-pandemic levels of tourism from this important long-haul market for Croatian tourism, and airline partnerships, such as the one with T’Way Air, which connected Zagreb and Seoul with a direct route this year, will play a key role,” said Director Staničić, highlighting that this route re-established a direct connection between the two countries after a five-year break.

Park Jong-seung from T’Way Air, during a meeting with the Croatian delegation, confirmed this, stating that the route had achieved excellent occupancy and results, further confirming the interest in Croatia.

“We’ve received great feedback and comments on this year’s flight linking our capitals, and for next year, we definitely plan to maintain this route, ensuring our connection to Croatia, which is well recognised in our market as a desirable and attractive destination,” said Jong-seung.

There was also significant interest in Croatian destinations during a special presentation of Croatia’s overall tourist offering, organised by the Croatian National Tourist Board for South Korean media and travel agencies.

Dubrovnik

The presentation, delivered by HTZ’s South Korea market collaborator Nikica Dorešić, was attended by representatives from T’Way Air, who outlined their business plans for 2025, with a particular focus on Croatia.

Also present were Dr Damir Kušen, Croatian Ambassador to South Korea, and Marko Zorčić, a counsellor from the Croatian Embassy in South Korea.

It’s worth noting that visitors from the South Korean market are important for Croatian tourism, as they tend to travel year-round and significantly favour the pre- and post-season periods.

Along with American guests, they are among the highest spenders, with an average daily expenditure of 155 euros. Regarding this year’s results, the counties with the highest number of overnight stays by Korean tourists so far are Dubrovnik-Neretva, Split-Dalmatia, Lika-Senj, and Zadar. The most popular destinations include Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar.

Furthermore, after Seoul, Director Staničić will continue his official programme in Shanghai, where he will meet with representatives from the Little Red Book agency, the Director of Shanghai’s Tourism Office, and representatives from C-Trip, China’s largest online travel platform and one of the world’s largest tourism service providers.

Chinese tourists are also of particular interest for boosting pre- and post-season travel, with most of their arrivals occurring in October and June, followed by May and September.

The majority of Chinese visitors travel to Croatia as part of organised regional tours, with more than 66% of their overnight stays taking place in hotels.

On average, they stay for a very short time in each destination and frequently change their accommodation. Their main reason for travelling is sightseeing, accounting for around 73% of their visits.