Croatia records 16% increase in tourist arrivals in first half of 2023

Croatia has recorded over 6.7 million arrivals and over 27.3 million overnight stays from January to the end of June, a 16% increase in arrivals and a 10% increase in overnight stays compared to the same period last year, the Croatian Tourist Board said on Monday. 

Additionally, there has been a 4% increase in overnight stays compared to the same period in 2019, according to data from the eVisitor system, which includes tourist traffic in commercial and non-commercial facilities, as well as nautical charters (eCrew system).

“The Croatian tourism industry has achieved positive and very good results in the first six months, both compared to last year and the record-breaking first six months of 2019. With an excellent May that saw a 30% increase compared to last year and a successful June that matched last year’s results, we are now at the beginning of July, the peak season, during which daily tourist numbers will continue to rise. We are currently carrying out promotional activities for the summer season in our source markets, especially in Germany, Italy, Poland, and the United States, as well as campaigns for the post-season where we expect an increase in tourist traffic compared to last year,” said Kristjan Staničić, Director of the Croatian Tourist Board.

In terms of counties, the highest number of overnight stays during the first six months was recorded in Istria (8.5 million overnight stays, +7% compared to 2022), Split-Dalmatia County (4.7 million overnight stays, +11% compared to 2022), Kvarner (4.5 million overnight stays, +6% compared to 2022), Zadar County (3 million overnight stays, +8% compared to 2022), Dubrovnik-Neretva County (2.5 million overnight stays, +20% compared to 2022), Šibenik-Knin County (1.3 million overnight stays, +1.5% compared to 2022), and Lika-Senj County (727 thousand overnight stays, +14% compared to 2022). 

In Zagreb, there were 1.1 million overnight stays, a 20% increase compared to last year, while the rest of the continental region recorded over one million overnight stays, a 20% increase compared to last year.

“I believe that we can all be satisfied with the tourism indicators for the first half of this year. The excellent results in tourist traffic, surpassing the level of the same period in 2019, are accompanied by record-breaking financial indicators. According to the Croatian National Bank data, foreign tourist revenues for the first quarter of 2023 amounted to 672 million euros, which represents an increase of 38% compared to the reference period of the first three months of 2022, or an increase of 186 million euros. All of these data indicate that we are on the right track, that we have had one of the best pre-seasons of Croatian tourism, and that despite the challenging period, the tourism sector has remained stable, thanks in part to the generous measures taken by the Government of the Republic of Croatia. 

The Government, even during the pandemic, when the focus was on preserving jobs and protecting tourists and employees in the sector, as well as during this recent energy crisis, has done everything to facilitate the work of entrepreneurs and maintain the standard of living for Croatian citizens. Our strategic goal is the development of year-round and regionally balanced tourism, and the crown of that management reform is the new Tourism Law, which will provide all destinations with tools for the development of sustainable and competitive tourism for the first time,” emphasised Nikolina Brnjac, Minister of Tourism and Sports.

Looking at destinations, the highest number of overnight stays during the first six months was recorded in Rovinj, Dubrovnik, Poreč, Split, and Umag. In terms of markets, the highest number of overnight stays during the first six months was from the German market (6.4 million overnight stays, +4% compared to 2022), Croatia (3.5 million overnight stays, +5% compared to 2022), Austria (2.6 million overnight stays, +6% compared to 2022), Slovenia (2.4 million overnight stays, +7% compared to 2022), Poland (1.5 million overnight stays, +13% compared to 2022), and the UK (1.2 million overnight stays, +7% compared to 2022).

In June, a total of 2.9 million arrivals and 15 million overnight stays were recorded in Croatia, representing a 2% increase in arrivals and a 1% increase in overnight stays compared to last year, or an equal result to June 2019.

Rovinj

In June, there were 2.7 million arrivals and 14.5 million overnight stays in the Adriatic counties, a 1% increase compared to last year. In Zagreb, there were 122 thousand arrivals (+22% compared to last year) and 235 thousand overnight stays (+13% compared to last year), while in the rest of the continental region, there were 128 thousand arrivals (+6% compared to last year) and 247 thousand overnight stays (+7% compared to last year).

The highest number of overnight stays in June was from guests from the German market (3.9 million overnight stays), Croatia (1.4 million overnight stays), Austria (1.4 million overnight stays), Slovenia (1.4 million overnight stays), Poland (1 million overnight stays), and the Czech Republic (848 thousand overnight stays).