On the eve of Ferragosto, twice as many Italians in Croatia than last year

Dubrovnik

Ahead of the Ferragosto holiday, there is currently great interest in Croatia in Italy, and the Italians singled out Croatia, Greece, Spain and France as the most desirable foreign destinations, reported Viviana Vukelić, director of the Croatian Tourist Board’s Representation in Italy.

“Since June, our Representation Office in Milan has recorded increased interest in all Croatian destinations, bus, ferry and air lines to our country have increased, especially now in the month of August, when most Italians go on vacation. We also note the significant interest in organised trips for young people to Croatia, especially to Novalja, and the demand for trips in this period will be most expressed as part of last-minute arrangements,” said Vukelić, adding that Italians, considering the war events in Ukraine, inflation and numerous price increases in Italy, but also the fact that they themselves have the sea, still come to Croatia.

Croatia’s popularity among Italian guests is confirmed by the figures. Namely, according to data from the eVisitor system, 136,000 arrivals and 634,000 overnight stays in Croatia have been achieved so far in August from the Italian market, which is a 73% increase in arrivals and 68% in overnight stays compared to last year.

With this result, in August 2022, the Italian market ranks 2nd among the top markets in terms of arrivals and 6th among the top markets in terms of overnight stays, and the most popular destinations are Novalja, Medulin and Rovinj, which recorded an increase in overnight stays of 178%, 77% and 35 % compared to last year.

If we look at the current part of the year, Italians achieved 538,000 arrivals and 2.2 million overnight stays, which compared to last year represents a growth in arrivals of 140% and in overnight stays of 104%, and with this result the Italian market ranks 6th among the top markets in terms of arrivals and 7th place in terms of overnight stays in the current part of 2022.

These positive trends were also influenced by numerous promotional activities and announcements in eminent Italian media such as RAI 1, RAI 3, TGcom24 and Mediaset – Canale5, which devoted reports and texts to Croatia, and thanks to the successful cooperation of the Representative Office and certain media houses in Italy, the tourist magazines Bell’Europa and Caravan e Camper dedicated their covers entirely to Croatian destinations.

“These kinds of announcements, along with a quality tourist offer, additionally contribute to the creation of a positive image and recognition of Croatia on this important market,” added Vukelić.

There are currently over 82,000 Italian tourists in the country, who are the third most numerous foreign guests, right behind Germans and Slovenians, and the largest influx of Italian guests is expected this weekend.