Over Half of Croatians to Holiday in Croatia this Summer – Over 200,000 Holiday Homes Owned

56% of Croatians will holiday somewhere in Croatia this summer, according to MasterCard’s latest MasterIndex Croatia 2015 survey…

The survey, covering 1,000 users of banking services aged 18-55, revealed that out those holidaying in Croatia, more than half (52%), would be staying at either their own places or that of friends. 40% of respondents said that they would pay for accommodation during their summer holiday. The number of Croatians who will holiday in Croatia this summer has increased by 5% compared to the last survey in 2014.

Most of the respondents of the survey (60%) who paid for accommodation, said that they prefered to pay cash. Under half (43%) of those surveyed did not keep track of what they spent whilst on holiday.

According to the last census in 2011, there were 249,243 holiday houses and apartments in Croatia, of which 60,000 were rented out to tourists during the year. The holiday home boom in Croatia started in the 1960’s and 70’s, thanks to the availability of cheap credit, which meant most people with an average salary could afford to build or buy.

The largest amount of holiday homes on the Croatian coast are found in the Zadar region, where there are 39,939, with the least in the Dubrovnik-Neretva County (7,027). Holiday homes away from the sea in continental parts of Croatia are also common, with the Zagreb County (16,883) possessing the most, with the least found in the Požega-Slavonia County (558). The results of a survey in 2012 conduction at Zagreb University revealed that 7.5% of the 2,200 surveyed owned holiday homes in the country.