Glavina: In the summer months, except on the continent, we no longer have room for growth

In the first eight months, there were 16.854.961 arrivals in Croatia, or an increase of 4%, and 89.524.451 overnight stays, which is a 1% increase in the number of overnight stays compared to 2023. eight months of 2024, which were presented by the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Tonči Glavina, and the director of HTZ, Kristjan Staničić.

"We have over 5.44 billion euros of consumption, fiscalized turnover. That is 11.55 percent more than last year. It is 5.5 percent more than last year" emphasized Minister Glavina, which is certainly much more important than the statistics themselves.

Also, if we look at road, air and sea traffic, traffic growth was recorded in all categories.

In the first eight months, more than 53 million vehicles passed through Croatian highways, which is 9% more than in the same period last year, 9,6 million passengers and 2,8 million vehicles were transported by Jadrolinija ships, which represents a growth of 2,4% compared to 2023, and that all our airports record more traffic than in the first eight months of last year, by an average of 21% percent (ZL Zagreb 16%, ZL Split 7%, ZL Dubrovnik 21% and ZL Zadar 30%).

Germany, the domestic market and Slovenia in the TOP 3 markets

In the first eight months, the majority of foreign guests were traditionally from Germany, followed by guests from Slovenia, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Of particular concern is the significant decline in our main broadcasting market. Thus, in June, tourists from Germany experienced a 19,4% drop in arrivals and a 32,0% drop in overnight stays, while in the first eight months a drop in the number of German arrivals -4 percent, and overnight stays -6 percent.

However, as emphasized by HTZ, if the comparison with 2019 is made, it is a 6 percent increase in the number of arrivals and five percent in the number of overnight stays from the German market (comparison of the first 8 months of 2024 and 2019).

There has been a big decline in the last couple of years from the Italian market. This season, there are 5 percent fewer arrivals and 7 percent fewer overnight stays by Italians, but compared to 2019, this is a significant drop of 23 percent in arrivals and 28 percent in the number of overnight stays. 

It's interesting domestic market growth, which is our second market after Germany. In the first eight months, the number of domestic tourists grew to 2.196.055 or 8% more arrivals than last year, while the number of domestic overnight stays grew by 1%, i.e. 10.810.906 million overnight stays were achieved compared to the same period last year.

If we look at the comparison with 2019, we have 23% more arrivals, but 1% less overnight stays from the domestic market.

When we talk more precisely about the results, it was achieved in the maritime counties by the end of August 15 million arrivals and 85,7 million overnight stays or 3% more arrivals and 1% more overnight stays compared to the same period last year, and the most visited were Istria County with 4,2 million arrivals, followed by Split-Dalmatia County (3,2 million) and Primorje-Gorski Kotar (2,6 million). Continental counties in that period achieved 938 thousand arrivals and 1,9 million overnight stays or 6% more arrivals and 5% more overnight stays compared to the same period last year.

Glavina: In the summer months, except on the continent, we no longer have room for growth.

"We can be satisfied with the results achieved so far, because they follow our strategic goals, which are aimed at growth in the pre- and post-season, and at maintaining the same, or even lower, figures that we achieve in the summer months, because in that period, except on the continent , we no longer have room for growth. When we talk about financial indicators, we can also be satisfied with them, because CNB projections show that we will again achieve record revenues, and the number of fiscalized accounts at the level of the first 8 months increased by 5,5%, while the value increased by 12%", Minister Glavina said in the introduction.

Glavina also looked at the occupancy of accommodation in the period from January to August 2024 and pointed out that compared to 2019, in 2024 there will be a capacity increase of 15%, i.e. more than 250.000 beds, of which the largest number of 170.000 is in non-commercial accommodation. .

"In 2024, compared to 2023, we are recording an increase in total capacity of 3%, i.e. 67.000 new beds, of which 27.000 in non-commercial accommodation and 25.000 in household facilities, and all types of accommodation are recording a decrease in occupancy compared to 2023, except for hotels which 2% better occupancy. These data are only part of the indicators that we need further planning of tourism development, because we see an increase in the number of accommodation facilities of a certain type, and a decrease in occupancy. That is why we need to create management plans and guide the development of tourism at the destination level. while at the national level we will focus on the challenges of hyperinflation in the supply of accommodation capacity, because only in this way can we ensure its sustainability". Glavina concluded.

The main summer months are behind us, that is, the very peak of the tourist year, during which we successfully maintained positive trends, he said Kristjan Staničić, director of the Croatian Tourist Board and added:

"That this is so is best confirmed by the month of August, during which 4,9 million arrivals and 31,6 million overnight stays were realized in our country. Compared to last year, this represents a 5 percent increase in arrivals, while overnight stays were at the level of last August. Such results are fully in line with our strategy, which aims to further strengthen traffic in the pre- and post-season, so with this aim, we recently launched a post-season promotional campaign that is active in six foreign markets. Through October, we are launching a campaign to encourage early booking, which will be active until February next year on the markets of Germany, Austria, the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, etc.", He said Stanicic adding that in November, at the WTM fair in London, a new stand concept will be presented for the first time with which Croatia will be represented at fair appearances in 2025.