We have to raise tourism to a higher level of quality, and not hold discussions to reduce prices so that even more tourists will come!

Istria currently achieves +2% of overnight stays compared to last year cumulatively (+5% compared to 2019, year). All this with a seriously bad record of stay in the so-called non-commercial accommodation, i.e. apartments, houses, illegal buildings where tourists stay who do not register (there are currently around 250.000 such beds in Istria, of which, according to records, only 12% are filled!).

At the moment, about 500 to 600 thousand tourists are actually staying in Istria, and we are all witnesses to crowds on the beaches, lack of parking, power outages, "interruption" of the Internet, throwing garbage in the forest... so there are probably more tourists than ever.

We had a great pre-season, I believe that the post-season will be solid as well, all quality hotels, camps, holiday villas are full in the summer - at prices that are competitive in the Mediterranean.

I really don't understand - how anyone can declare that we don't have double digit tourist growth in August as a problem caused by high prices. Because it should be what? A million tourists who come to cheap forms of accommodation owned by people who do not live there, shop in large shopping centers and eat "pizza cut" type of food in bad bars managed by non-residents of the destination?

Sustainable tourism in Croatia means preserving space, protecting the local way of life, raising the quality of tourism and extending the tourist season. This is what we need to do - if we want to be successful, and not (dis)sell our coast, sea, nature for small money.

We have entered the Schengen area, we are part of Europe - we have the opportunity to raise tourism to a higher level of quality year-round sustainable tourism, and we are conducting a public debate on the fact that prices should be reduced so that even more tourists will come in August!

Author: Željko Kukurin, president of the Valamar Management Board