Long weekend sees record number of tourists in Croatia

Friday, May 5, 2023

Over 256,000 tourists were welcomed in Croatia for a period from April 28 until May 1, while the number of overnight stays during the same period surpassed 890,000, accounting for a surge of about 40 per cent compared to the figures of the same period last year.

Such conclusions have been reached in the latest report of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ), Schengen Visa website reports.

The same source reveals that the number of tourist arrivals as well as overnight stays during the Labour Day weekend marked a notable increase.

A total of 49 per cent more tourists travelled to Croatia this year during this period compared to the data for the same period last year.

At the same time, there were also recorded 42 per cent more overnight stays.

Visitors from other countries spend the most nights in the following territories:

Dubrovnik

Poreč

Rovinj

Umag

Zagreb

Split

The director of HTZ, Kristjan Staničić, said that this year’s tourism results show that the country is an increasingly attractive year-round place.

After Croatia’s entry into Schengen, this year it is also a more accessible destination for short and frequent weekend trips.

Around Labor Day, the most numerous tourists were Slovenians, Poles, Germans, Austrians, and Italians, and there were also quite a few Dutch and UK, Staničić said.

HTZ also welcomed the results reached in the first four months of this year, which show that more than two million tourists visited Croatia.

The majority of foreign tourists who chose the newest Schengen Zone country to travel by the end of last month came from the following countries:

Slovenia

Germany

Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Italy

United Kingdom

United States

The majority of them are in Zagreb, as well as Dubrovnik, Split, Rovinj, Poreč and Opatija.

According to Croatia’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, positive trends noted since the beginning of this year have continued over the Labour Day weekend, which she says is an additional confirmation that the Balkan country is desirable outside of the summer months.

The Minister noted that they are particularly pleased that visitors increasingly recognize the attractiveness and the offer of continental counties, which almost all achieve better results than in 2019.

This all favours the fulfilment of strategic goals – the development of year-round and more regionally balanced tourism.

According to HTZ data introduced for April 2023, the country saw a total of 1.1 million tourists as well as 3.3 million overnight stays in the same month, accounting for an increase of 26 and 16 per cent compared to last April.

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