The 2009 tourist year is currently marked by the fact that Croatia, like other tourist destinations in Europe, is experiencing a decline in bookings, but less than its direct competitors, emphasized today the Minister of Tourism Damir Bajs, who participated in a round table in Karlovac on the current state of tourism as part of the regular annual assembly of the National Association of Family and Small Hotels.
Bajs also stated that the "threat" to our tourism is that Croatia, like few other countries, has as much as 85 percent foreign tourists, which means that our tourism directly depends on their standard. Therefore, a component of the action plan for tourism, announced as part of ten anti-recession measures of the Croatian Government, will also be additional tourism promotion, measures to increase competitiveness, and measures to overcome possible liquidity shortages of tourism entities, said Bajs. He also announced activities related to attracting domestic tourists and the introduction of a joint online booking for various entities, including family small hotels.
The President of the Management Board of the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Anton Kovačev, stated that through the bank’s programs, users in tourism this year, as well as last year, have around 500 million kuna in loans available. As it can be seen from the requests that there are fewer planned investments, it can be expected that this will be sufficient for current needs, he added. He reminded that this refers to four HBOR credit programs – for preparing the tourist season, investments in tourism, and, in cooperation with the Ministry of Tourism, for the programs "Incentive for Success" and rural tourism. Minister Bajs announced that through the program
