Nautical ports in six Adriatic counties were visited by 663.2 thousand tourists from January to November last year, which is 18 percent fewer tourists than during the same period in 2008, and a slightly smaller decline of 8 percent was recorded with 1.3 million overnight stays, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics.
Despite these declines, nautical ports have maintained their ‘traditional’ positions among tourist accommodation facilities – fourth place in tourist arrivals (behind hotels, households, and camps) and fifth in overnight stays (behind households, hotels, camps, and tourist resorts). According to DZS data, a total of 10.78 million tourists visited Croatia in the eleven months of last year, which is 3 percent less than in the same period in 2008, while 55.97 million overnight stays represent a decline of 1 percent. Statistics for nautical ports show that nearly 97 percent of both arrivals and overnight stays in the period from January to November 2009 were made by foreign tourists. There were 640.3 thousand of them, and they accounted for 1.26 million overnight stays, which is a decline of 14 percent in arrivals and 6 percent in overnight stays compared to the eleven months of 2008. Domestic tourists in nautical ports recorded a significantly larger decline, with a drop of as much as 59 percent to 22.9 thousand arrivals, and a decline of 48 percent with 40 thousand overnight stays.
Data by counties show that all six Adriatic counties recorded a decline in arrivals at nautical ports, while an increase in overnight stays was recorded in only one, the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County. With 171.2 thousand overnight stays, the nautical ports of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County recorded a 9 percent increase in the eleven months compared to the same period in 2008, while at the same time, with 49.5 thousand arrivals, they recorded a decline of 5 percent. The best tourist visit, i.e., the highest number of arrivals and overnight stays, was recorded in the nautical ports of Šibenik-Knin County with 158.6 thousand arrivals and 335.3 thousand overnight stays, which also saw a decline in arrivals of 25 percent and overnight stays of 13 percent. The nautical ports of Zadar County recorded 155.1 thousand arrivals and 286.3 thousand overnight stays, down by 21 and 7 percent, respectively. The ports of Split-Dalmatia County recorded 135.7 thousand arrivals and 175 thousand overnight stays, ‘falling short’ by 12 and 8 percent. In Istria County, nautical ports were visited by 101.1 thousand sailors, which is 13 percent less than in the eleven months of 2008, while 242 thousand overnight stays in these ports represent an 11 percent decline. The least visited were the ports of Dubrovnik-Neretva County, with 63.1 thousand arrivals and 98.8 thousand overnight stays, which recorded a decline of 17 percent in arrivals and 13 percent in overnight stays. (H)
