Following the collapse of Holiday Options, the renowned tour operator Thomas Cook has announced the cancellation of charter flights from England to Croatia. This is a significant shock for tourism workers in Dalmatia, especially on the Makarska Riviera, reports hrt.hr.
An exit is being sought through agreements with other tour operators, and some flights have survived. Experts in global tourism trends have long warned that the effects of the global recession on tourism will be most dramatically felt this season. After millions of people worldwide lost their jobs in 2009, and major global destinations recorded a decline in tourist traffic, large tour operators like Holiday Options began to fail.
Fortunately, British Thomas Cook, which announced the cancellation of all routes to Split following the collapse of Holiday Options, will not act so radically. After a swift reaction from the Croatian National Tourist Board, the county tourist board, and hoteliers in Brela and Tučepi, the decision has been somewhat softened. However, the damage will still be significant as last year, 20,000 British tourists traveled to the Makarska Riviera through Thomas Cook. As these are good consumers who mainly come out of season, they left half a million euros in Brela and Tučepi last year, and this amount will surely be halved this year. Local hoteliers remain optimistic as bookings from other markets are better than last year, and there is particular joy in the increase in sales from the Czech Republic. (www.hrt.hr)
