The Ministry of Tourism will announce the results for the first eight months of this year next week, and Minister Damir Bajs is confident that the results will be positive as before, which means a five percent increase in arrivals to Croatia and a three percent increase in the number of overnight stays.
In addition to good results in July and August, there are also good indications for the post-season as September and October are currently well booked, Bajs stated after today’s signing of contracts for co-financing professional associations and other non-profit organizations in tourism. The tourist season will end only on December 31, and until then we must continue to fight for every guest, Bajs emphasized, noting that the tourism sector is one of the most profitable in the Croatian economy as 90 percent of our tourists are foreigners.
Today’s signing of contracts with representatives of 40 associations and non-profit organizations regarding the allocation of non-repayable financial incentives worth four million kuna for professional and educational programs in the field of tourism and hospitality should help further increase the competitiveness of Croatian tourism. Investing in the education of staff is an investment in increasing the professional competitiveness of Croatian tourism, which better prepares us for the upcoming seasons, Bajs assessed. In the past three years alone, the Ministry of Tourism has approved 106 projects under the competitiveness enhancement program, for which nearly 11 million kuna has been allocated, and for this year, 600,000 kuna more has been allocated than last year. (H)
