Private accommodation in Croatian tourism is expected to continue last year’s positive trends this year, given the strong demand, excellent pre-season results, and current good occupancy.
More beds are needed, and what is confirmed as a trend this year across Croatian tourism, including private accommodation, is that the peak season is shifting from July to August and September, as learned from the president of the Association of Family Accommodation at the Croatian Chamber of Economy, Nedjeljko Pinezić.
August, says Pinezić, has been fully well booked in private/family accommodation for several years now, and unlike some previous years, there are no longer mass departures after the Assumption due to climate change; instead, stays in private accommodation are being extended all the way to October.
Better results in this type of accommodation, which is estimated to account for about 45 percent of the approximately one million total Croatian tourist beds, have been contributed by national and numerous promotional activities of the landlords themselves, their clustering associations, as well as various measures from the Croatian government, specifically the ministries of tourism and finance, from reducing the VAT rate for hospitality to better guest registration due to increased inspections.
Inspection oversight this season, in line with previous practices, is focused on problematic areas, says Pinezić, adding that there is no activity in Croatia that is as exposed to oversight as tourism, which is often unjustly labeled as a sector with the highest irregularities.
For example, in the wood industry, construction, agriculture, or trade, there are not as many coordinated supervisory actions from all possible inspections – economic, financial, sanitary, labor and safety inspections, border police for registering the stay of foreigners, harbormasters and maritime police, traffic inspections, and many others, which of course also find violations, but I still consider that exceptions, notes Pinezić.
He emphasizes the importance of the fact that, along with positive legal measures, illegal renting is decreasing, but warns that, besides the Adriatic, a similar problem exists in large Croatian cities. However, similar measures are not being taken there, nor is this issue being discussed, notes Pinezić.
