Despite the earlier date, tourist results for Easter will be at last year’s level

The tourist pre-season in Croatia will once again begin with the Easter holidays, which, according to announcements and bookings from domestic and foreign markets, despite the slightly earlier date, could yield similar results as last year.

According to assessments from domestic tourism professionals, the Easter holidays are a precursor to a good tourist year ahead. They agree that a lot has been done at the national promotion level for this pre-season.

Promotion is still ongoing, and in recent days, the so-called spring campaign of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) has started in foreign markets and across all advertising ‘channels’ with messages that spring should be spent in Croatia, which has much to offer at this time of year.

“Such campaigns certainly contribute to the response of tourists, of whom there could be slightly more this pre-season than last year, considering the offer and what is happening around us. We are a ‘closer’ destination, safety is a very important element, and the pre-season and post-season will also be key for this year’s results, as there is almost no room for growth in the main summer part of the season,” emphasizes Boris Žgomba, president of the national association of travel agencies UHPA and member of the HTZ Tourist Council.

However, he warns that after Easter, a demanding period follows in tourism, from April to mid-May, during which as much as possible should be accomplished.

“No one should be carried away by the currently large and earlier than last year bookings for Croatia with a growth of 20, 30, and more percent from the German and other markets, as this is mostly for summer. On an overall annual level, these percentages will certainly decrease. We need to focus well on this year, but also on next year and extract the maximum,” Žgomba advises.

Hotel operators satisfied with bookings

Some of the leading hoteliers in Croatia, such as Rovinj’s Maistra, Mali Lošinj’s Jadranka with the brand Lošinj Hotels & Villas, Valamar Riviera, and Sunčani Hvar, say they are satisfied with the bookings for the Easter holidays and the pre-season.

“Following our plans, activities, and sales status for this year, we expect results in the pre-season that will be similar to last year’s,” says Tomislav Popović, CEO of Maistra, stating that for the Easter weekend (March 25 to 28), they expect more than 5,000 tourist arrivals, mostly from the German, Austrian, Slovenian, Italian, and domestic markets.

They will have ten accommodation facilities available, including in Rovinj the hotels Monte Mulini, Lone, Adriatic, Eden, and Park, as well as the tourist resort Amarin, while in Vrsar, the hotel Pineta, apartments Riva, the tourist resort Belvedere, and the campsite Porto Sole will be open, Popović says.

From the Lošinj Hotels & Villas group, they believe that many will seek a holiday for the Easter holidays and in the pre-season on Lošinj – the island of vitality. “The pre-season is always a good indicator of interest for the upcoming main season, and although this year’s Easter holidays are slightly earlier, it does not affect the interest and occupancy of our hotels, as according to current indicators, bookings for the pre-season and the main season are better than last year’s at this time, which again proves the trend of growing interest from guests for high-category accommodation,” they say from the group.

They currently have the Vitality Hotel Punta open in Veli Lošinj, and before Easter, they will also open the Wellness Hotel Aurora, Hotel Bellevue, and Boutique Hotel Alhambra, in which they expect to achieve more than 4,000 overnight stays during the upcoming holidays, mostly from guests from Germany, Italy, Austria, and Slovenia, but also from Croatia.

Very good announcements for the upcoming season with current bookings percentage-wise higher than in the same period last year are also recorded by one of the largest hotel companies in Croatia, Valamar Riviera, which emphasizes that for the Easter holidays, they will open a total of eight facilities (six hotels and two camps).

“Excellent pre-season bookings are also contributed by various seminars and congresses organized in the destinations where we operate, including Microsoft’s Windays in Poreč and Mercedes Benz Global Training 2016 in Dubrovnik,” note Valamar, emphasizing that in some destinations, investments are still ongoing to improve the quality of service and content, which will be completed and ready to welcome guests by the beginning of summer.

The company Sunčani Hvar also expects a good introduction to the pre-season, which will start with the Easter regatta on the 20th, during which the hotels Amfora, Adriana, Riva, and Palace will be filled.

“After the end of that regatta until mid-April, and according to market demand which is slightly lower, only the Adriana hotel will remain open, primarily for guests from the UK, USA, Scandinavia, Taiwan, Korea, Germany, and Switzerland. After that, in mid-April, we will reopen Amfora and at the beginning of May all other hotels,” say Sunčani Hvar, also expressing expectations of an increase in overnight stays by more than 10 percent and revenue by more than 12 percent compared to the same time last year.