The Number of Cruise Trips by Foreign Ships Falls for the Sixth Consecutive Month

In August, 96 cruise trips by foreign ships were recorded in the Croatian Adriatic, which is 22 percent less than in the same month last year, marking the sixth consecutive month of decline, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS).

DZS data also shows that in August, a total of 143 thousand passengers arrived in Croatia on these ships, which is about 27.5 thousand or 16 percent less than last year.

In the first eight months of this year, there were 16.2 percent fewer cruise trips compared to the same period last year. A total of 431 cruise trips were recorded, which is 87 fewer than in the same period last year.

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In the first eight months, approximately 610 thousand passengers arrived in Croatia on these trips, which is 14 percent or about 97 thousand fewer than in the same period last year.

The ships also spent less time in Croatia, a total of 964 days, or 18 percent fewer days than in the previous eight months.

According to the flags of the countries, the most cruise trips in the Adriatic were made by ships flying the flag of the Bahamas, 109, followed by Malta, 100, and then Italy, 61.

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The highest number of visits in the first eight months of this year, as well as in previous years, was recorded in Dubrovnik, with a total of 355 visits by cruise ships (larger or smaller ships on cruises or circular trips), while Split came in second with 138 visits, and Korčula third with 91 visits.

In the port of Hvar, there were 77 visits by cruise ships, in Zadar 70, and in Šibenik 57, while only one visit each was recorded this year for the islands of Vis, Šipan, Skradin, Senj, Pag, Cres, and Bol.

Since the beginning of this year, there have been more cruise trips by foreign ships in the Adriatic than last year only in February (eight such trips, which is one trip more than in February 2016), while in January, the number of trips was the same as in January last year, four, and in all other months, there were fewer trips.

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However, with a 22 percent decline in the number of these trips, this August, along with May, when there were 23 percent fewer trips, is the ‘worst’ month for cruise ships this year.