Most of the over 600,000 tourists staying in Croatia, of which 90,000 are domestic, have chosen the Northern Adriatic as their destination. Dubrovnik is currently left without its share of the tourist pie, which everyone is fiercely fighting for in order to somehow overcome the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.
– From January 1 to July 18 this year, Dubrovnik recorded 88,740 arrivals, which is 88 percent less than in the same period last year, and 241,709 overnight stays, also 88 percent less than in 2019 – says Ana Hrnić, director of the Dubrovnik Tourist Board.
Tourists mainly come from Croatia – there were 14,070 in the first six months, Germany (most in July), Bosnia and Herzegovina, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Poland, Austria, Belgium, and Slovenia. Hrnić sees the reasons for this shortfall in the fact that Dubrovnik is predominantly ‘air’ destination, with as many as 80 percent of tourists arriving by plane. Until direct flights are established, she added, an increase in arrivals could not be expected, and it is normal for guests to prefer destinations that can be reached by car, as they can return more quickly and easily in deteriorating epidemic conditions. Compared to Istria, she pointed out, there is also a difference in the structure of accommodation capacities, as Dubrovnik has almost no camps.
Geographical position takes its toll
She notes that there has been a gradual recovery of tourism lately, which instills hope for the coming weeks and months. The number of international flights to Dubrovnik is increasing week by week, emitting markets are slowly opening up, and tourists are respecting measures and are willing to travel. Although, according to Hrnić, the numbers are incomparable to last year’s, the situation is similar and uncertain everywhere; however, we still have another significant part of the tourist season ahead of us.
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– Dubrovnik pays the price of its geographical position, as it has in all previous crises such as the Homeland War or the Kosovo crisis. A peculiarity for Dubrovnik is that occupancy is very good even in the autumn part of the season, especially in September, so there is still room for improvement. We are also witnessing visits from mega yachts, guests with high purchasing power, for whom this is certainly a unique opportunity to experience Dubrovnik in a way that has not been possible before. This year, there will be a significant absence of guests from the USA, Australia, and distant markets, as travel is not taking place due to epidemiological circumstances in their countries. However, this week, direct flights from the United Kingdom have been established, from where we expect a significant increase in the number of tourist arrivals, as the British market is the main emitting market for Dubrovnik – said Hrnić.
Valamar reduced hotel accommodation capacities
And while luxury hotels on the Adriatic still do not want to make any statements about the situation in the Dubrovnik area, Valamar Riviera emphasizes that the opening of flights has sparked tourist demand for Dubrovnik from EU guests, although guests from neighboring countries and domestic guests are also arriving, who, in addition to flying, are coming by car. Of Valamar’s facilities in Dubrovnik, the Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President 5* hotel has been open since June 19, and the Solitudo Sunny Camping opened on July 15, with the possibility of opening other facilities depending on market conditions and further flight openings.
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– Valamar has reduced the accommodation capacities of hotels, resorts, and camps by 20 percent for this tourist season to ensure even more space for guests in restaurants, at the reception, by the pools, on the beach, and in other common areas. This year, we have improved the V Health & Safety comprehensive program of health, safety, and environmental standards, as well as enhanced cleaning protocols aimed at further strengthening the hygiene standards that Valamar applies in its facilities. The V Health & Safety protocols are aligned with the safety recommendations of the World Health Organization, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, and the Croatian Institute of Public Health, as well as certifications such as HACCP and ISO standards. We have also introduced the ‘Cleanspace – 100% privacy’ service, which guarantees that key touch points in rooms and mobile homes are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, and that no one has entered the accommodation unit before the guest’s arrival – they stated at Valamar.
Offer with special benefits
To avoid excessive dependence on air traffic, Lukša Jakobušić, the owner of the fully digitalized, designer One Suite Hotel from Mlini, organized at the end of May the #Pozitiva meet up, the first tourist event in Croatia this season, offering guests special benefits. Packages were designed in which guests of the One Suite Hotel can choose between adrenaline adventures in Kojan Koral, visits to the Karaman Winery from Pridvorje and the Vinica tavern of the Monković family from Ljuta, co-use of electric vehicles from Avant 2 GO, exploring Dubrovnik with Adriatic Sunset, and going fishing with Martimo Fishing.
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– #Pozitiva meet up has certainly contributed to the hotel’s occupancy. The occupancy in June was 67 percent, aided by the tailored packages we designed with friends and partners. We extended the action into July, but it is significant that the percentage of domestic guests in the past period was 85 percent compared to 15 percent of others, mostly from the vicinity, especially Slovenia. July is somewhat worse, but with the increase in flights and the opening of new destinations for Dubrovnik in August and September, we expect an increased number of foreign arrivals, and we hope, believe, and wish that our predominant guests will be domestic – says Jakobušić.
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Benefits for domestic guests
To attract guests as much as possible, the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, in collaboration with the City of Dubrovnik and organized by BSH events, recorded a DJ set – a cultural and musical event that presents the rich cultural and historical heritage and the fact that Dubrovnik has the oldest quarantine in the world. With a constant presence on social media, they host foreign journalists and influencers in collaboration with the Croatian Tourist Board and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board, whose posts and publications on social media are invaluable for promoting Dubrovnik. The Dubrovnik Tourist Board also conducted a promotional campaign for domestic and foreign markets on social media and a campaign in online editions of Croatian media for the domestic market.
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Brits may ‘save’ July and August
The daily occupancy of the Dubrovnik hotel Kazbek ranges from 10 to 30 percent of total capacity, which was expected in Kazbek given the circumstances. The hotel has been open since the second half of June and they state that their most numerous guests were from Germany, Belgium, and Estonia (although the total numbers are very small) and from the middle of this week from the United Kingdom due to the establishment of flights from that market. They expect the most from these guests in the continuation of July and in August, although this will depend on the realization of the announced flights. Namely, they have recently experienced confirmed reservations being canceled due to flight cancellations.
– We assume that this occurred due to insufficient interest in the destination. Unfortunately, September and October, months in which we usually achieve full occupancy, are uncertain due to the announcement of an autumn wave of the pandemic. In general, we have adjusted accommodation prices and restaurant offerings, and since it is a small facility with only 13 accommodation units with spacious common areas, we can guarantee guests complete privacy, social distance while respecting measures and safety related to COVID-19 defense. We also offer private boat trips with our own vessel and collaborate with local agencies that offer private excursions, but unfortunately, we have not recorded an increase in domestic tourists – they describe in Kazbek.
– In collaboration with the City of Dubrovnik, an animated film has been made titled Dubrovnik – a safe destination. The slogan of the animated film is ‘We knew then, we know today’ and is based on the historical story of the beginnings of quarantine in Dubrovnik and the Lazarets in 1377, conveying messages about safety and health care that have been present in our city for centuries. Discussions are also underway regarding joint marketing campaigns with airlines. After the situation calms down, we have engaged in the domestic market and in collaboration with the City of Dubrovnik, city associations, and cultural institutions, we have prepared special benefits with significant discounts on entries to the city walls, the Lokrum Reserve, the Trsteno Arboretum, and free entries to all city museums, which has attracted a significant number of domestic guests. Before the coronavirus crisis, a series of projects to improve the offer was planned, but due to the epidemiological situation, we had to put them on hold – said Ana Hrnić.
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