Every resident of Croatia visited one of the eight national parks or twelve nature parks last year. The statistics of these institutions recorded nearly four million visitors. The result was significantly higher before the pandemic, close to six million. In the meantime, most of these areas recorded fewer visitors, but thanks to that, nature was better protected. Of course, 'every local person once in a park' is merely a statistical coincidence. Guests are not only Croatian citizens; a significant share comes from foreigners and they are slowly returning, although their absence is still strongly felt.
Who Grew During the Pandemic
If the eight national parks and twelve nature parks operated as a whole, it would be a company ranked 37th in Croatia by the number of employees (more than 1700, on par with PIK Vrbovec and HS Produkt), and in terms of revenue, from a total of 618 million kuna, it would rank 172nd (ahead of Cromaris and Franck). Their revenues last year were 23 percent lower than before the pandemic, but about ten institutions reported record revenues, exceeding those of 2019. The parks are public institutions, so they do not report profit or loss, but last year they operated positively, with a surplus of 12 million kuna in revenue compared to expenses. Almost half of that was reported by NP Plitvička jezera. The largest and most famous park is also the biggest victim of the pandemic – its revenues in 2020 were cut by as much as 75 percent compared to the record year of 2019; last year they doubled, but were still half of those in 2019.
However, not all national parks are in the red due to the pandemic. Brijuni generated 38.5 percent higher revenues than in 2019, Kornati is up 21.5 percent, and Mljet is only 4.6 percent below 2019. The common denominator of these destinations is nautical tourism. A berth in the season costs up to 13 thousand kuna per day (for yachts longer than one hundred meters), and a berth contracted on-site in NP Kornati is twice as expensive.
How Revenue is Generated
Nature protection is the primary task of national parks, nature parks, and similar categories, but it is interesting to look at how the parks are financed. Of course, the majority of revenue comes from entrance fees, guide supplements, and excursions. Additional income is generated based on concession approvals. —
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Parks must adhere to a precise regulation set by the Ministry that regulates permitted activities: from renting equipment and vehicles/vessels, organizing concerts and other cultural events, sports and recreation (from athletics to motorsports and paragliding), trade and hospitality to filming for commercial purposes (advertisements, music videos, films, series…).
In addition to multi-year concessions, there are also one-time ones. NP Plitvička jezera issued its only such concession last year to the Athletic Club 'Plitvice' for the 36th Plitvički Marathon (2500 kuna), PP Žumberak – Samoborsko gorje charges for organizing car races at 10 thousand kuna (if local; up to 100 thousand kuna for international races), and in NP Brijuni, the hospitality activity in the caffe-bar Školjka on Veliki Brijun is paid by the company Gaz Kov from Fažana at 850 thousand kuna per year. Five companies and crafts have taken concessions for diving: the flat fee is 1500 kuna and an additional 70 kuna per person per dive. The Ulysses Theater pays 50 thousand kuna for the concession for theatrical and other performances…
410 Different Protected Stories
In addition to the eight national parks – which is the highest level of protection – Croatia has another 12 nature parks, two strict reserves, 79 special reserves, two regional parks, 79 natural monuments, 81 significant landscapes, 27 park forests, and 120 monuments of park architecture. This totals 410 different stories – from nature protection (primarily from humans) to bringing people to these places. From a business perspective, each director faces the challenge of closing the financial structure for operations with money from entrance fees and other sources, with the help of the central government and local self-government, ensuring salaries for 1720 employees (in national parks and nature parks) and still fulfilling the basic function – protecting natural resources.
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