Croatia Had the Most Expensive Camping Service in Europe This Year

Although it had cumulative physical results stronger than last year, the camping segment, a strong link in Croatian tourism with constant growth even during the pandemic, faced a slight decline during the peak season this year and decent growth outside the summer months.

There are various interpretations of the data collected so far, but the most logical seems to be that some younger guests took advantage of the opening of borders to distant markets, leaving us with a population of seniors who filled the camps outside the main summer season and contributed to growth in that part of the year. Finally, it seems that someone will awaken to climate change, according to the interpretation of the profession, which gathered again last week at the 17th Camping Congress organized by the Camping Association of Croatia.

From the beginning of the year until November 5, 2023, camps achieved nearly 21.5 million overnight stays, which is an increase compared to last year. Although it can be said that this tourist season for Croatian camping was typically successful, statistics will show that it was somewhat weaker in July and August than last year, especially regarding the occupancy of mobile homes.

– Although there are no major downsides in July and August, it is noticeable that we had a slight decline in traffic compared to last year, but it should be noted that last year the measures against COVID-19 were just starting to ease and that distant markets were still inaccessible, there were no flights. According to what we see in the statistics, the traffic of the age group between 20 and 35 years has decreased, we can conclude that these are precisely the guests who this year again had the opportunity to travel to distant destinations. At the same time, we have an increase in the age group 60+ and an increase in occupancy in the months outside the summer peak, as well as better traffic growth on parcels in camps. If this happened, it is mostly thanks to the warm weather, it is a trend we must take into account in further planning – emphasizes Adriano Palman, director of the Camping Association of Croatia.

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When it comes to future plans, Croatia remains at the top of the list of competitors in Europe, confirmed Uwe Frers, director of the camping platform PiNCAMP, founded by the German automobile club ADAC.

Entering the next season, Croatia retains second place in terms of camping quality with a rating of 3.8, just behind the Netherlands, which has been at the top of the rankings for years with a rating of 3.9, and behind us are Luxembourg, France, and Italy. Italy has the same number of ADAC points as Albania, Austria, and Spain, followed by Germany, Belgium, and Denmark.

Compared to other countries, Croatia had minimal movement in quality, while the biggest jump was noticed by guests of the German automobile club in Sweden and Slovenia. On the ADAC list of European camps for the next season, there will be 17 new camps carrying the Superplatz designation, bringing the total to 192. For now, it is believed that the quality of Croatian camping will further increase with the adoption of regulations on the use of tourist land, expected by the end of this year, which will enable investments in infrastructure, from water parks to hospitality facilities.

Three more Croatian camps – Kovačine, Amadria Park Camp Šibenik, and Stobreč – received the prestigious Superplatz rating in the ADAC guide. With a total of 24 camps with the Superplatz designation, Croatia ranks third in terms of excellent camps, behind France and Italy, while the Netherlands has just one camp less than us in this category, reveals Frers.

– This ranking could change in the future with the new evaluation rules that ADAC is introducing, namely new criteria that will be considered, such as sustainability, digitalization, and service – adds Frers.

– ADAC’s analysis showed that Croatia had the most expensive camping service this year, with an average overnight price of 62 euros, while in the Netherlands it was 48, and in France 47 euros. By regions, the most expensive camping address this year was Veneto in Italy with an average of 75 euros per night, Lago di Garda recorded 69, and Istria was the third most expensive region in Europe with 67 euros per night. Croatian camps might want to consider how sustainable such a pricing policy will be in attracting guests next year. Additionally, Croatia had poor PR this year due to constant media reports about high prices. We all remember those articles about ice cream prices, which were also reported by German media. The question is how this PR will affect demand next year – warns Frers.