The first numbers say: Zagreb has returned ‘to the saddle’ from which it was thrown by the pandemic and earthquakes

According to initial statistics, Zagreb has almost completely returned to the level of tourist arrivals from the pre-pandemic year of 2019 in 2023, as well as to the level before the devastating earthquakes that also took their toll. The crowds at Advent, the largest annual event in the city that concludes these days, have also been confirmed by statistics, of course further bolstered by daily visitors who are not counted here.

We learn from the Zagreb Tourist Board that in December alone, Zagreb recorded 125,910 arrivals and 236,190 overnight stays, representing an increase of 17 percent in arrivals and 10 percent in overnight stays compared to the same period last year. Looking back to the pre-pandemic period, during Advent 2019/2020, 161,000 tourists stayed in Zagreb over 40 days, making around 309,000 overnight stays, but this also includes the first days of January that are still awaited for this year.

Compared to the pre-pandemic Advent, the structure of guests by country has changed slightly. Now, along with guests from Croatia, we had the most arrivals from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Austria, Serbia, and Germany. In terms of overnight stays, the top five foreign guests are from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Austria, Italy, and Slovenia. Before the pandemic, after the most numerous guests from Bosnia and Herzegovina, there were Italians, followed by guests from Austria, Slovenia, and Germany.

– Zagreb is a year-round tourist destination, and by further developing specific types of tourism (cultural, sports, health, business), we diversify our offerings while simultaneously satisfying various interests and needs of travelers, while preserving cultural and natural resources, which is particularly important. In this regard, we are extremely pleased that, along with excellent results for December, we have even better results for the entire year. In 2023, we recorded a 21 percent increase in arrivals and a 13 percent increase in overnight stays, totaling 1,307,153 arrivals and 2,541,030 overnight stays, positioning Zagreb in first place for arrivals in Croatia – stated the director of TZGZ Martina Bienenfeld.

For comparison, in 2019, there were 1.5 million arrivals and 2.7 million overnight stays in Zagreb, and it was then first in arrivals and fifth in overnight stays. Normal for a city break destination, Zagreb has a significantly lower number of overnight stays per arrival than resort destinations, averaging just over two overnight stays per arrival.

Bienenfeld added that at the Tourist Board, in collaboration with institutional and private partners, they are developing and creating offerings so that in every part of the year there is at least one key event that attracts tourists from all over the world. They also create special promotional campaigns in targeted markets, all contributing to a sustainable, year-round, positive trend in tourist results in Zagreb.

The Tourist Board emphasizes that the structure of guests throughout the year is different than in December, with the best foreign guests by arrivals being from Germany, the USA, Italy, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, while by overnight stays, the top guests are from the USA, followed by guests from Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Additionally, according to current indicators, in December, every third arrival and every fourth overnight stay in Croatia occurred in the capital. These data once again confirm that Zagreb has become an unmissable tourist destination, and TZGZ expects this positive trend to continue in the coming months.