HTZ: Croatia in the top ten most sought-after destinations in Europe

The majority of Europeans plan to travel for vacation this year, and among the top ten most sought-after destinations, especially for summer, is Croatia, according to a new study by the European Travel Commission presented at the ETC meeting in Lithuania, HTZ reported on Wednesday.

At the ETC board meeting in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas, the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić, who is also the vice president of ETC, stated that the new ETC study, as well as market announcements, confirm the good position of tourist Croatia.

– The research confirms our forecasts and positive expectations for tourist 2024, and that Croatia is among the more sought-after European destinations is also shown by data so far this year from the eVisitor system, with more than 3.4 million tourist arrivals and 10.4 million overnight stays, which is an increase of 11 and 10 percent compared to the same time last year – emphasizes Staničić.

Staničić also reported that at the ETC directors’ meeting, discussions were held about Europe’s priorities for the period from 2024 to 2029, focusing on sustainability and green transition, competitiveness, and digitalization, as well as current geopolitical and market trends.

Regarding the ETC study, it is noted that it was conducted in ten European markets, among which countries like Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, or Hungary were not included, where Croatia is a leading foreign destination for summer travel, and if they had been included, the results for Croatia, Staničić believes, would have been even better.

Croatia in 7th place among the most sought-after destinations

This is the 18th ETC study on travel intentions within Europe, conducted in April this year on a sample of nearly 6000 adults from 10 countries – Germany, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Poland, and Austria – of which 75 percent plan to travel between May and October 2024, which is 3 percent more than in 2023.

Those around 55 years old will travel the most, with 81 percent, and the majority of Europeans, or 60 percent, plan at least one trip within the region (Europe), while the most popular months for travel are July and August, for 44 percent of them. The majority, about 36 percent, want to relax in the sun and on beaches and make short visits to cities (‘city breaks’), followed by motives such as the beauty of landscapes, local cuisine, attractions, and others.

In this study, Croatia ranks among the preferred destinations in Europe for vacations, in the top ten, specifically in 7th place, while the top two are Italy and Spain, followed by France, Greece, Germany, Portugal, and after Croatia, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Turkey complete the top ten.

From ETC, it is commented that Spain generally attracts the largest number of regular visitors, followed by Greece, Italy, and France. For Greece, Portugal, and Croatia, it is predicted that in spring and summer 2024, they will host more new visitors than other destinations. They also state that among the 10 markets where they conducted the research, in 2024, in the next six months, tourists from Italy, Spain, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands intend to travel the most.