Plenković: One percent more arrivals and overnight stays, 10.4 percent higher revenues

From the beginning of the year until August 20, Croatia recorded 15.5 million tourist arrivals and 79.2 million overnight stays, which is one percent more in arrivals and overnight stays compared to the same period last year, while tourism revenues increased by 10.4 percent, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenković at a government session on Thursday.

According to data from the Tax Administration, in the current part of the year, invoices worth five billion and 414 million euros have been fiscalized, which is 10.4 percent more than in the same period last year, he stated. More than 288 million invoices were issued, which is 3.8 percent more than in the same period last year.

Plenković also commented on official data regarding wages and employment. The latest data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics shows that the average net salary for June amounted to 1,444 euros, which is nominally 9.8 percent higher year-on-year and 5.9 percent in real terms. The median net salary for June was 1,233 euros, which is an increase of 11.5 percent compared to the same month of the previous year.

He highlighted that in July, the average number of insured persons in the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute was one million and 788 thousand, which is an increase of 283 thousand people compared to data from July 2016.

– These data sufficiently illustrate the dynamism of the labor market and the economy, and we want all Croatian citizens to feel the benefits even more in terms of living standards – he said.

He emphasized the importance of adopting the Draft Memorandum of Understanding regarding cooperation aimed at developing the capital market.

He reminded that the Strategic Framework for the Development of the Capital Market until 2030 was adopted in March this year.

– As a country, we are decisively moving towards the development of the capital market – we have behind us 15 issues of investments in government bonds and treasury bills, he said, adding that an important step in this direction will take place on Monday, when finance ministers and officials from Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, and North Macedonia will gather in Zagreb at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Marko Primorac. They will sign a memorandum that, as he stated, represents a historic step for the development of the capital market, which has great potential.

The goals are to harmonize national regulatory frameworks to address cross-border challenges of the involved countries, create a larger capital fund and greater liquidity, and reduce dependence on bank financing while simultaneously leveraging the potential of the non-banking financial sector. A special goal is also to develop the market to make it more attractive to international investors, for more cross-border trading and investment, and easier access to capital.

Plenković expects that these activities will further stimulate economic growth in all involved countries.