Tourism Results: Stagnation of Overnight Stays and Shorter Guest Visits

This year’s tourist season will be marked by minimal growth in overnight stays and the fact that guests are staying shorter and spending money more cautiously. These are the key messages behind the latest tourism data from the eVisitor system for the first eight months of this year. Although both the Minister of Tourism Tonči Glavina and the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić attempted to present the official figures at today’s press conference as ‘stable results and a slight plus’, a more detailed analysis indicates changes in guest behavior and stagnation in overall tourist traffic.

According to data from the eVisitor system, which includes commercial and non-commercial accommodation as well as nautical charters (eCrew system), Croatia recorded 17.5 million arrivals and 90.5 million overnight stays from January to the end of August, representing a growth of only one percent in both indicators compared to last year.

In the Adriatic, there were 86.7 million overnight stays, which is just 0.5 percent more than last year, while on the continent, including the city of Zagreb, there were 3.8 million overnight stays (a growth of one percent).

A similar pattern is visible in August, when over five million arrivals were recorded (a growth of two percent) and 31.4 million overnight stays (a growth of 0.5 percent).

Despite the fact that this month marked the first time in history that the famous five million arrivals were exceeded, it is evident that guests are staying shorter on average.

The most overnight stays in August were achieved by guests from Germany, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland, Austria, Italy, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, while the most sought-after counties were Istria, Split-Dalmatia, and Kvarner, with destinations including Rovinj, Vir, Poreč, Medulin, Umag, and Dubrovnik.

Minister Glavina interprets the difference between the growth in arrivals and the modest growth in overnight stays as an expected global trend and clearly states that Croatian tourism is competitive.

– We see this in all indicators, and we have made every effort for it. We have truly had an extraordinary eight months and a summer season in which we achieved growth in key indicators despite numerous challenges. It is particularly important that we achieved this result in circumstances where the way of traveling is changing. We have always said that travel will be shorter and that guests will manage their budgets more rationally, and the difference between the growth in arrivals and the somewhat milder growth in overnight stays confirms these trends – said Minister Glavina, thanking the sector for its engagement, especially in terms of price competitiveness.

When observing the results for the first eight months by counties, the most overnight stays were recorded in Istria (25.4 million), Split-Dalmatia County (over 17 million), and Kvarner (15.2 million). At the destination level, Rovinj, Dubrovnik, Poreč, Split, Umag, and Medulin lead.

Staničić confirms that the results achieved in the first eight months affirm that interest in Croatia remains very strong and that we have responded well as a destination to market challenges. He also emphasized the importance of continuing promotional activities and focusing on the second half of the year:

– We still have an important part of the year ahead of us, and we are very focused on the post-season and the winter part – stated Staničić.

When viewed by emitting markets in the first eight months, the most overnight stays were achieved by guests from Germany (16.9 million), Croatia (11.7 million), Slovenia (9.6 million), Austria (6.3 million), Poland (6.3 million), the Czech Republic (4.5 million), Hungary (3.7 million), Italy (3.5 million), and the United Kingdom (3.2 million).