Starting in January 2023, Croatia became a Schengen nation, following which travellers started flocking to its stunning Adriatic coast. As a result, tourism officials in the country are expecting a record year ahead.
20% of Croatia’s GDP comes from tourism, which saw a decline during the COVID-19 pandemic but recovered in 2022. Based on findings from the pre-summer season, officials anticipate the sector will continue to grow this year.
According to Croatian Trust Association’s Director, Kristijan Stanicic, “So far, we have recorded close to 5 million arrivals and over 17.5 million overnight stays, which is a 20% rise from the last year.” Moreover, overnight stays increased by 11% in 2019, which was a record year for visitors.
According to these findings, Stanicic told Reuters, “We can expect a positive continuation of the main tourist season and even of the whole year.”
The industry generated almost €13 billion in revenue in 2022, and Stanicic predicted even greater revenue this year.
By joining the eurozone and the Schengen area on January 1, Croatia sped up moving through and making payments for travellers. Officials believe that Croatia’s entry into the Schengen area has directly contributed to a recent trend of increased weekend visitors from nearby nations. In the pre-season, the majority of tourists have come from Slovenia, Italy, Hungary, Austria, and Bavaria.
However, residents who rent out their homes to tourists in the historic Adriatic town of Zadar complain of bad government investment strategy. They noted a shortage of hotels and a smaller airport. The Adriatic town is bordered by national parks and has old town remnants as United Nations-protected heritage.
Daniel Radeta, president of the Zadar Renters’ Association, stated that tourism “unfortunately depends mostly on nice weather. Weather forecast is the key because there is virtually nothing else offered except for national parks and beautiful nature. The destination needs to be better branded.”