May the 6th, 2024 – The Euronight train in Split not only transports people, but cars and bikes as well. Running for six months per year, it holds promise for the wider Split area.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the first Euronight train arrived in Split on Saturday from the Slovak capital Bratislava, which will operate on that tourist line until October the 5th, the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board reported.
This line is of Slovak Railways (ZSSK) in cooperation with Austrian railways ÖBB, which runs from Bratislava to Split via Vienna (Austria).
The new Euronight train line will run every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday to Split, and return to Bratislava every Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
In addition to passengers, the new Euronight train line can also transport their cars and motorcycles from Vienna on this line.
The president of the representative office and general manager of the Slovak Railways, Peter Helexa, along with other representatives of ZSSK and the director of the representative office of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Miodrag Mlačić, arrived in Split on the inaugural train.
During this season, it is expected that more than 20,000 guests will arrive in Split from Slovakia on this line.
“Split-Dalmatia County has been a favourite destination for guests from Slovakia for years. They visit us in large numbers. We’re extremely happy that Slovak Railways and ÖBB have recognised this interest in our region. We’re convinced that this new connection will be the key to further improving the results of Croatian tourism in the two extremely important markets of Slovakia and Austria,” said the director of the Split-Dalmatia Tourist Board, Ivana Vladović.
She pointed out that the establishment of the Euronight line confirms their love and attachment to Dalmatia. This line also has additional importance considering that it will operate for six months, giving Split the opportunity to achieve even better results outside the summer season.
Cooperation with partners from the Slovak Railways and ÖBB and this new Euronight line will also positively affect the local economy and tourism industry.
the slovaks love the wider split area
“The Slovak market is one of the most important broadcast markets for us, from which we achieved a record 520,000 arrivals and 3.3 million overnight stays in 2023. In the first four months of the tourist year so far, 20,000 arrivals and 75,000 overnight stays have been achieved, which is 7 percent more than the same period last year,” said Miodrag Mlačić, director of the representative office of the Croatian Tourist Board for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Split-Dalmatia County is a favourite of Slovaks and last year they realised 800,000 overnight stays. This year, too, the train will run three times a week, from May the 3rd to October the 5th. Slovak Railways has informed us that they expect even more passengers, as well as cars and motorcycles,” Mlačić said.
Slovakia’s market is among the top ten countries, i.e. in ninth place in terms of the number of overnight stays realised in Croatia. The largest number of overnight stays is realised in Split-Dalmatia County, amounting to 25 percent.
These are guests who, in addition to “sunshine and sea”, are primarily interested in nature, gastronomy and exploring the entire destination. According to the data kept by the Croatian National Bank, about 211 million euros in revenue was generated from this market alone in Croatia last year.
