May the 8th, 2026 – Prices in Croatia have been a burning topic for a long time now, and though the pre-season has been good, Plenković himself has advocated for tourism price competitiveness.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sinisa Malus writes, the results of the May Day holidays, as well as the first four months of 2026, show that interest in Croatian destinations is gaining traction during the pre-season. Tourist traffic this year so far has been very good, despite global circumstances that aren’t exactly in favour of tourism and energy security. Since the beginning of the year, 2.3 million arrivals and 6.5 million tourist overnight stays have been achieved, with a 3% increase in arrivals and a 1.4% increase in overnight stays.
Plenković himself advocates for tourism price competitiveness
The structure of visitors to Croatia is particularly interesting, in which Slovenians, domestic guests and Austrians stood out during the May Day holiday. That alone confirms the importance of the Croatian market to its immediate surroundings, as well as the increasingly strong role of the Croatian guest visiting places across the country. The focus this season will also very heavily lean on prices.
At a session of the Tourism Development Management Council, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković once again called on the tourism sector to be reasonable and encouraged price competitiveness. The PM assesse this to be a crucial issue that will affect the now rapidly approaching summer tourist season. The Prime Minister also recalled that according to the CBS data, inflation in April stood at 5.8% on an annual basis, which is also a consequence of the increase in energy prices. He said that care should be taken to ensure that any increase in service prices doesn’t contribute to yet another increase in inflation. He once again advocated for “smartness” when setting prices this year.
“That would be the greatest possible benefit for us, and of course for the sector and for the growth of the Croatian economy in general”, emphasised Plenković, noting that the pricing policy and quality of services as the most important part of the entire story. “My wish is that you all do good business together, but that we benefit from it as a state, as an economy and as a society and that we know that we’ve sent out all of the important messages on time,” he said. Croatian guests are taking an increasingly visible place in terms of total tourist traffic across the nation from year to year, especially in periods outside the main summer season. Their demand is no longer limited merely to summer holidays, but also to extended weekends, holidays, school holidays and shorter stays during spring and autumn.
the market itself will set the limits
Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonči Glavina stated that in the circumstances of ongoing geopolitical instability, it is important that Croatia remains perceived first and foremost as a safe destination. In the midst of all the changes taking place in the market, Glavina emphasised strong investments in the promotion of Croatian destinations, as well as investments in the more balanced development of tourism. He also agreed with Plenković in the belief that for tourism, price competitiveness will play a crucial role this year.
“Croatian tourism has grown strongly, but we’re entering a phase in which the market clearly sets certain limits and where such growth is no longer sustainable or realistic,” he said, adding that all of the latest research shows that the tourists of today tend to choose holiday destinations primarily based on the price-quality ratio. He also stated that in Croatia’s competitive markets, they’re reacting to this situation by “reducing margins throughout the entire value chain.”
“This is a practice that we must start implementing if we want to remain competitive going forward,” Glavina concluded.
