According to data from the eVisitor and eCrew systems, there were 1.7 million arrivals and 4.7 million overnight stays recorded in Croatia during the first four months of this year.
The eVisitor and eCrew systems have been used over the last year to record tourist traffic in commercial and non-commercial facilities, and nautical charter in Croatia. The numbers for the start of 2017 are more than impressive, and compared with the same period last year, Croatia has recorded a 22 percent increase in arrivals and a 26 percent increase in overnight stays, reports HRTurizam on May 3, 2017.
Of the total number of arrivals and overnight stays, foreign tourists created 1.3 million arrivals (+25 percent) and 3.6 million overnight stays (+30 percent), while domestic tourists recorded a growth of 14 percent in arrivals and 15 percent in overnight stays.
“The growth of tourist traffic, primarily in the off-season, is extremely important for increasing the competitiveness of tourism and encouraging businesses to stay active over a longer period of the year, which contributes to the development of local communities and the overall development of the Croatian economy. These results are a true indicator that Croatia is becoming well-recognized as a year-round destination, and that our offer and desirable events are attracting an increasing number of guests outside of the peak tourist time. I am extremely pleased that many airlines have introduced new flights this year to better align Croatia with destinations around the world, particularly Great Britain, Scandinavia, France, Spain, and Canada,” said Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli, who believes that the interest in Croatia will continue to grow and that the end of the year should see a record growth in tourist traffic above the European average.
Istria, with 1.2 million overnight stays, continues to be the leader of Croatian tourism.
From January to April 2017, most of the overnight stays were made in Istria County (1.2 million), Kvarner (750,000) and Dubrovnik-Neretva County (600,000). Split-Dalmatia County follows with 593,000 overnight stays, Zagreb County with 501,000 overnight stays, Zadar County with 300,000 overnight stays, Šibenik-Knin County with 179,000 overnight stays, and Lika-Senj County with 85,000 overnight stays.
On the continent, most of the overnight stays were made in Krapina-Zagorje County, Međimurje County, Osijek-Baranja County, Karlovac County, and Vukovar-Srijem County.
When looking at destinations, most overnights were made in Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Poreč, Opatija, and Rovinj.
Most tourists came from Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, and Bosnia & Herzegovina, and domestic tourists made up 1.09 million overnight stays.
