June 10, 2020 — There are more and more foreign tourists in Istria every day, perusing the streets of major centers. But the numbers are a far cry from the same period last year.
The Istrian peninsula has seemed busier. But the groups of Deutsch-speaking tourists should come as no surprise: Germany’s in the middle of its two-week Pentecost holidays.
In this period, in recent years, accommodation in Istria has been filled as if it were the heart of the tourism season.
In the first eight days of June this year, Istria had 25,000 arrivals and 120,000 overnight stays, which is 14 and 15 percent of last year’s turnover in the same period, respectively, according to figures provided by the county’s tourist board.
“These are unusually small numbers for this period,” the director of the Istrian Tourist Board Denis Ivošević told Jutranji List. “We are also very happy for all of us in tourism because the growth trend is significant.”
The region’s overnight stays quadrupled in a week, from 5,000 to 20,000.
“The Germans started coming and they immediately raised the numbers significantly,” Ivošević said. “Along with the Germans, Slovenians have the largest share. We hope that soon, after June 14, Austrians and others will arrive.”
At the moment, guests mostly choose private accommodation and camps, with guests so far evenly split between the two.
“It only confirms our predictions that camping and private accommodation will be an advantage over large tourist resorts and large hotels,” Ivošević said. “What is important to note at the outset is that this year we simply must not compare with previous years because the situation is extraordinary and the conditions in which it takes place are completely illogical and unpredictable.”
Istria’s local Civil Protection Directorate faced one of the first outbreaks of COVID-19 in Croatia, yet managed to keep new infections at bay. It gave the peninsula a tenuous head start on the pandemic.
“Any potentially imported case of a newly diagnosed person can take us back to the beginning,” Ivošević said.
Istria started promoting itself aggressively in foreign markets, especially Austria and southern Germany through a campaign under the slogan “Istrien so nah!” (Istria is so close!)
Istria was actively preparing and promoting itself while the rest of the world struggled to contain the pandemic. A newsletter sent information on the situation in Istria to more than 500 addresses in Austria and Germany, along with information about the opening of accommodation and catering businesses, attractions and other tourist facilities.
It’s now mapping out a series of deals and offers to drum up interest in the summer season.
Istria’s tourism businesses will offer a series of discounts this weekend for various attractions, but also for visiting certain wineries and canteens.
Over 50 tourism service providers responded to the call, offering their services throughout Istria on June 13 and 14 from 10 am to 6 pm with a 50 percent discount or completely free of charge.
All included facilities – adrenaline parks, museums, castles, caves, protected areas, theme houses and other attractions and experiences, as well as winemakers, olive growers, truffle growers and other local producers are available on the website: www.istra.hr/turizam2020.
