November the 15th, 2024 – Camping in Croatia used to be a far cheaper way of experiencing what this country has to offer, but that’s changed. The faithful Germans are even lamenting that it has become far too expensive.
As Ana Roksandic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatian camping tourism makes up almost a quarter (23%) of the accommodation capacity of domestic tourism. More than 50 percent of those “campsites” are high-quality accommodation units, i.e. 4- and 5-star campsites.
This year, being rounded off on November the 3rd, there were almost 3.4 million arrivals and 21.2 million overnight stays registered across 825 domestic campsites. This could be heard at the annual gathering of the industry organised by the Camping Association of Croatia (KUH), with the support of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) and the Ministry of Tourism and Sport in Terme Tuhelj.
That multi-day gathering will discuss the results of this year’s tourist season, as well as all of the technological innovations that can improve Croatian tourism on the whole.
camping in croatia has taken on a new look
Thanks to continuous investments and an innovative approach, camping in Croatia is quite different than it used to be. Croatian campsites are at the very top in terms of quality in the Mediterranean, and looking at the period of the last decade, we can see a 28.5 percent increase in the number of realised overnight stays. That’s a significant extension of the main season on the coast and an increase in interest in camping in the continental part of the country.
“Continuous investment in campsites nationwide in recent years has resulted in an increase in the number of guests, but there’s still room for growth. In the future, we’re going to strongly advocate for the improvement of working conditions and the competitiveness of the entire camping sector. We also want to more strongly invest in the development of camping in Croatia. We remain convinced that with investments poured into infrastructure and other content, camping in Croatia can be the backbone of sustainable tourism.
The aforementioned has already been recognised by the profession, and these include some of the leading institutions, authorities in European camping. They’ve rated Croatian camps very highly, and we’re at the very top in terms of quality in Europe, right behind the Netherlands”, said KUH director Adriano Palman.
Geopolitical crises have had an effect
Uwe Frers, executive director of PiNCAMP ADAC, made it clear that German tourists are growing more cautious. The Germans have always been Croatia’s most faithful and numerous guests, but geopolitical crises in the world, sudden internal political changes in Germany and the weakening of the economy will have an effect. This is especially important because, according to research, camping in Croatia was the most expensive in the eyes of the Germans in 2024. Some German guests may decide to go to neighbouring Italy next year as a result.
“Germans who have been camping in Croatia for many years remember it being a cheap destination. Now that the prices are higher, 46 percent of respondents perceive it as being too expensive. A smaller portion of them could therefore decide on a shorter stay, but many more will change their chosen destination”, warned Frers.
That being said, Germany’s caution isn’t yet a reason for alarm for camping in Croatia, as early bookings for 2025 have doubled compared to this year. the Croatian Tourist Board expects Croatia to remain in the top 10 travel destinations for European tourists, and it is still the number one choice for the Austrians, the French and the Poles.
“i expect three months of high numbers for camping in croatia”
“There’s no reason for concern as long as the prices for camping in Croatia don’t truly become excessive, especially within the camp itself compared to the prices in the rest of the location. I expect three months of high numbers at Croatian camping locations”, said Niels Fasen, contact manager at Campingvision.
Campingvision is otherwise an online tour operator specialising in booking family holidays with a constantly growing European market share. Campingvision currently has partnerships with approximately 1,300 top European campsites and 50 camping tour operators.
According to the latest research carried out by ETC Monitoring Sentiment for Intra-European Travel, in 2025, European travel is expected to grow by 6% compared to this year. That means, despite the negative economic and geopolitical circumstances, the desire to travel remains at a very high level. For Croatia alone, this year has already been successful for the entire tourism sector.
The competition invests a lot in camping
“Croatia has a good tourist year behind it, which confirmed that the facilities in which continuous investment is taking place are recording high occupancy. This is also the case in the camping sector, where we’re at the very top thanks to high-category accommodation. This continued growth requires a strong continuation of investments and a further innovative approach. Another challenging year awaits Croatia, mostly due to the economic crises in some of the most important broadcasting markets. Croatia’s competition in the Mediterranean also continues to invest in promotion to attract guests. It will therefore be crucial to offer guests adequate value for their money,” said Veljko Ostojić, director of the Croatian Association of Tourism.
Ostojić added that over the past decade or so, the number of overnight stays realised by those camping in Croatia has increased by 30 percent. The issue with that is that capacities have only increased by eight percent. From January to October 2024, 20.5 million arrivals and 106.6 million overnight stays were realised, which is a three percent increase in arrivals and one percent more overnight stays in campsites compared to 2023.
