Tourism in Split is in bloom, prices of accommodation are getting lower, yet even though July is just around the corner, astonishing two thirds of accommodation capacities remain empty, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on June 29, 2017.
Why? Because locals have realised the number of tourists is steadily increasing and sensibly decided to try and turn the situation in their favour, registering their privately owned flats at the local Tourist Board. The number of registered beds grew to 26.266, the majority of those – over 18.000 – located in private households. The eVisitor system that enables monitoring the number of guests at any given location shows 8.676 tourists stayed in Split last night, implying more than 17.000 empty beds.
According to eVisitor, starting from June 1 there have been 76.453 arrivals and a total of 217.359 overnight stays, showing the growth of tourist traffic is still an ongoing trend, announced the Tourist board.
A quick search for a bedroom for two in Split on Booking.com resulted in a lot of options, some of them being very affordable: a double in Gundulićeva Street will cost you as little as 185 kuna, equal to €25.
You can get a studio apartment located a few minutes away from Žnjan beach for 200 kuna (€26) per night, while a newly renovated apartment in Slavićeva Street will cost you 259 kuna (€35).
Airbnb shows a similar situation: lovely apartments in the centre go for an average of 300 kuna (€40), and as soon as you step outside the Palace zone, you can find nice places for as low as a 100 kuna a person (€13).
A certain renter, owner of two apartments who’s also been helping his friends manage their facilities, said the relation between supply and demand results in a situation where only the owners of apartments located in the centre can make substantial income from renting. It’s not likely for other to surpass the number of 60 booked-out days.
“The centre has been full since May, and will remain that way until October, as long as there are low-budget flights available. Last year, we felt a great difference between occupancy rates in the centre and those in the rest of the city, and this year, it’s even more noticeable. Accommodation prices have normalised even during Ultra Europe, and people will rarely charge more than 40 or 45 euro for a bed – far lower than shocking amounts charged in the early years of the festival”, he stated.
He predicts the majority of apartment owners will give up on renting to tourists and opt for long-term rental instead, as the revenue virtually sums up to the same amount, and renting to subtenants takes much less effort.
