April the 16th, 2026 – Revenues are increasing, but Croatian tourism still has an enormous problem, with the sector still fragile.
As tportal/Zoran Korda writes, the latest data from the Croatian National Bank has revealed a trend that may seem deceptive at first glance: income from foreign tourists is definitely growing, but Croatian tourism is losing ground in real terms. At the same time, Croats are increasingly spending money outside the country’s borders, which only highlights the structural weaknesses of the entire sector.
Back in 2025, income generated from foreign guests reached an encouraging 15.3 billion euros, which is a nominal increase of 1.9% compared to 2024. That all sounds great at first glance, but when an inflation rate of 3.7% and a slight increase in overnight stays are taken into account, it becomes crystal clear that actual tourist spending has fallen. This is the third consecutive year with such a trend – and it’s worrying.
What’s of particular concern is the fact that tourists are spending less precisely at the peak of the traditional tourist season – summer. Analysts have duly warned that the high prices of non-board services – from restaurants to additional facilities – have begun to repel some guests entirely. While some are responding by saving, others are choosing competing destinations.
is croatia losing pace with its competition?
Both institutions and employers have been warning about the decline in Croatia’s overall competitiveness for some time now. According to an analysis conducted by the Croatian Employers’ Association, Croatia is the only comparable Mediterranean destination to record a decline in real tourism revenues, by around 20% compared to the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
This problem is all the more pronounced because the prices of tourist services across Croatia have almost reached the EU average, and the average daily consumption of tourists – around 176 euros – still lags significantly behind countries such as Italy, Spain, France and Portugal.
An additional structural problem lies in the country’s frankly bizarre accommodation structure: the low share of hotel accommodation and the dominance of short-term private rentals limit the growth of added value. The analysts’ message is clear: further development of tourism cannot be based on a larger number of guests, but on a higher quality of the offer.
croats are spending their cash elsewhere
While foreign tourists are tightening their belts when visiting Croatia, locals are doing the total opposite – they are spending more and more – but not at home, and instead on trips abroad. Last year, this level of consumption reached a staggering 2.82 billion euros, which is as much as 17% more compared to 2024.
This trend is reducing the overall surplus in tourism trade, which has fallen slightly despite the growth in revenue from foreign guests. In other words, part of the money that tourism brings is increasingly leaking out of the country entirely and is further contributing to Croatian tourism’s pressing problem.
new markets are slowly opening up
The structure of revenues additionally reveals changes in the tourism map. Revenues from key Western European markets are weakening somewhat, while growth is coming from the countries of the so-called new Europe.
Among the largest markets, a decline in real consumption has been recorded by Germany, the United Kingdom and Austria, while growth is coming from neighbouring and Eastern European countries. It is particularly indicative that the number of overnight stays is also decreasing from Germany and neighbouring Italy.
On the other hand, tourists from Serbia are leading the way in consumption growth – by as much as 28.4% more than a year earlier, with simultaneous growth in overnight stays of 11.5%. Significant growth has also been recorded by Slovakia and Switzerland, and double-digit growth rates are also coming from Norway, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria and Ireland.
At the same time, some distant markets are recording a sharp decline – for example, Australia with a minus of as much as 45%.
germany remains key, but the german economy is problematic
Despite negative trends in that country, Germany remains the most important source market for Croatia with three million arrivals and 21 million overnight stays realised back in 2025. This is followed by other European tourists from Austria, the UK, Italy, Slovenia and Poland.
However, cracks are visible here too: only a few markets, such as Poland and the UK, are recording an increase in overnight stays, while most others are stagnating or falling. The conclusion is that Croatian tourism is facing the real problem of generating high revenues but rapidly losing its quality and competitiveness. With rising prices and changing tourist behaviour, the key challenge is now becoming crystal clear: how can Croatia manage to achieve greater value for the same amount or even for fewer guests – before the market does it for it?
