August the 14th, 2023 – The German media has been no stranger to analysing Croatian price hikes and trying to work out what is inflation, what is a result of Eurozone accession, and what’s pure greed. They’ve now openly accused Croatia of “robbing” them. Those five euro ice cream scoops aren’t very popular, it seems.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, analysing the prices up and down the Croatian coast this summer has become a sport of sorts for many. RTL has since raised the question of whether Croatia will remain accessible to the majority of tourists or will simply become a destination reserved for only the wealthy. There’s been a significant increase in the prices of various services, including restaurants and catering and hospitality facilities. None of this is new to anyone who has been even loosely following. The German media, however, have kept on churning out the headlines about so-called Croatian “robbery”.
Ice cream prices continue to hit the headlines
According to RTL, it can be noted that costs up and down Croatia have increased significantly. This is the case even for the very basic things like a scoop of ice cream. For a single scoop, tourists now have to dig far deeper down into their pockets. This increase in prices isn’t limited to ice cream only – the prices of all kinds of food, drinks and particularly meals out in restaurants have also increased a lot, writes the German portal.
Once popular for fair prices, Croatia’s reality is now changing
Croatia was once popular across Europe and indeed the world for its affordable prices, attracting tourists from everywhere. However, the situation has now changed, and the country has become one of the most sought-after holiday destinations on the planet. Now the question is whether this trend is sustainable in view of rising prices, the German media continues. For example, down in the eternally-pricey Dubrovnik, the price of a scoop of ice cream reached as much as five euros, while in Istria’s gorgeous Rovinj, it’s allegedly not uncommon to have to pay 22 euros for a burger. The example of Šibenik has also been cited by the German media, where the price of an Aperol Spritz stands at 11 euros. Once could argue that Aperol Spritz has always been expensive, however.
Croatia’s rate of inflation compared to other EU countries has been cited
The article investigates the causes of this price increase. One of the factors is the high rate of inflation in Croatia compared to other European Union Member States. It is also noted by the German media that the economic consequences of the global coronavirus pandemic are still being felt in Croatia, and the introduction of the euro at the beginning of the year further affected prices.
In conclusion, RTL writes that high prices aren’t being felt only in Germany and suggests that enjoying one’s favourite delicacies such as cocktails or ice cream could end up becoming somewhat of a luxury for many tourists. This is the case at this moment in time regardless of the destination in question – be it in Germany, other countries or when holidaying here in Croatia.
