April the 23rd, 2026 – Has Croatia become too expensive for its most loyal visitors? Some of the country’s most faithful tourists are now claiming that they’re swapping Croatia for the likes of Italy and Greece. How true is this, and is there cause here for serious concern?
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the once loyal base of Croatian tourism, made up primarily of Czech travellers, are increasingly voicing their dissatisfaction with prices and services on the Croatian coastline. According to the latest data from the Czech Statistical Office, the trend that began back in 2023 is currently showing absolutely no signs of recovery. Although 2025’s figures do appear stable at first glance, a deeper analysis reveals worrying data for Croatian renters.
Last year, 712,000 Czech nationals arrived in Croatia. Although this is numerically more than 2024, when (excluding the pandemic-dominated years and the period of closed borders), it’s the second worst result in the last decade, according to the Czech portal idnes. What worries Croatia’s tourism sector even more is the drastic shortening of stays. Czech nationals spent as many as 266,000 fewer overnight stays on the Croatian Adriatic than last year.
croatia initially became too expensive for its most loyal visitors in 2023…
The first signs of the crisis appeared back in 2023, when Czech tourists first reacted very poorly to a wave of price increases that have since dogged Croatia. In addition to increasingly high accommodation and restaurant prices, news about the introduction of various regulatory mechanisms and additional costs, such as charging for showers on beaches, played a major negative role.
In another blow, the Czech media then portrayed Croatia as a symbol of “exploitation” of its tourists. While Croatia started to lose its attractiveness, its competitors began setting various records. On the opposite side of the Adriatic, in neighbouring Italy, Czechs have become regular guests. In nearby Greece, the number of overnight stays realised by Czech tourists has also increased by an incredible 450,000. Interestingly, the decline in interest isn’t only affecting Croatia; Slovakia is also recording a minus of 100,000 Czech visitors. On the other hand, Poland has become a new hit destination for Czech families, reports Večernji list.
According to the first incomplete data from the eVisitor system, Croatia achieved 9% growth in arrivals and 8% in overnight stays in the first three months of this year. However, Veljko Ostojić, director of the Croatian Tourism Association, warned that this will be a very challenging year, especially as a result of the war in the Middle East and its consequences on the global energy markets and the economy.
the middle east war is complicating things even further
“We’re closely monitoring what is happening in the security field, so far we haven’t had any significant cancellations or delays in bookings from countries from which tourists typically arrive by car. However, something is happening with far-flung destinations, Asia and both Americas, but they weren’t overly represented in Croatia at Easter anyway,” Ostojić added.
When it comes to expectations for the main summer season, for tourists from European countries, reservations are still very much being recorded at the level of last year. For people coming from further afield, however, there are issues regarding flights. “No one can estimate what will happen next at this point, but we hope that the crisis in the Middle East will end and the situation will normalise so that the rest of the year will pass at the level of last year,” Ostojić concluded.
According to the eVisitor system, total tourist traffic, i.e. foreign and domestic tourists, in February amounted to 337,151 arrivals or 4.2% more than in February 2025, as well as 837,839 overnight stays, which represented a 1% increase compared to the same month last year. The Croatian Tourist Board revealed that so far this year, reservations for Croatia in most markets, especially European ones, have been stable.
2026 will be a “last minute” kind of year
“We must take into account the impact of last-minute reservations because, given global security and economic circumstances, travellers are making final travel decisions just before their trip in order to be sure of the possibility of realising it and to find more affordable offers as part of a last-minute arrangement. As a tourist destination, Croatia generates over 80% of its total tourist traffic from European markets, with the domestic market accounting for around 12% of total traffic. Accordingly, it’s extremely important to maintain a high level of responsibility in shaping the country’s tourist offer and pricing policy, because these elements will be crucial for maintaining stability and continuing positive trends” the Croatian Tourist Board pointed out.
A survey conducted back in March by Deloitte showed that, despite numerous risks, Croatian tourism companies expect a stable season, with indications of an increase in last-minute reservations, a continuation of the trend of stable prices that are in line with the inflation rate. However, they also expect another year of cost growth that exceeds the expected revenue growth, crowding out space for necessary investments. The majority of facilities (55% of them), have been recording a stable status of tourist reservations compared to the same period last year, and 33% of them record an increase in reservations of 3-6%.
