May the 5th, 2025 – The recently passed May Day Weekend saw over 12,000 people enjoy the glorious Makarska Riviera, one of the most stunning parts of the rugged Dalmatian coastline.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, over the May Day Weekend, over 12,000 Croatian and foreign guests chose to spend time on the Makarska Riviera. The long weekend brought some great numbers and very encouraging signs for the summer season ahead, according to the local tourist board.
The majority of tourists stayed in around thirty well-booked open hotels over the May Day Weekend across the Makarska Riviera area from Brela to Gradac.
Hoteliers in the area have learned that some of the other hotels will receive their first summer guests during the second half of May. They stated that the pre-season has started well, and that they’re also satisfied with the current state of reservations for the continuation of the tourist season across key tourist markets.
The first pre-season guests have also arrived in holiday homes and apartments in private accommodation in the Makarska Riviera, and more are expected over the first few days of June.
The highest number of tourists stayed in Makarska itself, and there were around 4,000 of them. The popular Meteor Hotel alone hosted more than 550, mostly foreign tourists. Around 2,400 guests stayed in Tučepi and around 1,900 were registered as being in Brela.
Baška Voda hosted 1,400 tourists, there were slightly fewer in Podgora, and the rest stayed in Živogošće and Gradac.
The inflow of people to the Makarska area during the very first few days of May is an excellent sign of what’s to come during the busiest two months of the year for Dalmatia – July and August. With sustainable tourism being the topic of the hour and avoiding overtourism continues to be Croatia’s main mission, areas across Dalmatia are having to markedly change their approaches.
