June the 20th, 2025 – Increases in Polish, Hungarian and Slovenian tourists are currently expected across Croatia. Until June, there was a drop in both German and Italian arrivals.
The Croatian tourism sector was recently deeply concerned with the drop in German tourist arrivals, with May having been a disappointing month. German tourists are Croatia’s most numerous and by far most loyal, and their decrease owing to the economic worries facing the German economy has been pronounced. That said, the first half of June saw a relieving 80% increase in German arrivals, with everyone feeling more relaxed about the summer ahead. Increases in Hungarian, Slovenian and Polish tourists are expected for Croatia.
As Glas Istre/The Voice of Istria/Alenka Juricic Bukarica writes, summer 2024 brought with it a certain reshuffle among Croatia’s strongest outbound markets. The German, Austrian, Italian and Czech markets dwindled somewhat, but some others showed that they had room for growth. In other words, more tourists arrived from these countries last year than they did in 2023. Slovenians, the third most numerous guests, achieved two percent more overnight stays, the fifth most numerous guests, the Poles, achieved a solid six percent more, and Hungarians as much as eight percent more. Among the European markets from which there was significant growth was the United Kingdom, and from the non-European market – the United States.
neighbourly growth – slovenia
The growth in tourist traffic from the Slovenian market last year was the result of several factors, according to Bruno Bonifačić, director of the HTZ representative office based in Ljubljana.
“First and foremost, there’s a continued high level of trust and loyalty among Slovenian tourists in Croatia. They choose Croatia as a safe, diverse, very easily accessible and high-quality destination, with a visible trend in visits throughout the year. These results were also positively influenced by a series of promotional activities by the Croatian National Tourist Board, which presented the continental part of Croatia, Gorski Kotar, the Dalmatian hinterland and central Istria. The announcements for this year are very good, with expectations of a slight increase in traffic compared to 2024, which was a record,” stated Bonifačić.
He added that the pre-season and early bookings yielded some excellent results, and for the main season we still expect traffic at the level of last year. Slovenian tourists perceive Croatia as their closest and favourite holiday destination, especially due to its proximity, familiar surroundings, sea, gastronomy and hospitality. The extensive offer of active tourism throughout Croatia is also a lure.
Regarding the economic situation, Bonifačić admitted that it does have a certain influence, especially when it comes to choosing accommodation and length of stay. He also noted that thanks to its diversity, Croatia benefits from campsites and private accommodation, as well as from high-class hotels. It therefore offers plenty of options for all kinds of different budgets.
“Slovenian tourists are used to planning in advance, often with early reservations, which mitigates potential cost challenges, even for holidays to Croatia. This year, Slovenia has also recorded a lot of interest in travel, which confirms the fact that the global economic situation is stable and that Slovenians are continuing to travel a lot. So far this year, we’ve recorded six percent more arrivals and seven percent more overnight stays from Slovenian tourists in Croatia,” he revealed,noting that Slovenians’ interest in travel in the pre-season and post-season is growing significantly from year to year. It can therefore be said with some certainty that Slovenia tourists have duly recognised Croatia as a year-round destination.
the eternal love of polish tourists for the croatian coast
The Polish market also experienced significant growth last year. Polish tourists achieved 1.2 million arrivals and 7.1 million overnight stays in Croatia. That represents an eight percent increase in arrivals and six percent in overnight stays compared to 2023. Małgorzata Kowalska, director of the CNTB Representative Office in Warsaw, explained that this is primarily the result of the efforts and resources that the CNTB has invested in numerous promotional and marketing activities in Poland.
Polish tourists really like the tourist offer in Croatia, which represents one of the most popular foreign destinations for them. They perceive Croatia as a beautiful, diverse country with hospitable hosts, which offers a rich natural and cultural heritage. They seem to prefer staying in private accommodation the most.
“Polish tourists in Croatia prefer coastal destinations with a wide range of family accommodation. They appear to be extremely motivated by holidays by the sea, beautiful nature, sightseeing, and sports and recreation. In addition to private accommodation, in 2024, there was a visible increase in interest in accommodation in camps and hotels. The main motives for Polish tourists to come to Croatia are, of course, the sunshine and the sea, as well as the rich cultural heritage of Croatia, UNESCO monuments, museums, natural heritage, and national and natural parks,” said Kowalska.
She added that the improvement of the Croatian tourist offer, investments in content, quality and products are gradually leading to changes in the structure of demand on the Polish market. However, the current inflation and price increases have pushed many Polish tourists into seeking out more favourable offers away from Croatia.
“The rise in prices in Croatian tourism hasn’t gone unnoticed on the Polish market. Although Croatia is still perceived as a beautiful, safe and attractive tourist destination, prices have become one of the most important factors for Poles when choosing a destination,” Kowalska warned.
The increase in arrivals of Polish tourists in Croatia was also contributed to by the increased number of airlines to Croatia, although most Poles still come to the Adriatic coast using their own car.
hungarian tourists always favour croatia
Although it may not be in the focus as much as some large markets are, neighbouring Hungary made a statement in terms of their numbers last year. In the first four months, Croatia recorded 13 percent more arrivals and one percent more overnight stays of Hungarian tourists.
Ivana Herceg, director of the HTZ Representative Office in Budapest, noted that Hungary is a market from which Croatia has traditionally achieved excellent results. There have always been relative increases in tourist traffic from Hungarian tourists to Croatia also, with the exception of the coronavirus-dominated years. This was also the case last year, when Hungarian tourists were among the most numerous guests in Croatia. The fact that Croatia is now part of the Schengen area certainly played an important role in achieving good results from Hungary.
As for the announcements for this year, Herceg said that while no concrete information to the public has been released, it’s likely that a repetition of last year’s results can be expected, as well as positive trends.
