April the 9th, 2025 – Geopolitical issues became even more complicated after Donald Trump became US president for the second time. Global uncertainties are the enemy of travel for many, but could that all lead to price decreases in Croatian tourism?
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, last year’s tourist season was considered to be generally successful for the sector, with some companies even recording above-average results. According to preliminary figures presented this week, Uniline Group’s turnover reached slightly more than 65 million euros, which represents an increase of 14% compared to 2023. Profit is also expected to amount to around 2.7 million euros, which is an 8% increase compared to 2023, as reported by Večernji list.
“We’re entering 2025 with some big ambitions, we expect a growth in turnover of around 6%,” said Boris Žgomba. That being said, he also duly warned that the year ahead will not pan out without turbulence. “There’s considerable uncertainty, and it’s precisely that uncertainty that is the enemy of travel.”
As he explained, Croatia generates approximately 80 percent of its tourist turnover from other European countries, but possible changes in global trade rules could have a negative impact. One way things could turn around for the tourists visiting the country, however, are possible price decreases in Croatian tourism.
“Many European tourists have already gone through a recession, and Trump’s policies bring additional uncertainties. America is also likely to face a recession, and for starters, I believe that Croatia could have fewer guests from the US as a result. I also don’t rule out the idea that the Trump administration could resort to measures to make sure American citizens remain travelling within the borders of their own country in order to compensate for the shortfall in foreign guest arrivals. In addition to domestic economic problems, which many European countries are experiencing, Trump’s policies will create new ones. That means that we should realistically count on additional caution being taken by other Europeans when it comes to travelling,” warned Žgomba.
Expectations for the upcoming season in Croatia include a repeat of last year’s results, but according to Žgomba, this will be difficult to achieve without price decreases in Croatian tourism, a topic that has been a thorn in the side of just about everyone for some time now. “Croatia expects to repeat last year’s results in tourism, and if the country does succeed in that, as things stand now, then it will be a dream scenario.
However, I’m not sure that a repeat of last year’s tourist year can happen without price decreases in Croatian tourism. I believe that the fight for guests in 2025 will be ruthless. I think there will be a lot of last-minute deals, and that could all include price reductions.”
Uniline has otherwise managed to achieve 50% of its planned bookings for 2025 already, which is 5% more than in the same period last year.
“Given current global trends, it’s good that a large part of the bookings for this year have already been made. Those who have booked their holidays already will certainly not cancel,” assured Ivan Rukavina, CEO of Uniline.
