Index.hr reports that German and Austrian media have been writing about how Croatia plans to save the tourist season this year. Croatia will soon want to attract tourists again with its safety concept, Tagesschau.de writes.
Author Nikolaus Neumaier of ARD Studio Southeast Europe cites the example of German citizen Elmar Vogel, who is trying to save his business in Croatia during the coronavirus pandemic. The 66-year-old has been running a surfing school on Lošinj, an island in the Kvarner Bay, for 40 years. With six employees so far, he has been able to make a decent living. Vogel also rents bicycles and surfboards. Lošinj, on the other hand, is relatively close to German tourists, and it is easy to reach by car, he points out.
Vogel hopes that enough people will be vaccinated by mid-May and they get their first guests on Lošinj this year. He does not expect Easter guests this year.
“The importance of tourism for the Croatian economy is huge. According to the National Tourism Association, the country was visited by about 21 million tourists in 2019, mostly from Germany. In the previous year, the share of tourism in the gross domestic product was 18.4 percent, much more than in any other country in the European Union,” Neumaier says.
This time, Croatian Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac wants to make it as easy as possible for tourists to come to the country, and now the program “Safe Stay in Croatia” has been created for tourists. It should guarantee special safety for tourists, including free tests. The Minister believes that it is good that accommodation is already being booked for Easter.
But in all steps, the Croatian government wants to act in a way that is in line with the European Union’s values, which means without national independent efforts.
Anita Štefanič also hopes that tourism will start again soon. This German citizen of Croatian origin comes from Solingen and has been living in Croatia since 2010, running a travel agency on the island of Krk. She owns her own holiday apartments and rents and manages apartments and houses of other German owners – a total of more than 30 properties that could be rented for good money if guests come. Štefanič says that she urgently needs tourists now.
“We had a six-month loss of revenue financially, and you notice that, of course, especially now in the winter, when you have to make ends meet with the reserves from the previous year,” Štefanič revealed to Neumaier.
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