Croatian tourism is painting two dramatically different pictures this summer. In the Istrian city of Rovinj, things are beginning to bloom, while it might be worth turning the lights off and locking the door down in Dubrovnik…
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 5th of July, 2020, the centre of Rovinj was the city with the most tourists in all of the Republic of Croatia on Saturday. Rovinj. Just over 13,000 guests decided to spend their holidays in Istria, in the town of St. Euphemia. Right by the sea, in the old town, in Rovinj, coffee is purchased for fifteen kuna, which is equivalent to just a little more than two euros, writes Dnevnik.hr
“There are a lot of people here on the weekends, mostly Austrians and Germans. There are also Italians. We expect that there will be more guests in July and August,” said Sebastijan Ilic.
In Rovinj, occupancy levels are growing with increasing degrees on the thermometer, and the view of the old town from a five-star hotel will cost you about 4000 kuna per night. With breakfast included.
Much further down the coast in the famous City of Dubrovnik, Croatia’s tourist Mecca, a completely different picture can be seen…
Down in Dubrovnik, the picture is completely different. Last year’s figures of 1.4 million tourist arrivals sound unreal now. Only 2,500 guests were registered in the city on Saturday, which is 10 percent of last year’s traffic. Dubrovnik’s coffee, an eternal inspiration to price analysts, still comes at a cost of 24 kuna on Stradun, and down one of the old city’s streets, it costs up to 12 or 10 kuna.
In Dubrovnik, unfortunately, most of the terraces are empty. Some haven’t yet even bothered to opened their doors. It’s simple – there are no guests, so it’s more cost-effective to keep the keys in the lock than put an empty pot on the stove for no reason.
For the most attractive view of the walls of Dubrovnik in a five-star hotel, you’ll pay 5300 kuna. However, half of the hotels have not yet opened their doors in the famous Dalmatian city, and only some have adjusted their prices.
“We didn’t open our hotels solely because of numbers and occupancy, but also because of the psychological effect, it proved to be the right decision and since the opening we’re recording more and more interest, and we’re pleased with the announcement from the British market, that is the most important one for Dubrovnik,” said hotel spokeswoman Zrinka Martinovic.
On the most famous Dubrovnik beach this year, Banje (formerly East-West), you won’t have a problem finding a place to put your towel this tourist season. One thing is for sure – this summer, many of Dubrovnik’s actual residents will finally be able to enjoy their own beaches, which is both a blessing and a curse.
For more on Croatian tourism in the coronavirus era, follow our travel page.
