As Novac writes on the 5th of August, 2020, as the Croatian tourist season progresses, Croatian nautical records are getting better and better, this was especially true for the month of July. If we exclude the data on mini cruisers, the total decline since the beginning of the year is 59 percent, while in July there was a decline of only 25 percent.
“The changes in the structure of guests are huge, Americans, and people from the UK, France and Scandinavia have practically disappeared in the area of Sibenik, but Croats, Slovenes, Austrians and Germans have been a lot more present. The northern Adriatic has the least loss, and the further south we go, the more difficult the situation becomes. Dubrovnik is totally cut off. There is, yet again, the same denominator – planes,” explained Pasko Klisovic, President of the Association of Vessel Accommodation Providers – Charter of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK).
The total number of charter guests fell by 65 percent, so in the first seven months of this year, Croatia was visited by 112,810 charterers, while in the same period last year that number stood at 317,700.
In particular, the decline in more northern marinas such as Punta or Marina Veruda is at 54 percent, while Dubrovnik has a decline of 85 percent. Central Dalmatia (Sibenik and Zadar) hold 45 percent of last year’s turnover.
From the beginning of the year to July the 30th, 28,400 foreign yachts and boats were recorded in Croatian waters, up 67 percent when compared to the same period last year (42,700). For yachts longer than 20 metres, even better results have been recorded – 669 arrivals in 2020, which is 83 percent when compared to 2019, when 780 arrivals of such yachts were recorded.
On the other hand, small multi-day cruise ships had 48,587 guests in the first seven months of 2019, and only 2,690 guests in 2020, a drop of almost 95 percent.
As for the development of the situation until the end of the Croatian tourist season, Klisovic is cautiously optimistic. “The announcements for August and autumn are acceptable, if there are no more situations like this with the Dutch who put us on the orange list,” he stated.
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