No one is ever genuinely surprised when they hear that tourism in Dubrovnik is growing – and fast. We have only been following the same story year after year after year. While we expect the summer months to be busier than ever, it’s always satisfying to hear that year-round tourism in Croatia is also slowly gaining some traction. December is dedicated for Advent, after all.
But what happens in January while most of us fall into a slumber and post-holiday hibernation?
An incredible jump in Dubrovnik tourism.
According to the eVisitor system, which monitors tourist arrivals, not including data for nautical tourism, 16,878 tourists stayed in Dubrovnik from January 1 to 31, 2019, which represents a 41% increase on the same period of 2018. They also achieved 38,436 overnights, or 11% more than last year, reports Dalmacija Danas on February 4, 2019.
In January, most guests were from Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, South Korea, USA, Sweden, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Finland and Austria. Of the total number of tourists from January 1 to 31, 2019, 14,574 guests were accommodated in 51 Dubrovnik hotels, which is an increase of 48% in hotel accommodation compared to January 2018, with 27,379 overnights, respectively 12% more than last year.
Private accommodation in January hosted 1,585 guests, which is an increase of 7% compared to January 2018, along with 7,416 overnights, which is 11% more than in the previous year.
The record number of tourists in Dubrovnik in January was the result of direct winter flights from seven European destinations, as well as the introduction of a charter for senior group arrivals from Scandinavia and Germany, organized by travel agency WTouristic, members of the Karaci Group and RSD Reisen from Germany, which will reach over 30,000 visitors to Dubrovnik by May 11.
Dubrovnik had no chance to slow down at the start of February, either, as the ‘Adriatic Pearl’ celebrated their patron saint on February 3rd.
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