A great tourist year ends in style.
For the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations in Croatia, more tourist arrivals and overnight stays are expected than last year, especially in larger tourist destinations on the Adriatic coast and in Zagreb, but also in continental parts of the country, announced the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) on Friday.
Owing to a large number of Advent festivals throughout the country, with many being held for the first time, it is certain that the festive season will bring good tourism and financial results.
For example, it is estimated that spending during the Advent festival in Zagreb will reach about half a billion kuna this year, which is about 100 million kuna more than it was last year.
The fact that more tourists have decided to visit Croatia than last year is confirmed by the data of the Croatian National Tourist Board’s eVisitor system, according to which, from 1 December to 21 December this year, there were 181,000 or 10 percent more tourists than there were during the same period last year, while the number of overnight stays was higher by almost 460,000 or 15 percent more.
Last December ended with a total of 280,000 tourist arrivals and 667,000 overnights, which was an increase by 28 and 26 percent respectively when compared to December 2015.
“This December, as well as for the festive season itself, or the last ten days of this year, we expect a slight increase in overnight stays compared to the same days last year. We are particularly pleased with positive tourism indicators for the inland part of Croatia, according to which the number of tourists on the continent for the festive season is expected to rise by six percent in the number of arrivals and by seven percent in overnight stays,” said HTZ’s Main Office, adding that they had extremely high expectations for the New Year celebrations for Istria, Kvarner, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and on the Adriatic coast in general.
Good results are also expected from Opatija, which, along with Crikvenica, is traditionally one of the most popular festive destinations in the Kvarner region, especially for New Year’s Eve. The local Tourist Board notes that about 2,700 tourists and approximately 8,000 overnight stays are expected for the Christmas period alone.
