2016 was the record year for Opatija tourism.
A recent meeting of the Tourist Council of the Opatija Tourist Board was concluded with a visit of the Council’s members to the Gervais Cultural Tourist Centre, whose construction should soon be finished. The members also held talks with Ernie Gigante Dešković, the new director of the Opatija Festival, who presented his plans for the event.
Ivo Dujmić, Mayor of Opatija and President of the Tourist Council, praised all those who invest in tourism, expand capacities and give their contribution to better tourist image of the town, particularly given that their increased profits and revenues fill the town budget as well. He praised the activities of the Opatija Tourist Board, led by director Suzi Petričić, not only because of positive financial results, but also for general improvement in the tourism sector.
Petričić presented a report on the activities and financial results for 2016. In 2016, more than 395.000 tourists chose Opatija as their holiday destination, bringing the total of 1,197,241 overnight stays, which is 3 percent more stays and 1 percent more tourists than in 2015. “According to data, 2016 was the record year for the Opatija tourism since the independence of Croatia”, said Petričić. Giorgio Cadum, a representative of Liburnia Riviera Hotels, wanted to know whether there are data for earlier periods, so that a more thorough historical comparison could be made. He was told that data does exist, however, not separately for the town of Opatija, but only combined for the whole Opatija riviera, so they cannot be directly compared.
Speaking about age structure of tourists coming to Opatija, Petričić pointed out that the largest number of tourists still belonged to the 51+ group. However, it is encouraging that there has been a substantial increase in the number of younger tourists, those between 19 and 30 years of age.
Opatija now has 8,841 beds in accommodation facilities, 6 percent more than the year before, and the Opatija riviera is the third most popular tourist destination in the Kvarner region, behind islands of Krk and Rab, which have larger tourist capacities. With more than 8 million kuna of revenues, and the growth of income of the Tourist Board, it is evident that the Opatija economy is on the road to recovery. More than 80 percent of overnight stays are realized in hotels, about 18 percent in privately-owned apartments, with the rest in non-commercial accommodation.
Petričić also pointed out several events held in 2016, including Advent in Opatija and RetrOpatija, whose next edition is already being prepared and it is expected that this year it will last for four summer days. “Also, we are currently implementing a project of renovation of historical pathways and promenades, and just this month, as part of the wellness programme, a hiking outing to the Učka mountain was organized, with tourists also taking part in it, specifically coming to Opatija hotels for that reason. This was just a promotional outing, and we will continue with our organized walks in Opatija on Saturdays. I think that organized outings to Učka will also have a bright future”, said Petričić.
Giorgo Cadum said that guests of Liburnia Riviera Hotels often wanted additional information, so it is important to know whether there are agencies which organize guided visits to Učka. It is expected that, in cooperation with Sports and Recreational Club “Gorovo” and rangers working at the Učka Nature Park, the project could be expanded in the future and that tourists coming to Opatija might be offered more programmes connected with the Učka mountain.
Due to a somewhat lower grant which will this year be provided to the Opatija Tourist Board by the Croatian National Tourist Board – 120,000 instead of 160,000 kuna – the Council adopted the first change to the 2017 financial plan.
