While we were focused on Split and Dubrovnik, Bakar town exceeded all expectations
We’ve been writing about extraordinary results in the Croatian tourism sector on every chance we’ve got, but we managed to overlook one destination that’s currently going through a tourism Renaissance.
Meet Bakar, a quaint small town situated a short drive east of Rijeka. In 2017, the wider Bakar area experienced an incredible 95% increase in arrivals, and an equally impressive 80% increase in overnight stays!
Such heart-stopping figures usually point to a destination that started small and is still developing. Five years ago, there wasn’t a single private accommodation facility in the area; by 2013, four people were renting a total of 18 beds. Four years later, Bakar boasts 310 beds in 70 apartments and holiday houses.
Better offer equals more guests, so the Tourist Board of Bakar recorded 2169 arrivals and 13.446 overnight stays in the first eight months of 2017. Compared with last year, the area broke all records and clocked the mentioned 95% increase in arrivals. In July, 829 arrivals and 4942 overnight stays were recorded, followed by 879 arrivals and 5927 overnight stays in August. Unparalleled success – and the Tourist Board is hopeful about the figures continuing to grow in coming years.
“We’re extremely satisfied with this tourist season. We have seen the capacities expand, along with an increase in arrivals and overnight stays. Occupancy rates were fantastic. The current number of renters is more than respectable, as we had 0 apartments and holiday houses just five years ago. The figures are really impressive and encouraging. We hope more people will now get inspired to turn to tourism and that the figures will continue to grow. Once Hotel Jadran gets renovated, we hope the results will be even better”, said Sonja Jelušić, head of the Tourist Board of Bakar.
Congratulations to the Kvarner champion – and here’s to the next five years!
Source: RiPrsten
