News Travel Tourism: Croatia Recovers Its 2019 Record-Breaking Tourism Levels

Croatia is witnessing a remarkable resurgence in tourism, with an 8% increase in arrivals compared to the previous year, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels of visitor numbers. This achievement is especially notable as 2019 had set a record year for the Croatian tourism industry. Since the beginning of the year, 520,000 French tourists have visited Croatia, contributing to over 1.8 million overnight stays.

Which regions are preferred by French tourists? The Split-Dalmatia region continues to lead, followed by Dubrovnik-Neretva, Istria, Zadar, and Kvarner (Primorje-Gorski Kotar). Notably, Istria and Kvarner have experienced a significant uptick, with a 20% increase in arrivals and overnight stays compared to the previous year. This development reflects the efforts of the Tourism Office to promote new destinations and diversify visitor flows.

"Istria is already well-recognized in other markets, as it is the region with the most developed and diverse tourist offerings in the country," explains the Tourism Office. The highest number of overnight stays is attributed to Germany (18.8 million), followed by local tourism (10.6 million), Slovenia (9 million), Austria (6.6 million), and Poland (5.7 million). Tour operators from these countries were among the first to invest in the Istria region. "These results confirm that achieving a balanced and sustainable regional tourism is possible, and we must continue to work on this," commented Nikolina Brnjac, Croatian Minister of Tourism and Sports.