Italians show stable interest in holidaying in Croatia

Italian tourists continue to be interested in spending their summer vacation in Croatia and it is estimated that around the same number will come again this year.

This gives us room for optimism but because buying power has fallen and fewer Italians in general are travelling, tourism will certainly feel the impact of the crisis in that country, the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) Meri Matesic said ahead of the Italian summer vacation season.

Due to the crisis it is expected that there will only be one huge wave of Italian tourists on the road the year. In previous years there would be three or four such waves.

HTZ representative in Italy Dario Matosevic explained that Italians like to spend their vacation at home and in July Italian hotel keepers lowered their prices to compensate for a 15% fall in turnover at the end of June.

He underscored that Italians often relied on last minute reservations and this could improve the situation in arrivals in Croatia.

The HTZ officials pointed out that 73% of Italians decide on their holidays exclusively according to prices. Matesic underscored that it was necessary to adapt prices to market trends and surrounding countries and in that way make Croatia's tourism more competitive.

Last year Croatia recorded a drop in the number of bed nights of Italians and this trend would continue this season too, the two HTZ representatives said. (Hina)