Ministry boasts tourism season best ever

In August and the first eight months of 2015, Croatia posted record tourism results, with 5.5 percent more arrivals and 4.7% more bed/nights on the year in August and 8% more arrivals and 6.5% more bed/nights on the year in the first eight months of 2015, the Tourism Ministry said on Monday, assessing this year's season as the most successful so far.

In August 2015, 3.9 million tourists holidayed along the Adriatic coast and in Zagreb, generating 26.09 million nights. Foreign tourists accounted for 3.65 million arrivals, up 5.5% on the year, and 24.17 million nights, up 4.6%, while domestic tourists accounted for a 5.8% increase in both arrivals and bed/nights.

Speaking to the press in Bol on the island of Brac, Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin said August had fulfilled expectations and that expectations were high for September too. He said bookings for the rest of the season were good and that every year September was increasingly becoming part of the main season. "This trend is one of our basic goals, to prolong the tourist season."

In January-August 2015, 11.5 million tourists visited the coast and Zagreb, generating 66 million bed/nights. Thirteen percent more tourists visited the capital than at the same time last year (672,000 in total), generating 12.9% more bed/nights (1.16 million in total).

Most bed/nights in the first eight months of the year were generated by tourists from Germany, Slovenia, Austria, Italy, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Hungary, and the UK.

(Hina/FaH)