Tourism minister: We can be proud of 2012, 2013 will be even better

Last year is a source of pride for everyone working in the Croatian tourist sector because with 12.3 million tourist arrivals and 70.3 million overnight stays, which was a rise of 5% and 6.4% respectively from 2011, Croatia is an absolute winner in the Mediterranean and this year we expect to achieve similar results and increase our revenue from tourism by 2-3% compared to 2012, Tourism Minister Veljko Ostojic told a press conference on Friday.

Revenue from tourism however did not grow on par with the growth in the number of arrivals and overnight stays, he said, adding that he believed this would change this and next year due to the reduced Valued Added Tax on hospitality and the only slight increase in prices by most tourism companies.

Ostojic commented that it was interesting to see that all counties along the Adriatic coast recorded increased tourism as did continental regions.

The year also recorded an excellent off-season with a growth of around 7.5%.

Most traditional markets from which tourists come to Croatia showed higher numbers last year too.

The ministry will work on improving the sector's competitiveness and in that regard will request a study of competitiveness to be conducted following a public tender.

Amendments to legislation are being prepared to privatise the remaining tourism companies still owned by the state, in accordance with the tourism strategy until 2020. (Hina)