The Ministry of Tourism and Sport has received 468 applications for €289.3 million in grants under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) as part of two public calls for investment in public and private tourism infrastructure, Minister Nikolina Brnjac announced on Friday.
She said that the applications would be processed over the next 90 days.
Seventeen projects were applied as part of the €61.7m public call for investment in medical and wellness tourism. Brnjac said she believed that these included all 15 specialised hospitals in Croatia which are developing such services.
Investments in active and health tourism have long-term positive effects both on society and on the tourism industry itself, and the minister expects that these projects will help create thermal resorts in Croatia's interior similar to those on the Adriatic coast.
In that regard, the Institute of Economics, Zagreb (EIZ) has conducted an impact analysis, and EIZ Assistant Director Maruška Vizek highlighted the long-term profitability of such investments and their effect on the GDP.
The analysis has found that in the long term, over 10 or 20 years, it can be expected that the €61.7 million available under the NRRP for medical and wellness tourism will result in a 2.8% increase in the GDP and a 13.3% increase in investment compared with 2021, Vizek said.
(Hina)
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