A total of 3.95 million tourists vacationed in Croatia in the first six months of this year, an increase of 6.6% compared to the same period of last year, and they generated 15.96 million overnight stays, up 4.7%, Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin said at a news conference in Pula on Monday. Foreign tourists accounted for 3.4 million arrivals, up 7%, generating 14.21 million overnight stays, an increase of 4.3%. Domestic tourists accounted for 550,000 of all tourist arrivals, up 3%, and they generated 1.74 million overnight stays, a 7.6% increase. Lorencin said that the pre-season's results were excellent. "We have a competitive product and Croatia's rating as a tourist destination has been improving continually, which should encourage us to be even better and more competitive and to give our guests at least a reason more to visit," the minister said.
A total of 3.95 million tourists vacationed in Croatia in the first six months of this year, an increase of 6.6% compared to the same period of last year, and they generated 15.96 million overnight stays, up 4.7%, Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin said at a news conference in Pula on Monday.
Foreign tourists accounted for 3.4 million arrivals, up 7%, generating 14.21 million overnight stays, an increase of 4.3%. Domestic tourists accounted for 550,000 of all tourist arrivals, up 3%, and they generated 1.74 million overnight stays, a 7.6% increase.
Lorencin said that the pre-season's results were excellent.
"We have a competitive product and Croatia's rating as a tourist destination has been improving continually, which should encourage us to be even better and more competitive and to give our guests at least a reason more to visit," the minister said.
He underlined the results in Istria and in Split-Dalmatia, Dubrovnik-Neretva and Zadar counties. Slightly more than a million tourists visited Istria in the first half of this year, generating 5.2 million overnights stays, up 5.4% and 4.3% respectively. Split-Dalmatia County saw 609,200 arrivals, 8.5% more, and 2.5 million overnight stays, up 5.3%.
Dubrovnik-Neretva County registered 460,200 arrivals, up 8.6%, and 1.7 million overnight stays, up 5.2%. A total of 333,400 tourists visited Zadar County, an increase of 11.7%, generating 1.6 million overnight stays, an increase of 13.5%. Sibenik-Knin County saw a decline in arrivals of 0.6% to 203,300, and a 3.8% decrease in the number of overnight stays, to 952,000.
The capital Zagreb saw 378,600 arrivals, 10.3% more than in the first half of 2013, and 665,700 overnight stays, an increase of 8.5%.
Lorencin also underlined a 10% increase in the number of arrivals from Italy, a 7% increase in overnight stays generated by British tourists, a 9% increase in the number of overnight stays generated by Finnish visitors, as well as increases in the number of overnight stays of 8% and 11% generated by Norwegian and Swedish tourists.
The total revenues of the hospitality sector and travel agencies in the first five months of this year were 8.14 billion kuna, up 15% from the same period of last year.
(Hina)