Croatia fights for German vacationers: tourism loses swing!

Croatia fights for German vacationers: tourism loses swing!

Zadar, Kroatien - The Croatian tourism sector faces challenges that need to be mastered. Former Economic Minister Ljubo Jurčić recently expressed significant concerns about the development of tourism in Croatia, especially with regard to the decreasing figures of German tourists. After the record year 2022, in which 3.5 million German guests visited Croatia, there is a noticeable decline. This reports Merkur .

The reasons for this decline are diverse: the introduction of new attractive travel destinations, the catch -up requirement for trips from pandemic and a deteriorated economic situation in Germany, which leads to a more conscious way of dealing with travel budgets, play a crucial role. In addition, hotel prices in Croatia have increased by around 4.6 percent compared to the previous year, which also led to increased complaints on social media.

quality via quantity

Croatia is now focusing on a qualitative improvement in tourist infrastructure. With fewer than 200,000 hotel beds, the country focuses on the development of holiday homes and campsites as well as the renovation of existing hotels. One example is the new Hyatt Regency in Zadar, which is housed in a former liqueur factory. This strategy, which also provides for strengthening the pre- and post-season, is intended to help keep the high season affordable and attractive.

According to Jurčić, however, the maximum capacity that Croatia can reach on tourists could soon be exhausted. This is also reinforced by the increased overnight stays from the Schengen area and the euro zone, which now make up around 80 percent of travelers, especially in the coastal regions, where the tourism sector contributes up to 20 percent of gross domestic product, reports dw .

sustainability in focus

The boom also brings dark sides. Overcrowded beaches, inadequate infrastructure and illegal construction projects ensure frustration not only for tourists, but also among the local population. Critics indicate the negative environmental impact. In order to counteract this, the environmental organization SUNCE promotes sustainable tourism, while the Croatian government is working on a comprehensive tourism law that is also supposed to introduce holidaymakers in places with strong tourism.

In recent years, the dependence on the income from the tourism sector had increased steadily. According to the considerations of laenderdaten.info there was a name of 10.7 billion euros in 2022, which made 19.48 percent of the gross domestic product. The average expenditure of a tourist in the same year was around 833 euros, while Croatians abroad spend an average of 1,047 euros.

While Croatia is confronted with new challenges, it remains a popular goal, especially for the Germans. The Croatian tourism center expects a strong post -season for autumn and hopes that the attractiveness of Croatia can be secured in the long term through sustainable developments and targeted measures.