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International tourist arrivals grew by 4.6% in the first half of 2014 according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Destinations worldwide received some 517 million international tourists between January and June 2014, 22 million more than in the same period of 2013.

Growth was strongest in the Americas (+6%) followed by Asia and the Pacific and Europe (both at +5%). By subregion, South Asia and Northern Europe (both +8%) were the best performers, together with North-East Asia and Southern Mediterranean Europe (both +7%). “These results show that tourism is consolidating the positive performance of recent years, providing development and economic opportunities worldwide”, said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. “Indeed, despite geopolitical and economic challenges, the number of international tourist arrivals has grown by 5% a year on average since 2010, a trend that has translated into more economic growth, more exports and more jobs”, he added.

So far, results are in line with the UNWTO forecast issued at the beginning of 2014. For the full year 2014, international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by 4% to 4.5% worldwide, above UNWTO’s long-term forecast of 3.8% per year for the period 2010 to 2020.

The first European interparliamentary conference on sustainable tourism, with an emphasis on the promotion of the cultural heritage and environmental protection, began in the Croatian parliament on Wednesday. The event was opened by Croatian Parliament Speaker Josip Leko, who said tourism had become a global phenomenon and a remarkably propulsive economic branch which could help European countries reduce unemployment and come out of the recession. The conference, organised by the Croatian parliament, drew about 100 representatives from 23 European countries and Morocco. Its goal is to strengthen cooperation between parliaments in tourism-related legislation.

Croatia saw a 5% rise in tourist arrivals and a 2.3% increase in bed/nights in the first eight months of 2014 compared to the corresponding period in 2013, Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin said on Tuesday presenting the year-to-date figures in tourist trade. Thanks to an excellent August whose results have offset previous poorer results, Croatia can expect a 2-3% rise in tourism revenues by the end of this year, Lorencin said in the coastal city of Zadar. Lorencin expects good results to continue in the remainder of the year, too. The Croatian Adriatic region and the capital of Zagreb registered 3.7 million tourist visits and 25 million overnight stays in August, a 7% and 4% rise respectively compared to August 2013. All coastal counties, except the region of Kvarner, in the wider Rijeka area saw an increase in the number of arrivals and overnight stays, and Split-Dalmatia County was the best performer.

The Second Worldwide Summit of Presidents of Travel Agencies will be held in Zagreb on November 6-8, bringing together more than 300 participants who are to discuss the future of travel agencies in the period until 2020 in the light of global changes, the event's organiser, the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA) said earlier this week. The participants in the event include around 100 senior world tourism officials, including the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organisation, Taleb Rifai, as well as many international experts who are to discuss global issues, current topics and changes in global tourism. The first worldwide summit of travel agency presidents was held in Cordoba, Spain, in 2013.

Tourists from more than 75 countries visited Croatia in the first seven months of 2014, while less overnights and arrivals were recorded from 18 countries compared to last year, including some of the most important markets for Croatia's tourism - Germany and the Netherlands. A total of 6.37 million foreign tourists visited Croatia in the first seven months of this year, up 4% from 2013. Those tourists generated 33.63 million overnights, up 0.7% from 2013.

Croatian Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin has said that the number of visitors in Croatia in the first seven months rose by 3% compared to the corresponding period in 2013, and that the number of overnight stays went up 1%. The season is rather tough, but our tourist trade is still in the black, Lorencin said at a news conference in the biggest coastal city of Split on Friday. He said that he was optimistic about the remainder of the year. As for July alone, there were 0.4% fewer tourists than in July 2013. This was ascribed to inclement weather with frequent rains, and the minister noted that some summer destinations registered up to 24 rainy days in July. Asked about the financial outcome of tourist trade in the January-July period, Lorencin said those results would be known in early September after the Tax Administration processed data. According to the latest data, in the first seven months the capital city Zagreb saw the biggest increase in arrivals and overnight stays - of 10.5% and 9% respectively. Split-Dalmatia County follows, with an 8.5% increase in arrivals and a 6% increase in overnight stays.

A total of 28 businesses in the manufacturing and tourism sectors on Friday signed contracts on grants in the amount of 250 million kuna, which will be absorbed from European Union structural funds, for their projects whose value is 641.5 million kuna and which should be implemented in the next months. The grants will be awarded to 19 enterprises in the manufacturing sector and nine tourism businesses, and their projects are expected to create some 600 jobs. The contracts on grants were delivered at a ceremony in Zagreb by Croatia's Trade and Enterprise Minister Gordan Maras, EU Funds and Regional Development Minister Branko Grcic and Deputy Tourism Minister Ratomir Ivicic.

Demand for international tourism remained strong in the first four months of 2014 according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. International tourist arrivals worldwide grew by 5%, the same rate as during the full year 2013. Prospects for the current peak tourism season remain very positive with over 460 million tourists expected to travel abroad in the May-August 2014 period. Destinations worldwide received some 317 million international tourists (overnight visitors) between January and April 2014, 14 million more than in the same period of 2013. This 5% growth consolidates the already strong increase registered in 2013 (+5%) and is well above the long-term trend projected by UNWTO for the period 2010-2020 (+3.8%).

SITE, the world's leading association that promotes incentive business travel, has recommended Croatia as a top destination for such travel because of its scenery, historical heritage and infrastructure. The recommendation was made by SITE president Paul Miller at a recent World Meeting Forum in Mexico, where he outlined main trends in that segment of business travel and the best incentive destinations in the world, according to the Croatian business tourism website PoslovniTurizam. Apart from Croatia, the SITE top list of new and interesting incentive destinations includes Panama, Vietnam, Hungary, Guatemala, India, Peru, Brazil, Iceland and the Dominican Republic.
 

Croatian Tourism Minister Darko Lorencin said on Thursday that, until the end of his mandate, he would try to see to it that the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate on tourist accommodation be brought back to 10% after it was raised to 13% at the start of 2014. The minister gave this promise after, earlier in the day, the Croatian Hospitality Employers' Association (UPUHH) called on the government to reduce the VAT rate on tourist accommodation from the present 13% to 5% as of January 1, as that would bring 15 billion kuna in new investments, 11,000 new jobs in the hotel industry and an extra 6 billion kuna for construction workers' wages over the next five years.