Croatia expects 10% more Spanish tourists this year

Last year 256,000 Spanish tourists visited Croatia, 13 percent more than in 2016, and this year their number is expected to increase by a further 10 percent, travel agencies and air carriers say. "Already now the number of queries shows we will certainly have more arrivals," says Jelena Babic, head of marketing at Abacus Tours travel agency, who attended a recent international travel show in Madrid.

The FITUR show was attended by six Croatian travel agencies, the Croatian Tourist Board and Croatia Airlines. 

The Dubrovnik-based travel agency Nave Travel is pleased with interest from Spain. "Demand for this year is great already, the hotels are well filled," the agency's manager Gordana Mikulicka says.

The great interest of Spanish tourists has prompted air carriers to introduce additional routes or aircraft. Croatia Airlines, which flies between Barcelona and Zagreb, introduced an extra flight on Saturdays last year.

Croatia Airlines would not reveal the number of passengers flown on the Zagreb-Barcelona route, but says it is a two-digit increase. "This year we expect a continuation of the positive trend and plan four flights a week on this route," spokesman Davor Janusic says.

Apart from the Croatian flag carrier, Iberia, Vueling and Norwegian Air also maintain direct flights and are increasing their fleets to Croatia. (Hina)

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