A total of 7.2 million guests visited Croatia in the H1 2024 and generated 28.1 million nights which are increases of 6% and 2% respectively compared with the same period in 2023, the National Tourist Board (HTZ) said on Thursday, adding that over 700,000 visitors are currently staying in the country.
Of the 28.1 million overnight stays in the first half of this year, 25.8 million were generated on the Adriatic coast, which is an annual increase of 2%. The remaining 2.3 million were recorded in the interior (+7%), including 1.2 million in the City of Zagreb (+8%).
The largest number of overnight stays was reported by Istria County (8.4 million), followed by Split-Dalmatia County (5 million) and the Kvarner region in the northern Adriatic (4.4 million). Among the cities, the largest numbers were recorded by Dubrovnik, Rovinj, Zagreb, Split, Poreč, Umag and Zadar.
Germans generated the the largest number of overnight stays (5.7 million), ahead of domestic tourists (3.7 million), Slovenians (2.7 million), Austrians (2.6 million), Poles (1.8 million) and Britons (1.3 million).
Broken down by type of accommodation, 9.2 million visitors stayed at hotels, over 8 million in rented accommodation and 5.5 million in campsites.
Commenting on the results, Minister of Tourism and Sport Tonči Glavina said that they were yet another confirmation that Croatia was becoming a year-round tourist destination, with more and more attractions outside the summer months.
HTZ Director Kristjan Staničić said that the tourism sector was entering the second half of the year with great optimism, adding that about 700,000 tourists were currently staying in Croatia on a daily basis.
In response to a query from Hina, the HTZ also provided figures for June, saying that 14.3 million overnight stays were recorded last month, which is more than half of the overnight stays recorded in the first six months of the year. Their number, however, was 5% lower than in June 2023, while the number of tourist arrivals was 2% higher, reaching 3 million.
(Hina/FaH)
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