Tourists from more than 75 countries visited Croatia in the first eight months of 2015, the largest numbers being recorded from Germany and Slovenia, while decreases in tourist arrivals were recorded from nine countries compared to 2014, according to figures from the National Tourist Board (HTZ). The list of countries from which tourists came was traditionally topped by Germany, from which 1.7 million tourists came, or 6% more than in the same period of 2014. They generated 13.1 million bed-nights, an increase of 6.6%. Germans were followed by Slovenians with 1.1 million arrivals and 7.3 million bed-nights, up 6.3% and 4.3% respectively.
Tourists from more than 75 countries visited Croatia in the first eight months of 2015, the largest numbers being recorded from Germany and Slovenia, while decreases in tourist arrivals were recorded from nine countries compared to 2014, according to figures from the National Tourist Board (HTZ).
The list of countries from which tourists came was traditionally topped by Germany, from which 1.7 million tourists came, or 6% more than in the same period of 2014. They generated 13.1 million bed-nights, an increase of 6.6%. Germans were followed by Slovenians with 1.1 million arrivals and 7.3 million bed-nights, up 6.3% and 4.3% respectively.
Croatian tourists generated 1.06 million arrivals and nearly 6 million bed-nights, which were respective increases of 9.1% and 8.2% after years of stagnation and decline.
The fourth most numerous group of tourists were Austrians, with 939,700 arrivals and 5.2 million bed-nights (up 6.3% and 5.3% respectively). They were followed by Italians with 913,000 arrivals and 4.5 million bed-nights (up 7.2% and 7% respectively).
Czechs generated 644,100 arrivals and nearly 4.5 million bed-nights (up 2.8% and 4.1%), Poles 575,000 arrivals and nearly 4 million bed-nights (up 4% and 5.3%), Hungarians 404,500 arrivals and 2.2 million bed-nights (both up 17.4%).
Britons, with 380,600 arrivals and 1.9 million bed-nights (up 14.6% and 17% respectively), Slovaks, with 2.5 million arrivals and 370,100 bed-nights (up 5% and 4% respectively), and the Dutch, with 310,000 arrivals and 2.3 million bed-nights (up 5.2% and 2.3% respectively), completed the top ten.
Decreases were recorded among Russian and partly among Scandinavian tourists.
The number of Russian tourists fell by 25.5% to 89,500 and their bed-nights dropped by 28.1% to 720,000. The number of Norwegian and Danish tourists decreased by 11% and 8% respectively, while the number of Finns, Icelanders and Swedes went up by 20%, 30% and 4.4% respectively.
Increases were also recorded among tourists from the United States and Bosnia and Herzegovina (both +20%), South Korea (+27%) and Lithuania (+23%). Large increases, some exceeding 45% (albeit on small bases), were recorded among tourists from distant markets, such as Argentina, Hong Kong, Qatar, Morocco, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and India.
The number of Chinese tourists increased by 50%, while those of Japanese fell by 5%.
(Hina/FaH)