Less ships, but more visitors?
The cruise ship saga continues for Dubrovnik as even more of the giant vessels are expected to arrive in Croatia this year. With that said, the plan is to reduce the number of ships, while retaining an increase in passengers.
As Dubrovacki Dnevnik writes on the 9th of April, 2018, more cruisers are expected in the Croatian Adriatic than last year, as 963 of them have announced themselves at various seaports, whereas last year, there were just 911 of them. The arrival of tourist vessels are expected at riverside ports across the country this year as well, according to the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure.
According to data, this year, as stated by the aforementioned ministry, the largest number of cruise ship arrivals in the Croatian Adriatic refers to, you guessed it, Dubrovnik, as well as Split, which have been the most talked about and by far the most visited in recent years.
"In 2018, the port of Dubrovnik expects a continuation of business like that of 2017, with a certain reduction in the number of ships and a slight increase in the number of passengers on round trips due to changes made in the business environment of cruise tourism," the ministry points out.
They add that the Port Authority of Dubrovnik kicked off 2018's cruise season on Sunday, March the 18th, with the arrival of the enormous ''Viking Star'' vessel, carrying a total of 929 passengers.
Over the course of this year, Dubrovnik (Gruž) port expects 441 cruise ships, carrying a total of around 740,000 passengers, which is 2% less ships than last year but about 4% more passengers.
