January the 10th, 2023 - When looking at Croatian tourism, we're constantly focused on three months during the summer season and very little else. What about more niche events? The WRC Croatia Rally 2022 gave the country a considerable sum of cash.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the WRC Croatia Rally 2022 brought over 105 million euros to Croatian tourism, with more than 310,000 spectators following the speed tests carried out on Croatian roads, 170,000 overnight stays were generated, and a third of the spectators came from abroad, according to an expert study of the impact of this event created by the Faculty of Economics at the University of Zagreb.
The WRC Croatia Rally 2022 as such confirmed its status as a rather unique regional event, given that a third of the visitors came from Central, Western and Southeastern European countries, Oliver Kesar, professor from the Department of Tourism at the University of Zagreb's Faculty of Economics, pointed out at today's presentation of the study.
"First of all, we're talking about a mega sports spectacle, the effects of which the Republic of Croatia has not had before with any sporting, cultural or any other form of event. The results of the 2022 study showed that this project is both economically and socially sustainable and that Croatia should continue to host the WRC," said Kesar.
The WRC Croatia Rally 2022 also resulted in a great level of media interest, 400 media representatives arrived in Croatia, and the average consumption per spectator of the Croatia Rally is higher than the average, amounting to 263 euros, while total budget revenues exceed 12 million euros. The majority of visitors from outside Croatia came from neighbouring Slovenia and Hungary, as well as from other European countries such as the Czech Republic, Romania, the UK, Finland, Norway, Belgium and others, and they benefited local service providers in Varazdin, Krapina-Zagorje, Zagreb, Karlovac and Primorje-Gorski Kotar counties, as well as those located here in the City of Zagreb.
The Croatian Government has supported and continues to support the race with three million euros for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024. The World Rally Championship is set return to Croatia for the third time this year and will be held from April the 20th to the 23rd.
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