April the 20th, 2023 - The Zagreb tourism picture is looking brighter and brighter, and the number of overnight stays has now surpassed the numbers recorded this time last year back in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the Zagreb tourism sector can now officially say that the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic has finally well and truly passed, at least in terms of the physical traffic of tourists here in the capital. Visitors to Zagreb have now officially realised one percent more overnight stays than they did back during the same period of 2019.
This, of course, also includes the busy Easter weekend, which fell later on that year, more precisely on April the 21st, but this encouraging result has been realised despite the fact that guests from distant markets, primarily from Asia, haven't yet returned in full, while the return of Americans is more rapid.
In view of the return of guests from across the pond in the USA, as well as the growing renewed interest of guests from South Korea and other Asian countries, the Tourist Board of the City of Zagreb has started a new promotional campaign in cooperation with Turkish Airlines.
As such, by using the strong communication network of Turkish Airlines, as a strategic partner of the Tourist Board of the City of Zagreb, the recognition of the Croatian capital as an attractive tourist destination is significantly increased. Activities as part of the campaign are being carried out throughout April on all digital channels of this multiple award-winning airline with the aim of their mutual promotion in the aforementioned markets.
"We're satisfied with the results so far, which once again show that we've succeeded in positioning Zagreb as an attractive year-round destination. The American market is extremely important for Zagreb, and I'm pleased that, in cooperation with the Association of North American Tour Operators (USTOA), as well as with Virtuos, the leading network of the best American travel agencies specializing in luxury and leisure travel, we've also launched a campaign with Turkish Airlines. Within the Zagreb Tourist Board, we carry out a series of activities in accordance with our strategic plans, and with campaigns like this one, which is a great example of cooperation between a destination and an airline, we strive to improve the positive Zagreb tourism trends with a focus on the long-term and sustainable success of Zagreb as a tourist destination," stated Martina Bienenfeld, the tourist board director.
According to e-Visitor data, from the beginning of the year to mid-April, Zagreb tourism saw the highest number of arrivals and overnight stays in all of Croatia, i.e. 29 percent more arrivals than last year and 19 percent more overnight stays compared to the same period last year. Among foreign guests, the most overnight stays were realised by guests from Italy, followed by those from Germany, the USA, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. Compared to 2019, the blossoming Zagreb tourism picture stands at 92 percent in terms of arrivals and has experienced an increase of 1 percent in terms of overnight stays.
As has since been learned from the Zagreb Tourist Board, since the beginning of the year, American guests have been the fifth most numerous tourists to visit Zagreb in terms of arrivals and the third in terms of overnight stays. Since the beginning of the year, Asia has also broken through to 10th place in terms of arrivals (5,111 arrivals), and they are not among the top 10 in terms of overnight stays either.
Korean nationals realised 1,231 arrivals in the city in April alone and are in 9th place among all foreign guests in the results for this month so far, so their return is noticeable. Before the coronavirus pandemic, more than 400,000 tourists from South Korea came to Croatia in 2019, realising more than 511,000 overnight stays.
For the City of Zagreb, guests from South Korea came second in the overall number of foreign guests. It's also worth noting that the capital is entering the 2023 season with the same number of beds in private accommodation than before the pandemic (and the earthquake), there are 9 percent more beds in hotels, and only the number of beds in hostels has fallen by 25 percent, from about 2,400 beds to about 1,800.
In 2023, 60 percent of the total overnight stays within the Zagreb tourism picture so far have been realised in hotels, 32 percent in apartments and only 7 percent in hostels.
