April 17, 2022 – Good news coming from eastern Croatia, with trends showing an increased interest of domestic tourists in the golden fields, fiery stews, and the sweetest wines of Slavonia.

As hrv.hr writes, last year's trend of increasing the number of overnight stays in eastern Croatia continues this year as well.

According to the Vukovar-Srijem County Tourist Board (TZ VSŽ) for the first three months of this year, the number of overnight stays in this part of Croatia increased by more than 40 percent compared to the same period last year.

Most of the guests are domestic tourists who have had a positive impact on the county's tourist results with their arrivals and overnight stays, and it is evident that their interest in the eastern part of Croatia is finally stable and growing.

According to the director of the Vukovar-Srijem County Tourist Board, Rujana Bušić Srpak, the results of the first quarter, but also the whole of last year, show that tourism can be maintained even in crises such as a pandemic.

“It is important to emphasize that the survival of tourism in the continental part of Croatia should be credited to domestic guests. They are in our focus, and they are the ones who can maintain the tourist movement even in crises, revive the tourist potential, and stimulate the domestic economy. The majority of our guests come from Croatia, and almost half of them are from Zagreb and the Zagreb County”, says Rujana Bušić Srpak, adding that in the wave of current price increases, the county still has affordable prices and provides excellent value for money.

For more, check out our lifestyle section.

April 18, 2021 - A new FlixBus campaign, "Explore Croatia with FlixBus," launched earlier this week, encouraging travelers to explore the beauties of Croatia but also to promote Croatia as a tourist destination.

HRTurizam reports that FlixBus launched the new campaign in cooperation with Croatian private landlords, hostels, restaurants, and cultural institutions. 

The campaign aims to encourage domestic travelers to explore the beauties of Croatian cities and towns, emphasizing numerous local tourist attractions. Through FlixBus social networks that bring together a large community of travel enthusiasts, not only in Croatia but also in Europe, the campaign aims to promote Croatia as a desirable tourist destination.

"The past year has been a challenge for everyone, and despite the great desire to travel, we have had to adjust our life habits to the many restrictions imposed. At the moment, it is a bit more difficult for us to decide on some long-distance trips, but at the same time, we have the opportunity to get better acquainted with what is closer and easily accessible to us. For this reason, we have decided, in cooperation with numerous Croatian partners, to launch a campaign that celebrates the beauties of cities and towns throughout Croatia," said Petra Trojko, communications manager for FlixBus CEE S region. 

In cooperation with local partners, 10 destinations throughout Croatia will be presented across 10 weeks. Every week, two lucky travelers will be able to win a weekend trip with accommodation and other facilities in the destination.

The campaign began on April 15 with the message 'Everywhere is beautiful, but traveling in Croatia is the most beautiful.'

The campaign starts in Split, and the perfect weekend for two can be spent in Zagreb, Varaždin, Zadar, Rijeka, Knin, Imotski, Plitvice Lakes, Karlovac, and Osijek.

Namely, every week one destination will be presented, which will become a weekend destination for two happy passengers with provided transport, accommodation and interesting facilities of local partners. Thus, all those who join the campaign will have the opportunity to find out which city lies on seven rivers surrounded by nine mountains, which has the most beautiful sunset, how the Egyptian Sphinxes arrived in Dalmatia, and more.

An excellent example of cooperation and synergy between FlixBus and other partners in the destination, from the accommodation, museums, restaurants, and tourist boards, working together to promote the destination.

To learn more about taking the bus in Croatia, follow our Total Croatia page.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, October 29, 2020 - Domestic tourism in the European Union has seen a faster recovery from the consequences of the first wave of the epidemic than foreign tourism, and Croatia is among countries with the mildest drop in domestic overnight stays, according to Eurostat data.

In 2020, the tourism sector was hit hard by the travel restrictions at the end of Q1 and at the beginning of Q2, which resulted in a sharp drop in the number of tourists in March and April compared to the same period last year.

In June, most countries started to relax the restrictions, but tourists still had to undergo quarantine after returning from some foreign destinations, and the result was a faster recovery of domestic tourism than of foreign tourism, Eurostat said.

After a 93% slump in April, domestic tourism in the EU came closer to last year's level in July, with a 22% decrease in domestic overnights stay in tourist accommodation. Overnight stays of foreign guests dropped by 64%, according to Eurostat.

Biggest jump in Slovenia

The Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria and Slovenia registered more domestic overnight stays in July 2020 than in July 2019. In Slovenia, their number more than doubled.

In Croatia, the number of domestic overnight stays in July 2020 was 8.1% lower than in July 2019. The number of overnight stays of foreign guests fell by 44.6% compared to July last year.

This placed Croatia among EU countries with the mildest drop in overnight stays by domestic and foreign guests, together with Cyprus, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Austria and Latvia.

The biggest drop in the number of foreign visitors, of over 80%, was registered by Spain, Portugal, Finland and Romania, the report by the Europan statistical office has shown.

October 1, 2020 - Data from Booking.com revealed that Croatian travelers discovered domestic destinations this summer as the coronavirus pandemic hindered usual travel plans. 

HRTurizam reports that travel plans changed drastically in 2020, which allowed travelers to explore destinations closer to home, discovering or rediscovering hidden destinations that are practically on their doorstep.

Studying the realized trips this summer, Booking.com revealed that the average distance traveled by passengers from Croatia traveling June - August decreased by 56% compared to the same period last year, which is slightly less than the global average of 63%.

Looking at the data obtained in the summer of 2019, passengers from Croatia traveled an average of 726 kilometers per booking. This summer, that distance was reduced to only 322 kilometers per reservation, which is slightly more than the distance Zagreb-Sibenik.

As much as 68% of the distance traveled by passengers from Croatia between June 1 and August 31, 2020, was within Croatia, compared to only 17% in the same period in 2019.

Many of them took the opportunity and traveled to visit family and friends they could not meet during travel restrictions and physical distance measures. Although Croatia is at the top of the list of most popular destinations booked by travelers from Croatia this summer, followed by Germany, Italy, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, and Austria, the data shows that some travelers from Croatia traveled abroad to enjoy their travels but still stayed within the continent. 

Many travelers from Croatia have rediscovered domestic destinations led by islands for which there has been increased interest this season. This summer, domestic destinations that were in great demand are Starigrad-Paklenica and the island towns of Stari Grad, Hvar, Malinska, and Korcula.

Although some rural destinations are becoming increasingly popular, long-term proven urban favorites are still at the top of most desirable destinations. This summer, those destinations for travelers from Croatia are Zagreb, Zadar, Split, and Dubrovnik.

As far as accommodation choice is concerned, this year, travelers from Croatia most often chose to stay in camps, then in villas and holiday homes.

The increase in the reservation of accommodation in camps shows a change in travel trends, points out Booking.com, and adds that if we compare the data from the end of 2019 before it was known that a global pandemic would hamper our travel plans in 2020, only 13% passengers from Croatia intended to stay in camps while as many as 64% planned to spend their holidays in hotels.

For the latest travel info, bookmark our main travel info article, which is updated daily. 

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July 25, 2020 - Total Croatia News, the most widely read Croatian portal with news in English, again sets new standards in the tourist promotion of Croatia among domestic and foreign tourists and through the Viber community Croatia Last Minute Deals. And now, the portal TurističkePriče.hr connects domestic tourists and Croatian renters in the corona era.

In cooperation with the Viber community Croatia Last Minute Deals, the Last Minute Croatia platform was launched within the tourist lifestyle portal Turističke price, which combines especially favorable, "last minute" offers for hotel and private accommodation, as well as offers of travel agencies segmented by regions and parts of Croatia, in which they are located. Apart from Croatian, the content is also available in English and German, and it is updated several times a day with new offers so that you can get a cheap dream vacation faster than ever.

"Real-time communication via smartphones has become our reality today, and that's exactly how we came up with the idea of the Viber community Croatia Last Minute Deals, which allows tourists and tourism entities to communicate directly and quickly exchange information via simple messages. Since the beginning of July, we have gathered almost 4,000 interested renters, hoteliers, agencies and most importantly - domestic and foreign travelers who want to spend a holiday in Croatia, and every day, we grow. It was logical to connect with the portal Tourist Story, which brings a structured overview of domestic offers in one place and a simple search," said the owner of Total Croatia News, Paul Bradbury, who together with communication expert Krešimir Macan, launched Viber communities in mid-May to save Croatian tourism.

It is an active and fast promotion of Croatia and last-minute tourist facilities, which is a crucial advantage of the Viber group in which potential guests ask questions, and renters their offers. On the other hand, the portal makes it even easier to view offers, segmented by region.

"I am glad to be a part of this story since such valuable initiatives are crucial in a period when it is important to place information about Croatia as a safe country for vacation. It is through the synergy of Viber communities and portals that we additionally help domestic tourism to better fill the accommodation capacities in this challenging tourist year. On the other hand, domestic guests can find a dream vacation at an affordable price, which they thought was not possible," said Goran Rihelj, founder and owner of the portal Turističke priče and HrTurizam, and added that he is convinced that this innovative approach to communication ensured the stay of many foreign tourists in our country, as well as motivated many domestic guests to go to the sea, despite the crisis.

For the offer to be published for free in the category Last Minute Croatia on the website turističkepriče.hr, landlords must send a photo of the accommodation, contact, last-minute price, available date, and link to the website - or to the Viber community Croatia Last Minute Deals or directly to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

"I am grateful to Goran for recognizing that in these challenging moments, a complete Viber and web platform and fast communication must be provided to ensure that abruptly canceled dates and accommodations are quickly filled by domestic guests who are flexible because they are close. Every new reservation is ours. A small personal victory for both passengers and renters. That is why we decided to invest extra effort in the organization of these platforms as well," said Krešimir Macan, one of the initiators of this project.

In mid-May, with the opening of Croatia to foreigners, the Viber community Total Croatia Travel INFO became the main source of information for tourists who wanted to travel to our country and today has over 5,000 active members. Their contributions and feedback create the most accurate guide to travel to Croatia, TCN Croatia Travel Update, which has been read by over 120,000 tourists interested in coming to Croatia since May. Due to the often unclear situation with the rules of entry or exit from the country, members were able to get all the answers right here. As communication in the community developed naturally, they began to inquire about free accommodation on our coast. This is how the idea for the Viber community Croatia Last Minute Deals was born.

Paul Bradbury is an Irish writer and blogger who has lived in Croatia since 2002. He won the FIJET Marco Polo Tourism Journalist Award in 2014 and runs and edits the largest and most visited Croatian news portal in English, Total Croatia News, which bears the adjective "the most reliable source of information on Croatian destinations in the world". Numerous local experts and analysts write for the portal. Its success is evidenced by the fact that it is used as a source of news from Croatia by many reputable world media such as the Huff Post, Washington Post, Guardian, Independent, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Die Zeit, New Scientist, Herald, Lonely Planet News, and many others. Find out more about the TCN portal here.

What exactly should the much talked about Croatian Tourist Card be used for and for whom is it intended at all?

As Novac/Dora Koretic writes on the 29th of May, 2020, until recently, the answer to this question seemed rather simple, but the negotiation process between the state and public service unions, and a Croatian Government team has raised several questions regarding one of the Ministry of Tourism's most promoted and debated projects to date.

This became emphasised after the Minister of Labour Josip Aladrovic appeared before the public on Wednesday and said that instead of paying recourses through the so-called CRO card, the unions agreed that it still needs to be paid in cash, and to the bank account of the user.

"We have taken the position that we will still pay a rebate of 1,500 kuna to the accounts of citizens," he said, adding that the unions weren't satisfied with the idea of ​​the CRO card.

The way the card has now slipped through the collective agreement proposal for state and public services marks a truly considerable departure from the idea of ​​the CRO card in the form in which it was previously presented by its initiators. Namely, the public stated that it was primarily intended for private employers and their employees, and insisted on the interpretation that the payment of money on the Croatian Tourist Card has nothing to do with recourse payments.

Moreover, the whole idea of ​​the Croatian Tourist Card was based on the possibility that employers, in addition to other non-taxable fees in the amount of 7,500 kuna per year, now have the opportunity to pay their employees another 2,500 kuna which is also tax-free, but this time on a special card which will be able to be used in catering, hospitality and tourist facilities across Croatia.

"From January next year, employers, primarily in the private sector, will be able to pay their workers a maximum of 2,500 kuna in the form of a special voucher intended for consumption exclusively within the country and in periods outside of the main season. The project is currently under development, in the initial phase, we'll focus on companies from the private sector, but we're convinced that the state and public administration will also be interested in this,'' said the State Secretary in the Tourism Ministry, Frano Matusic.

Interest in using the Croatian Tourist Card was investigated in cooperation with the Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) on 400 private employers, of which every second one showed interest in the tourist voucher, albeit in the period before the coronavirus pandemic struck.

"The aim of this proposal of the Croatian Government's negotiating committee was to further encourage spending in the sectors which have been the most affected by the coronavirus crisis, such as the tourism and hospitality sector," they explained from the Ministry of Labour, redirecting the card from the private to the public sector. The Ministry of Tourism also briefly responded that the proposal to pay recourses for the civil service through the Croatian Tourist Card was an attempt to encourage spending in the domestic tourism sector.

For more on the Croatian Tourist Card and domestic tourism in the coronavirus era, follow our travel page.

Croatia currently has a very favourable epidemiological picture. The battle with coronavirus has gone well here, and the numbers of both those infected and those who have unfortunately died remain very small indeed. Croatia was praised by Oxford University for its stringent anti-epidemic measures, and with other European countries like the United Kingdom and Italy suffering horrifically, Croatia deserves praise. With that being said, can Croatia attract foreign tourists at all this season?

More and more countries are leaning towards incentives to keep their nationals and residents within their country's borders and to take holidays and other leisure trips to different destinations at home, as opposed to travelling abroad. With these incentives on the rise, the question: Can Croatia attract foreign tourists to its shores to save at least part of 2020's season? is growing ever louder.

Croatia is also trying to encourage domestic tourism, but with pockets empty and the immediate economic situation looking rather bleak, one has to ask just how Croatian families will afford travel this year, especially when staying in the homes of friends and relatives, as well as summer homes along the coast is much more normal for Croatia's residents than booking stays in hotels is.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 7th of May, 2020, it wasn't only Croatia that came up with the idea of ​​encouraging domestic tourists to stay within the country's borders in order to spend the money intended for trips that would otherwise be spent abroad here at home. Now we have a new problem with the attempt at rescuing this year's tourist season. In the countries from which most tourists come to Croatia, holidays at home are being actively encouraged.

Croatia is in a line with the likes of Greece, Spain, Italy, Turkey and more, entire lists of countries that primarily live from tourism revenue that will do their best to keep as many domestic tourists within their borders and thus help their own the economies are growing longer and longe, but not all governments have announced their plans yet, according to a report from Večernji list. Could Croatia therefore seek to attract foreign tourists after all?

In Germany, which puts tens of millions of tourists out ''into the world'' per year (about three million German citizens come to spend their holidays in Croatia), spending a holiday in one's own country has never been more topical.

Holidays within German borders are chosen by about 35 percent of Germans in pre-coronavirus times, and now, disciplined and aware as the Germans so famously are, they will not need to listen to too many explanations as why it's good to spend their euros at home as opposed to abroad in 2020.

If there is no continued escalation of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, German tourist hosts even believe that some German destinations which aren't that used to massive volumes of traffic could face a real tourist invasion.

In neighbouring Slovenia, holidays at home, within the country's borders are also being more and more popularised. The Slovenian Government is also preparing tourist vouchers, much like Croatia's Cro card, to encourage domestic tourist traffic. Croatia's other neighbours, the Hungarians, also have similar plans in the works for their residents.

The possibility of vouchers being given to employees for the use of annual leave in the Czech Republic and not taxed has already been mentioned there. The value of that voucher would be around 400 euros. By the end of May, it will be known whether the hard-hit Italians will also receive financial support to spend their holidays in their country. Amounts of 300 to 500 euros for an arrangement with at least three nights in an Italian destination are now being discussed. Announcements about the introduction of vouchers for domestic tourism are also coming from Poland.

Can Croatia attract foreign tourists at all this year? Is it time for the country to finally stop resting on its laurels and be more proactive? As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, and with the concern of a possible second wave brewing, it seems only time will tell.

Make sure to follow our travel page for much more.