July 20, 2020 – The Poreč Tourist Board expects 35 to 40 percent of last year's traffic and 50 to 60 percent of hotel occupancy compared to last year.

In the middle of July in Poreč, Istria marks the beginning of the peak of the tourist season, but this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, there are far fewer tourists than in 2019. However, despite the worse situation compared to last year's record year, in the past month, the city of Poreč in Istria has recorded a significant increase in the number of tourists. As the director of Poreč Tourist Board Nenad Velenik said, at the beginning of June there were only 500 guests in the city, while on July 19 they have 15,000 guests, and that number is growing every day. From the beginning of the year to the middle of July, 400,000 overnight stays were realized in Poreč, which is approximately 28 percent compared to last year.

Private accommodation safest

Velenik adds that they expect "between 35 and 40 percent of tourist traffic compared to 2019 that was a record year in which we recorded 3.5 million tourist overnight stays“. He considers this a solid result, not a good one.

Poreč is among the top destinations in Croatia in terms of tourist overnight stays. As Ajna Temimović from the City of Poreč explains, together with the municipalities of Tar-Vabriga, Funtana, and Vrsar, which naturally gravitate to Poreč, about 10 million overnight stays a year are realized on the 70-kilometer-long coast, which makes up almost 10 percent of Croatian tourism. This year, the leading places are the ones in the safest conditions, which are private accommodation. It gives guests much more privacy and security which is very important at the moment. This is followed by overnight stays in camps, and then hotels that are gradually opening their doors and filling up as the peak of the season approaches.

"Today, Poreč is primarily a hotel destination and they felt the biggest change,“ Temimović notes.

"We plan to have hotels between 50 and 60 percent full by the end of the tourist season compared to last year, which is an excellent result,“ says Velenik. This result is expected if the epidemiological conditions allow it and if there is no re-closure of borders.

Favorable conditions

"We must take into account that Istria as a region is already positioned in our emitting markets,“ Velenik points out.

Poreč, but also the whole Istria are the closest destinations with the warm sea for tourists from Europe. Their guests come by car, mostly from Germany, followed by guests from Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Italy.

“Certainly, the biggest role is played by the fact that Istria is a traditional car destination, but a great contribution is given by quality work, preparation and communication with many regular guests. All emitting markets have put Croatia on the green list, except Slovenia. Also, for the markets of Russia, Ukraine and Great Britain, guests have no problems accessing Croatia and local facilities,” says Tamimović.

When favorable epidemiological conditions are added to all this, Istria is a destination that guests still want to visit.

“Those are our comparative advantages,” Velenik explains.

Source: Poreč Tourist Board

Also, all restaurants are open. Some of the caterers are recording even 65 percent of the last year’s traffic, which is better than what is expected for this year in July.

“The ones who found their niche worked well last year and this year. The ones who did not, unfortunately, will suffer this year, just like the rest of us”, explains Velenik, adding that we’re all in this pandemic together.

As Temimović explains, “good results are certainly recorded by holiday villas, but also by all those who have attracted guests with the quality of their offer”.

She adds that Poreč has provided a total of 12 relief measures to help its businessmen during limited or prohibited work caused by a coronavirus, such as write-offs for renting terraces or business spaces.

Tourists must enjoy the destination

In this whole situation, the positive thing is that the waiters can be more dedicated to the guests, which is extremely important at this point. On the other hand, tourists can currently enjoy the cultural manifestations in Poreč that epidemiological measures allow. Those are concerts of classical music in the Euphrasian Basilica every Friday and jazz concerts every Wednesday in Bar Lapidarium, whose capacities are 30 to 40 people at a sufficient social distance.

“I notice that the guests are happy to come and praise the fact that we adhere to the measures and that they have an exclusive. The concerts are top-notch and the guest has an exclusive viewing of it. It's not overcrowded. A few bright tones and moments in this misfortune”, says Velenik.

The atmosphere in Poreč is relatively lively, even though the dynamic of life in the city has changed. Poreč has always been a city of numerous events, but this year it was temporarily suspended.

“It is felt that the habits of tourists have also changed, that today they may be looking for some different content, avoiding larger gatherings,” says Temimović.

Transparency and improvement

In addition to the quality catering and cultural offer, the Tourist Board makes sure that their guests are well-informed. The Poreč Tourist Board is working hard to ensure the safety of tourists. Their goal is for tourists, regardless of the pandemic, to enjoy what the destination has to offer.

Despite the 2020 crisis, Poreč has managed to realize one of the largest capital projects that is the arrangement of part of the city waterfront. They are also planning to arrange the rest of the old town core, but also the rest of Poreč and its surroundings.

“Of course, the plans from the beginning of the year had to be adjusted, but the City will do everything it can, within its capabilities, to maintain the achieved social, communal and social standards, which is why it has been declared the city with the best quality of life in Croatia in its category”, Temimović concludes.

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