August the 3rd, 2022 - Tomislav Fain, the president of the Croatian Association of Travel Agencies, has claimed that private accommodation renters/landlords renting out their properties to tourists during the summer season aren't bothering to register as many as 40 percent of their guests via the eVisitor system at all.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the problem being currently faced by the wider area of Zadar County is illegal accommodation renters and illegal work/earning in this sector. The president of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies, Tomislav Fain, has recently stated that up to forty percent of guests are staying in the country undeclared, pointing out that it is necessary to strengthen inspection supervision to curb this trend.

Tomislav Fain told HRT that a large number of landlords who have a categorisation on their properties for renting them out to foreign visitors during the summer for some quick and easy cash, do not register their guests via the eVisitor system or even attempt to do it in the ''old way'' with MUP.

"It's very simple, we have a certain number of capacities in a particular place, and when we look at the application that goes through eVisitor, we arrive to some very simple data, that forty percent of guests are simply not being registered at all.

We also need to be aware of the fact that in addition to those renters that aren't registering their guests, but have a categorisation, we also have a certain number of accommodation facilities which don't have a categorisation, and yet they still continue to receive guests and still advertise their apartments for rent on platforms,'' he said.

Tomislav Fain emphasised the fact that this figure is even higher, and creates various problems, from communal ones to the development of a specific destination. Therefore, incorrect data is obtained, and the preparation of upcoming tourist seasons cannot be carried out with quality or accuracy in mind.

''Some individuals who don't register guests don't bother issuing an invoice for the guest either, so they're not in the VAT system, and therefore they're paying less to the state. Some individuals are careless, they simply forget to register their guests and don't do it with any underhand motives in mind. They should be appealed to, to not be so careless,'' he said.

For those who deliberately avoid their obligations, inspection supervision should be strengthened and the proper punishments should be doled out, Fain believes.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

July the 7th, 2021 - The Croatian private accommodation sector is slowly but surely recovering from the horrific blow the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the travel restrictions dealt it. That being said, there's an extremely long way to go yet.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Jadranka Dozan writes, among the many economic indicators that signal a solid pace of economic recovery, the most recent picture is provided by the weekly updates of fiscalisation data.

The latest data from the Tax Administration claims that last week, the value of receipts issued across all activities within the fiscalisation system stood at 19 percent higher than in the same week last year, two percent behind the comparable week of pre-pandemic 2019.

The latest figures clearly reflect the approach of the peak tourist season. Namely, in the week of the transition from June to July this year, 54 percent more receipts were reported in the tourism and hospitality industry than were reported last year. As such, when it comes to these activities, 804 million kuna of weekly turnover was reported through fiscalisation, but compared to pre-crisis 2019, that figure is still 15 percent less.

In order to get a better picture of the impact of the pandemic, the Tax Administration also offers comparisons of fiscalised turnover for the period since last year's outbreak in Croatia.

They point out that from the end of February to the end of last week, the total fiscalised turnover was 22 percent or 12 billion kuna higher than it was back during the same period last year, and two percent lower than the year before.

However, while in trade the pre-trial traffic was exceeded by four percent, in tourism and catering, the value of receipts issued in the observed more than four months is still lower by about 40 percent.

What do things look like in terms of the recovery of fiscalised turnover when we look more closely at individual activities at the level of the first half of the year?

For example, in the first six months of 2021, 1.74 billion kuna in cash turnover was recorded by the Croatian private accommodation sector (which, in addition to payments with banknotes, includes cards, cheques, etc) which is 700 million kuna more than last year, but quite far from 3.32 billion kuna from the first half of 2019. Cafes and restaurants issued invoices worth 3.75 billion kuna in the first half of the year, which has not yet caught up with 2020's realisation with slightly less than 4 billion kuna in fiscalised turnover, and the gap in relation to the semi-annual turnover from pre-pandemic 2019 stands at more than 2.9 billion kuna in total.

Among the activities that are still well behind the pre-crisis levels of activity is the category of Arts, Entertainment and Recreation, in which, after last year's 250 million kuna, the value of issued receipts recovered a litte, reaching 313 million kuna, but it is still 38 percent less than the 502 million kuna recorded in the comparable period of the last pre-crisis year of 2019.

The same applies to activities in the category of Transport and storage. After the growing cycle in 2019 resulted in more than 1.3 billion kuna in annual fiscalised turnover, last year, enterprises from these activities reported less than 770 million kuna, and the beginning of recovery this year was reflected in an increase in the value of invoices issued to 843 million kuna. Entrepreneurial niches related to tourism and travel generally fared worse than others, which shouldn't come as a particular surprise to most.

According to the NCEA, a part of these enterprises is classified in Administrative and support service activities in which fiscalised turnover is still more than half lower than in the pre-pandemic area. In the first half of the year, they reported less than 290 million kuna, or slightly less than last year's 300 kuna, while the year before, 884 million kuna in turnover was fiscalised in these activities.

For more, make sure to follow our dedicated business section.

May the 26th, 2021 - What exactly do tourists in Croatia want as the situation with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic continues to alter as time goes on? Podstrana pools have been popular since tourists began arriving and the epidemiological situation becomes more favourable, but the market trends have altered since the appearance of the virus, and regardless of the vaccine.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, in the rugged hills above Podstrana near Split, almost every single house, some of them being very old, has been converted for the purposes of tourism. Some are full of glass and boast a modern appearance and others have kept their Dalmatian character with traditional stone, most of them, regardless of their styles, come with pools. These Podstrana pools have never been more sought after by visitors than now.

Luka is just one such homeowner to have turned to tourism and done up what he inherited in the hills above Podstrana, a location which offers not only isolation but some stunning views over the Split area and the glorious Adriatic sea. From Luka's Podstrana pool and terrace, the view of Split lying below is precisely what draws attention.

''They like to be left in peace, they don't mix with others on the beach," Luka Bakota told Dnevnik.hr when discussing what tourists in Croatia now seek the most as the pandemic continues to change habits and desires.

In a period ten years, more than 150 holiday homes with swimming pools have been built in Podstrana alone, and one owner, Mario Tomasevic, recovered following contracting COVID-19 back at the time around Easter this year.

"I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, it was utterly horrendous," Tomasevic stated as he recalled his personal experience with the infection caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. 

Having unpleasant personal experience firmly under his belt, Mario more than understands why some guests want to be very careful and seek out isolation and safety when in Croatia. Now better, he now has guests and some good reservations to speak of, among them a duo from Germany.

''We came in earlier years and there was no pool. Now we've come and the pool is there. We feel like VIP guests,'' said Peter from Germant. Several more villas are being built nearby, also with swimming pools. The Podstrana Tourist Board has also confirmed that Podstrana pools are in great demand, and they're recording much better overall numbers much better than they did last year.

"We have 10,000 overnight stays, that's 40 percent better than the way things were last year," assured Zdravka Svenda, the director of the Podstrana Tourist Board.

For more about tourists in Croatia, follow our dedicated travel section.

May 13,  2020 - The Croatian Institute of Public Health (HZJZ) has published recommendations for the operation of hotels and rentals in Croatia. 

HRTurizam reports that in accordance with reactivating certain activities based on looser measures, it is recommended that hotels and rental activities act per the following recommendations.

1. General rules and conditions for hotel premises
- Physical distance. During their stay in the hotel, visitors must adhere to a measure of physical distance of 1.5 meters concerning other visitors, unless they are members of the same family or group.

- Disinfectant. At the entrances of hotel premises (lobby, reception, sports, and recreational facilities, counters for payment of services) and in the work area of ​​employees it is necessary to install dispensers with disinfectant (based on alcohol in a concentration of not less than 70% or other means suitable for use on the skin with declared virucidal action).

- Visible notices and informing guests. At the entrances of the hotel premises in a visible place, it is necessary to place information on hygienic procedures or place information with guidelines on proper behavior and protection measures in the rooms where guests stay, or give this information to guests upon check-in or put an information leaflet in the accommodation unit. The telephone number of the responsible person in the hotel is available in the accommodation unit, who then takes contact with the health care institutions in case of COVID-19 suspicion. 

- Maximum number of people on the premises. Observe the rules of the maximum number of persons allowed in certain areas following the defined criteria of physical distance of 1.5 meters to other visitors, unless they are members of the same family or group.

- Paper towels and disposable material. It is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of paper towels and other disposable materials, means and equipment for cleaning, washing and disinfection.

- Waste disposal. It is recommended to place a rubbish bin with appropriate lids in all public areas inside the hotel.

- Protective equipment. It is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of protective masks and gloves for employees entering the guest accommodation units (eg maintenance staff, cleaners, etc.).

- Adhere to all general and hygienic measures. Instructions for cleaning and disinfection are available at the following link:

Persons suspected or suffering from COVID-19: HERE

2. Reception, lobby and other public spaces

- Ventilation. Ventilate all areas regularly.

- Reception hygiene. Disinfection of reception areas at regular intervals (eg every hour), and disinfect the area of reception and check-out of guests (contact areas) with a higher frequency than other reception areas.

- Physical distance at the reception. Ensure sufficient distance between reception staff and guest and staff, reduce check-in / check-out time below 15 minutes (which is the definition of close contact) or, if this is not possible, place partitions (made of Plexiglas or similar material that provides the required sanitary distance). The maximum number of people in the reception area is regulated and limited in accordance with the measures of physical distance of 1.5 meters.

- Informing guests and staff. Reception staff should be sufficiently informed about COVID-19 to be able to carry out the assigned tasks without difficulty and to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19 within the institution. They should be able to inform guests inquiring about the hotel's policy regarding the implementation of preventive measures or other services that guests may request (for example, medical and pharmacy services available in the area or in the facility itself, telephone numbers of emergency epidemiologists, etc.).

- Application of technology. Emphasizing online / booking check-in and check-in from home (the option is to find the technical possibility of direct guest registration on the e-visitor), contactless payment, payment by proforma invoice, self-scanning of documents, etc. (where applicable and possible).

- Check out. Advise guests to announce their check-out plans in advance so that bills can be prepared on time and avoid being delayed at reception.

- Currency exchange and ATMs. Prefer where it is possible to change and withdraw money at ATMs located on the outside / outside the reception. ATMs are located in public areas that are covered with a disinfectant dispenser.

- Elevators. Set up safety instructions, including the maximum number of guests allowed at one time, in front of and inside the elevator. Elevators are located in public spaces with disinfectants, and the distance from the max. number of users of each elevator should be made unless the users are part of a family or share a common accommodation unit.

- Conditions for maintaining the hygiene of sanitary facilities. Increased cleaning, disinfection and ventilation of public sanitary facilities every two hours (and more often if necessary), increase the number of employees for daily cleaning in each sanitary facility. Limit the simultaneous use of sanitary facilities in accordance with the size and prescribed sanitary conditions.

- Business centers/conference rooms. Mandatory disinfection of tables and all equipment after use. Respect for the physical distance of 1.5 meters between individual groups of guests.

- Children's facilities. Ensure work in the manner prescribed by the operation of kindergartens and playgrounds in cities. Recommendations are available on the HZJZ website.

- Equipment availability. If necessary, provide guests with available thermometers and protective masks and gloves (on request).

3. Food and beverage service areas and commercial facilities

Shops and catering facilities in the hotel should operate in accordance with the decisions of the Civil Protection Headquarters and the existing recommendations for these activities outside the hotel.

Instructions for catering facilities available HERE

4. Accommodation units

Cleaning frequency of accommodation units. Cleaning and change of bed linen and towels will be done in accordance with existing standards, informing guests that if they want, the rules of cleaning and change of bed linen and towels can be arranged differently, or adjusted to guest requirements (eg only on arrival/departure room is cleaned and changed towels and bed linen and to eliminate the principle of changing towels and bed linen and cleaning during the stay of guests).

- Cleaning of surfaces and sanitary facilities. All surfaces that have come in contact with the guest (nightstand, table, chair, coffee table, any furniture, amenities, telephone, remote control, etc.) must be cleaned with a suitable detergent and disinfectant. Cleaning of all bathroom surfaces must be given special attention when changing guests.

- Bed linen and towels. Used bedding (bedding and towels in the bathroom) must be stored in a closed container separate from the cart with clean bedding; dirty and clean bedding must always be separated and must not come into contact.

- Informing guests. Ensure that information/instructions on new room cleaning and linen change procedures are clearly visible and accessible to guests.

5. Recommendations for hotel staff

General protective measures. Avoid close contact with people who show symptoms of fever, cough and / or difficulty breathing. Avoid touching the face, mouth, nose and eyes, shaking hands and close conversation, and maintain social distance. When coughing or sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with an elbow or tissue to be immediately thrown in the trash and wash your hands. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water and / or use an alcohol-based or other skin-friendly disinfectant with virucidal effects according to the manufacturer's instructions.

- Maximum protection of customers and hotel staff. If possible, install a protective barrier at the serving point and at the cash register, which will physically separate the cashier from the customer. Contactless credit card payments should be encouraged. During their stay in the hotel, visitors must adhere to a measure of physical distance of 1.5 meters in relation to other visitors, unless they are members of the same family or group.

- Daily body temperature measurement. Staff should take their body temperature before arriving on the morning shift. If the body temperature is higher than 37.2 ° C in the morning, if the person feels sick or has any signs of illness (applies to all symptoms and signs of illness, not just respiratory diseases), they should contact their superior and not come to work until the competent family doctor is called.

- Two-shift operation. If possible, organize the work twice, so that there is at least an hour between the first and second shifts, which will be used to clean and disinfect the surfaces during routine cleaning. The surfaces shall be disinfected by wiping with an alcohol-based disinfectant in a concentration of not less than 70% or another agent suitable for use on the skin with declared virucidal action according to the manufacturer's instructions.

- Staff awareness. Before starting work / opening, educate staff about all measures that are being implemented.

6. Technical service and maintenance

- Water use and chlorination. Maintaining the hygienic conditions of the pool water (bathing water) and ensuring the smooth operation of the water treatment device is carried out in the usual way. Concerning pool water, it is possible to use the maximum permitted concentrations of chlorine.

- Textile washing and dishwashing equipment. It is necessary to check the proper functioning of the equipment for washing dishes and laundry, especially the working temperature, as well as the correct dose of chemicals for cleaning and disinfection.

- Air conditioners, heating and ventilation devices (HVAC). Pay special attention to monitoring the condition of the filter and maintaining the correct condition of the air exchange rate indoors. The proper functioning of equipment for ventilation, air exchange and dehumidification of indoor pools should be checked. Increased ventilation of hotel spaces is recommended, for example, by increasing the number of ventilations, by increasing the percentage of outside air circulating in the system.

- Dispensers and other devices for disinfectants. Regular inspections should be carried out to ensure the proper functioning of the soap and disinfectant device. It is recommended to put the hand dryers out of order and replace them with disposable paper hand towels. Defective units should be repaired or replaced quickly.

7. Pools, beaches and sports - recreational and other service activities

- Pools and beaches. Separate deck chairs in such a way as to ensure physical distance from in relation to other visitors unless they are members of the same family or group. The hotel staff must disinfect the deckchairs several times a day, and certainly after guests leave the deckchair and another guest wants to use it.

- Recreational sports. In the spaces provided for recreational sports indoors, the instructions "Recommendation for training and sports-recreational activities in indoor sports facilities during the COVID-19 epidemic" published on the HZJZ website are applied.

Cosmetic services. Instructions available HERE
Massage services. Instructions available HERE

- Wellness and saunas. Limit the number of people, especially in closed facilities (eg wellness) and spaces, in accordance with the available space. It is recommended to put all wet saunas out of function. Dry saunas, such as the Finnish sauna, can continue to operate. Ventilate, clean and disinfect all surfaces in hallways and toilets more frequently.

8. Receiving associates and unannounced guests

- Associates. The arrival of other persons (eg couriers) should be organized in such a way that before the arrival of that person, the phone is announced and the temperature is measured.

- If the body temperature is higher than 37.2 ° C in the morning, if the person feels sick or has any signs of illness (applies to all symptoms and signs of illness, not just respiratory diseases), they should contact their superior and not come to the hotel until the competent family doctor has been contacted by telephone.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

April 28, 2020 — Private accommodations along the Adriatic may have to ditch their usual post-checkout cleaning practices to continue using online booking services. Gloves may be worn and then tossed, hands washed repeatedly and disinfectant maniacally sprayed. The early days of tourism during the coronavirus era offers new, still-evolving protocols that may slice into profits even in the best of seasons. Hosts and cleaners along the Dalmatian coast suggest they might be shuttled into hibernation, or worse, close up shop.

New hygienic protocols, like cleaning recommendations Airbnb released on Monday, are designed to lure travelers by highlighting accommodations' cleanliness. The voluntary and extensive to-do list reportedly reads like an obsessive-compulsive germophobes' ritualistic scrub-down, but following it earns a prominent certification which could innoculate against rampant vacancies. The company argues hosts will benefit from the positive feedback of providing clean accommodations while guests will rest easy knowing their room is thoroughly disinfected.

But at the other end stand private cleaning services and hosts along the Adriatic, who consider the measures cumbersome, excessive, and costly.

"It is, in my opinion, pure nonsense," Mira Barbarić, owner of "Čisto," a cleaning services company, told Slobodna Dalmacija, among others who complained to the paper. "I clean as I always clean. I don't know what else I can do that's better than what I've been doing until now, except drew my soul out of my own body. All this together is on the verge of madness."

Barbarić and other cleaning services are sometimes a one-person operation, arriving at apartments just as guests checkout. They transform into a whirligig of spray bottles, vacuums, rags, and mops as they prep for new guests scheduled to arrive in a few hours. All of that work may not be enough anymore.

Airbnb announced its Enhanced Cleaning Initiative on Monday, creating a de facto checklist for all hosts which will affect the flow of guests to their homes. The crib-sheet reportedly reads like a minimal routine at a healthcare facility. Rigorous hand washing is followed by donning personal protective equipment (disposable gloves, masks, and aprons) and opening all doors and windows to let through a breeze.

Surfaces must first be cleaned with water and detergent (or soap), then sprayed with disinfectant which stands for a few minutes before being wiped dry with disposable wet wipes or paper towels, if possible. (Cleaning rags are allowed, but must be clean).

Linens and towels should also be washed at higher temperatures while wearing disposable gloves. Then, empty the vacuum cleaner after each cleaning and disinfect it.

Barbarić said a market already awash in black-market exchanges and deals will only grow thanks to this measure and thinning wallets. She's been in the business for 15 years, currently charging about 70 kunas an hour but expects it to fall.

"Anyone who is relatively healthy can take a cloth and clean," she said. "Of course, someone who has no money won't call the cleaning service."

Airbnb said its protocols align with recommendations from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as epidemiologists and companies in the hygiene and hospitality sectors. Hosts can enroll in the program and earn a certification which signals to guests they're adhering to the new guidelines.

Airbnb's initiative is voluntary for now, but the certification inherently incentivizes enrollment, since guests will likely seek certified accommodations.

The crux of the guidelines for hosts lies in the waiting period after checkout, where a room remains untouched for 24 hours first before cleaning begins. The recommendations follow epidemiological suggestions to reduce the odds of renters contracting a previous occupant's illness. The measure eliminates the chance of stacking guests in rapid succession, building immovable vacancies into a host's schedule. 

Many hosts and cleaners rely on razor-thin margins, high volume, fast turnover, and low overhead to turn a profit. Every night a room stays vacant is a loss. In the corona era, that will happen more and more often as online travel agencies and short-term rental apps continue searching for some semblance of normalcy (and revenues) during the coronavirus era.

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of May, 2019, Croatia's private accommodation renters who advertise their premises on platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb should make sure they are properly registered on the eVisitor system in order to avoid potentially serious consequences. A visit from an inspector could occur at any time.

Along with the beginning of the summer tourist season, the strengthening of the supervision of the properties rented out privately to tourists from landlords and owners, as well as other types of hospitality facilities, is on the cards. State inspectors will be out in full force this season, and they will, among carrying out numerous other tasks, "comb" through potential unregistered listings and punish Croatia's many illegal renters.

This ''action'' will be assisted by the central eVisitor information system that applies to all categorised facilities, and uncategorised apartments and houses will also be searched out on booking and reservation platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb, as has been confirmed by the state inspectorate.

There are numerous types of categorisation in place for private accommodation, and each and every facility that rents its space to tourists must be correctly registered on Croatia's eVisitor system in order for those guests to be registered with the police and/or tourist office upon their arrival (although this is something many choose not to adhere to, and which, in all honesty, isn't enforced well), and more importantly, for the host to be able to pay the correct taxes. In addition, a tax number must be highlighted for such tourist services carried out within the European Union.

A total of 136 jobs have been systemised ready for these types of inspection during the tourist season, and, together with the employees of the Customs Administration of the Croatian Ministry of Finance, a total of 97 jobs for tourist inspectors to carry out the work have now been filled.

At the moment, 52 inspectors are working to cover Croatia's coast, where the majority of illegal renting takes place, through offices in Rijeka and Split, as well as sixteen other associated offices. In addition to that, during the very height of the tourist season, inspectors from Croatia's continental counties will also be there to help out their coastal colleages. They all have access to the eVisitor system, which will help them to detect illegal renters.

The mechanism for locating Croatia's illegal renters is very simple, if the accommodation advertised on online platforms such as those listed above is not registered on eVisitor, this acts as a sign to inspectors that they can take the appropriate action. It has since been found out from private renters that nobody is asking for categorisation certification on those platforms anymore.

Booking.com and Expedia were asking for categorisation certification until the powerful Airbnb entered the Croatian market just a few years ago. Anamarija Cicarelli, head of the Split family accommodation advice centre, says most rental platforms have lost their legitimacy because they simply go off trusting the advertiser without any actual evidence.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

Click here for the original article by Marija Crnjak for Poslovni Dnevnik

What do Croatian and international travellers think of their hosts when staying in private accommodation? How do they rate them, how much interaction is too much and are privacy and inside information the key?

As Lea Balenovic/Novac writes on the 9th of April, 2019, almost two thirds of Croats believe that the host is a key factor when staying in an accommodation facility, and those who are the best rated in the Republic of Croatia, both from domestic and foreign guests, can be found in in Rakovica, Osijek, Bibinje, Korenica, Kaštela, Makarska, Brela, Senj, Trogir and Podstrana.

They are the results of research conducted by the world's leading rental company, Booking.com, on a sample of 21,500 travellers worldwide. As the survey showed, 63 percent of international travellers and 62 percent of Croatian travellers think that their stay was better because of their engagement of the host who did everything they could to make it a better stay for them.

Most travellers want to feel "at home," as they have indicated in such surveys. For 62 percent of international travellers, the main advantage of non-hotel accommodation is the ability to take advantage of the knowledge and information available from the host and decide to stay in a property owned by someone who actually comes from the region in which the property is located. The same goes for 48 percent of Croatian travellers.

Nearly half of the international travellers who partook in the survey, or more specifically 45 percent of them, and 59 percent of Croatian travellers consider the local knowledge and information at their disposal from their host important for their overall budget because they hope to be given insider advice that will help them save some cash and avoid potential tourist traps.

However, while it seems that all travellers who took part in this survey generally consider the same things to be significant, each traveller is looking for a different type of engagement from their host. Therefore, some travellers are satisfied with a simple warm welcome, while others have slightly higher expectations from their hosts.

For example, 52 percent of international passengers and 40 percent of Croatian travellers believe that their host should only be seen once during their stay in order to make them feel welcome, and more than a third of international travellers and almost the same number of Croatian travellers expect their hosts to contact them only during their arrival, registration, and then again when they eventually check out and leave the premises.

What is often even more challenging to hosts is the fact that many travellers also expect them to have some sort of sixth sense and know just how much of a personal touch is needed for each traveller. 69 percent believe that hosts should intuitively know the right amount of time they should be spending with their guests, and that is also what 73 percent of Croatian travellers think. For four out of five international travellers and the same number of travellers from Croatia that means respecting their need for personal space, which means that the feeling of privacy is key.

The hosts also agree. Namely, nearly 80 percent of Croatian hosts think that the most important thing for guests is to be able to properly ensure their privacy.

"Our research reveals that it's very important for the owners and managers of accommodation facilities to find a balance which ensures the best experience, regardless of whether guests are staying in a vacation home, an apartment, in accommodation with their hosts or any other type of facility," explained Olivier Grémillon, the vice president of Booking.com, adding the fact thatt "what is crystal clear is that there is nothing like the ability of ordinary people to turn something into an unforgettable experience."

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more.

Click here for the original article by Lea Balenovic for Novac/Jutarnji

As Novac writes on the 27th of March, 2019, tourists staying in both hotels and private accommodation in Dubrovnik are on average 42 years of age, of a higher level of education and possess decent paying power. They typically spend 170 euros per day on average, which is 90 euros more than the average stands in seven other coastal Croatian counties, according to a survey taken by TOMAS Dubrovnik 2018.

This research was conducted by Zrinka Marušić from the Institute for Tourism, for the needs of the City of Dubrovnik, only for Dubrovnik, conducted on a sample of 1,600 respondents.

"Dubrovnik attracts a specific sort of guest, due to broadcasting markets that aren't specific to the rest of Croatia. According to the motives of the visits, we can no longer speak of a [typical] holiday destination," Marušić said.

Namely, while visiting Croatia's southernmost city, guests are mostly attracted to new experiences, gastronomy and cultural sights, as well as swimming, local portal Dubrovački vjesnik writes.

According to the survey's data, the average daily spending of stationary guests staying in Dubrovnik is 170 euros, of which about half or 87 euros refers to accommodation, food and drink outside the accommodation facility accounts for 43 euros, culture and entertainment accounts for 14 euros, purchases account for 11 euros, etc.

The biggest spenders are from non European, more distant countries, topped quite unsurprisingly by the Americans, followed by tourists from Australia and from various Asian countries. Two thirds of Dubrovnik's stationary guests arrive in Dubrovnik with their partner, and 86 percent of them who visit the city are doing so for the very first time.

Research has shown that Croatia's long-standing tourism Mecca is a distinct airport destination as more than 85 percent of the respondents arrived by air. As many as 70 percent of the southern Dalmatian city's guests stay from four to seven days.

The city's visitors are most pleased with the beauty of the city, the levels of safety and security, the hospitality, and the typically high quality of the provided accommodation. They are least satisfied, however, with local transportation, shopping opportunities and the intolerable crowding and traffic in public places and on the city's numerous beaches.

The survey also included visitors who arrived in Dubrovnik on a cruise ship and shows that they are on average 49 years old and spend on average 51 euros per day. The most extravagant among them are once again Americans, and the most frugal are our neighbours from across the Adriatic, the Italians.

As many as 92 percent of the tourists asked were visiting Dubrovnik for the very first time, discouragingly, they are mostly ''one-day visitors'' and remain in Dubrovnik for a mere five and a half hours. Most often, they visit sights and eat at restaurants, and these guests are by far the least satisfied with the shopping opportunities and the total lack of organisation of the traffic and the huge crowds.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more. If it's just Dubrovnik you're interested in, give Total Dubrovnik a follow.

While having increased in popularity over the last couple of years owing primarily to active tourism, the Dalmatian hinterland tends to live in the shadow of its coastal cousin, but is all that about to change?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of December, 2018, the calculations of the Institute for Croatian Tourism show that the number of overnight stays in Split-Dalmatia County could rise by 30 percent, mostly in the Dalmatian hinterland, by more than 200 percent. The study in which these figures were presented was entitled "Measuring Sustainability of Tourism in Practice".

Tourism Institute researcher Zoran Klarić explained that Split-Dalmatia County tourism would be able to achieve a presumed growth of 30 percent, but only if certain obstacles are dealt with and removed before that goal, Slobodna Dalmacija reports.

"When it comes to the biggest development obstacles, we've come across an unacceptable situation with waste disposal, a power system on the edge of durability, a water supply system that depends on a single source in the case of Split, inadequate drainage, and very weak traffic power, plus parking spaces," said Klarić.

He explained that tourism in that particular county was explored through five parts: Split, the Split riviera, the Makarska riviera, the Dalmatian hinterland, Brač, Hvar, and Vis. In addition to the Dalmatian hinterland, which could account for 200 percent growth, the biggest potential for growth lies on the nearby island of Brač, where calculations show potential of up to 50 percent growth, Slobodna Dalmacija writes.

Through the additional number of guests who could come to Croatia over the coming years, the institute calculated that the potential increase of tourists could be as much as 250,000 per year. According to estimates, the largest number of overnight stays would be made by Makarska riviera (two million) followed by the Split riviera (one million and 950 thousand), while Split would see as many as 670,000 overnight stays realised.

In the coming years, the number of hospitality and tourist zones could increase, to 145 with a total of 95,000 beds on offer.

"It's almost twice the capacity available today in this type of accommodation," the institute noted, adding that there is currently no indication that the growth of tourism in private accommodation which otherwise currently accounts for about 80 percent of Split-Dalmatia County's overall accommodation capacity today will be limited.

Despite these indicators, which can be taken in both a positive and a negative way, tourism has some limitations in parts of the aforementioned county. The lack of labour is a big problem, and one which will continue to grow, and the Makarska riviera has a particular issue with its overall beach capacity.

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Due to poor controls, as many as 53 percent of those renting out private accommodation to tourists have consistently failed respect the law. Will new, more strict laws alter the situation?