October the 14th, 2021 - A remarkably good Croatian summer season which few could have possibly predicted or expected when remembering the dire situation we experienced back in 2020 saw air traffic passengers in Croatia double. The sheer amount of people being transported by air was certainly a breath of fresh air for the travel industry, which was not only so badly harmed by the pandemic, but has also now got to work to regain the trust of travellers.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, back during August 2021, the very height of the Croatian summer season, the total amount of passenger traffic at Croatian airports reached 1.25 million or 113.8 percent more than in August 2020, when traffic of a mere 585 thousand passengers was recorded as a result of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

For comparison, back in the pre-pandemic August of 2019, the turnover was 1.95 million passengers. In August this year, 64.1 percent of the passenger traffic from August 2019 was reached.

The most passenger traffic was realised by Split Airport, with 491 thousand passengers, which is 81.1 percent more than in August 2020, when 271 thousand passengers were transported - in August 2019, 669 thousand passengers were transported.

Split is followed by Dubrovnik Airport, with 288 thousand passengers (117 thousand passengers were transported in August 2020, while 522 thousand passengers were transported in August 2019) and Zagreb Airport, with 193 thousand passengers - in August 2020, 93 thousand passengers were transported, while in August 2019, 374 thousand passengers were transported.

The most significant international passenger traffic was realised with Germany, with an impressive 242 thousand passengers, which is an increase of 92.2 percent compared to the same period back in 2020, when 141 thousand passengers were transported.

The total number of aircraft landings and take-offs at Croatian airports in August 2021 stood at 16,318, an increase of 40.5 percent when compared to August 2020, when the number of landings and take-offs was 11,613. The total number of aircraft landings and take-offs at Croatian airports in August 2019 was 19,847.

The total amount of cargo traffic at Croatian airports in August 2021 was 769 tonnes, an increase of 28.6 percent compared to August 2020, when cargo traffic stood at 598 tonnes.

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September the 8th, 2021 - The height of the tourist season is now just behind us and it has been a truly remarkable summer, especially given earlier predictions made when the coronavirus pandemic was forcing lockdowns and before the vaccine rollout became more accessible. That said, four Asian markets have been weaker in terms of Croatian overnight stays realised.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, during the first eight months of this year, more tourists came and stayed in Croatia than they did last year, which is far from a surprise given the delicate situation then.

As we previously reported, those tourists arrived here from more than seventy countries, with fewer arrivals and Croatian overnight stays from only five of them: Indonesia, Korea, China, Japan and nearby Kosovo, as data from the eVisitor and eCrew systems of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) shows.

There were no surprises in the order of the countries this year either, and as expected, the Germans are (quite traditionally at this point) far ahead of everyone else, both in terms of arrivals and in terms of realised Croatian overnight stays.

There were 2.1 million German tourists in the country and they realised almost 16 million overnight stays or 23.3 percent of the total number of Croatian overnight stays in the eight months of this year, which is 53 percent and then 42 percent more than in the first eight months of 2020, while in relation to for the same period in 2019, their overnight stays have been equal to about a million less.

Behind the Germans are the locals, Croatian tourists, of whom 1.7 million were registered, and their overnight stays amounted to 10.1 million, which is an increase of 31.6 and almost 10 percent when compared to 2020, while compared to the same period back in pre-pandemic 2019, it's equal to about one million Croatian overnight stays less.

Of the ten markets with the highest number of overnight stays realised in the country, only Austria and Slovakia achieved over 100 percent more than last year.

The largest increase, of as much as 212.4 percent, was achieved by tourists from the Netherlands, with 1.8 million overnight stays realised in the first eight months of this year alone.

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

August the 13th, 2021 - Croatian air traffic has well and truly outshined the dire situation we experienced last year as the vaccination rollout continues globally and restrictions on travel and tourism slowly but steadily allow for more flexibility. 285 percent more air passengers arrived in June 2021 when compared to the same month in 2020.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Darko Bicak writes, although the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is far from totally over, all indicators suggest that almost all trends and figures in terms of freight and passenger traffic in national and international traffic, if not already returned to their pre-pandemic levels, are very much on track for a safe recovery.

The data from the Central Bureau of Statistics on traffic in Croatian seaports and airports also confirm this. According to that data, traffic in seaports doubled in June this year, and tripled in airports when compared to last year. Croatian air traffic has certainly been on the rebound, and it hasn't come a moment too late.

According to the aforementioned CBS data, 5.43 million passengers embarked and disembarked in Croatian seaports during the second quarter of 2021, which is an increase of 81.8 percent compared to the same period last year.

Compared to pre-pandemic, record 2019, this is still a drop of 41.9 percent, but that isn't really surprising. Circumstances caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus back in 2020 directly affected the decline in passenger and vehicle traffic across all Croatian seaports, and things are now finally showing signs of steady and sure recovery.

After a six-month break, in the second quarter of 2021, the return of passengers on cruise ships began. There have so far been 12 thousand passengers, but compared to the same quarter of 2019, traffic in that sector fell by a depressing 97.6 percent.

In the second quarter of 2021, there was an increase in vehicles on Croatia's roads when compared to 2020, but compared to 2019, 19.5 percent fewer passenger vehicles and 78.6 percent fewer buses were loaded and unloaded on/from vessels.

The total turnover of goods at the level of the Republic of Croatia increased by 10.2 percent when compared to the same period back in 2020, which was caused by the increase in the turnover of dry bulk goods by 42.5 percent, which has a share in the total turnover of goods of 26 percent.

Current cargo turnover, with a share in the total turnover of goods of 51 percent, decreased by 2.6 percent when compared to the same period back in 2020. Of the five ports that account for 92 percent of the total turnover of goods in seaports, the Port of Ploce (57.7 percent), the Port of Rijeka (18.1 percent) and the Port of Split (18.1 percent) all saw increases in 2021's second quarter.

In the first half of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020, the total number of ships arriving in Croatian seaports increased by 30.3 percent, the total passenger traffic by 40.7 percent, and the total cargo traffic by 12.5 percent.

A similar situation, but with more pronounced growth, can be seen in Croatian air traffic, which suffered tremendously throughout 2020.

In June 2021, the total passenger traffic at Croatian airports amounted to 320 thousand or 285.4 percent more than in June 2020, when Croatian air traffic brought only 83 thousand passengers into the country. For comparison, back in June 2019, the turnover was 1.56 million passengers.

In June 2021, 20.6 percent of passenger traffic from June 2019 was realised. The largest amount of passenger traffic was realised by Split Airport, with 115 thousand passengers, which is 360.1 percent more than in June 2020, followed by Zagreb Airport with 100 thousand passengers and Dubrovnik Airport with 59 thousand passengers.

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June the 19th, 2021 - Tourism Minister Brnjac has taken to Twitter to tweet that 200,000 tourists were staying in Croatia as of the 18th of this month, which is a fantastic sign for things to come as the very height of the summer tourist season rapidly approaches.

The current favourable epidemiological situation across Croatia and across most of Europe as the vaccination process picks up its pace and warm weather returns has allowed for a significant drop in coronavirus infection rates and the return of some sort of normality that we took so much for granted before the pandemic struck back in early 2020.

As such, more and more foreign tourists are arriving in Croatia, ready for some vitamin D and a swim in the glorious Croatian Adriatic sea after over a year of lockdowns and uncertainty surrounding travel, especially travel for leisure and tourism.

Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac took to social media to state that 200,000 tourists are holidaying in Croatia, and as things make a slow but steady return to semi normality, we might get a summer that looks something like it usually would have done in pre-pandemic times.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Minister Brnjac's recent tweet reads: "According to the first data from the eVisitor system, the number of 200,000 tourists in one day was exceeded today (the 18th of June). Namely, there are currently 213,000 tourists in Croatia, of which 183,000 are foreign tourists and 30,000 local tourists.''

"This is a confirmation that tourists see Croatia as a safe destination for their stay and holiday. We have created all of the preconditions for that, and compliance with the epidemiological measures is still crucial in order to maintain this favourable epidemiological situation and to achieve a successful season,'' she added.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including travel, border and quarantine rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres across the country, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

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May the 21st, 2021 - With the warm summer months rapidly approaching and with the vaccination rollout across Europe picking up its pace, plans are being hatched for a much needed holiday by the vast majority of Europeans. We might hear the most about the mass bookings the Brits and Germans are making, but what are the plans of Croatian travellers this summer? With the EU Digital Green Certificate introduction looming, arrangements are being made.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the tourist season is creeping up at somewhat of an alarming speed, and along with it is the EU Digital Green Certificate introduction and an easier regime for cross-border travel agreed upon by the European Union recently. As Croats, much like most other Europeans, scramble for the chance of a break abroad, trips to the likes of Portugal and Turkey are on the cards.

Along with Turkey and Portugal, Croatian travellers are also looking a bit further afield and showing interest in Morocco, according to a report from Dnevnik.hr.

The fact that Croats are busy looking for getaways as restrictions ease once again was confirmed by the president of the association of Croatian travel agencies, Tomislav Fain, who claimed that the number of bookings of foreign trips has increased, but it's still not much to write home about just yet.

“Now, if we were to compare with last year it would probably be 100 percent better than the way things were back then, but of course last year when we were practically in lockdown at this time is of course not comparable. We always have to go back to pre-pandemic 2019 or some other earlier year, when we still lived normally and travelled normally,'' Fain explained.

Normal travel within the European Union (EU) should also be made possible by the aforementioned EU Gigital Green Certificate introduction which is being negotiated at the European Union level.

"It's a certificate that will include those people who have recovered from the disease, been vaccinated and those who have tested negative, they will all be allowed to enjoy freedom of movement," explained Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.

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ZAGREB, 16 May, 2021 - The 72nd edition of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival will be held from 10 July to 25 August, with over 60 plays, concerts, dance and folklore performances taking place at about 10 venues, the organisers announced earlier this week.

The budget of the 72nd Dubrovnik Summer Festival is nearly HRK 8 million, which is HRK 1.5 million more than in 2020. The festival's own funds, including revenues from sponsors, donors and tickets, account for 30% of the budget.

It is expected that online ticket sales will start after new epidemiological guidelines for events are released.

For more information about events in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 29, 2021 - While it was expected last year that guests from other countries would arrive just for the summer season, accommodations owners hoped that this year they could travel even sooner. However, as we enter the Easter holidays, it hasn’t been the case.

HRT Vijesti reports that the scenes from April 2019 for tourist workers are now just a dream, despite the fact that this year there are more tourists in the Zadar area than last year when the country was immersed in a complete "lockdown". Most are domestic tourists. Due to the unfavorable epidemiological situation, the expectations for Easter are also bad.

‘‘We are also afraid that the reservations we have can be canceled as well. Entries to Croatia have been simplified with these quick tests, but unfortunately returns to neighboring countries are complicated’’, said Tomislav Fain, president of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies.

It is known that, although last year tourists from countries such as the United Kingdom or the Netherlands could travel to Croatia, many had to cancel their flights or reservations. This is due to the last-minute measures imposed by their respective governments, in which they were forced travelers to serve a certain time in self-isolation upon their return. Local authorities fear that this could be repeated this season.

(Credit: PIXSELL)

Mostly domestic guests are expected. Frane Skoblar of the Turisthotel believes hostels in the pandemic crisis have pulled out the “thickest end” because of their attachment to air traffic.

The thick end was also drawn by private renters who have almost no reservations. On the other hand, hotels and large resorts claim that they are satisfied with reservations for the holidays.

‘‘We are mainly focused on the Croatian market, and some guests from Austria and Slovenia are also coming’’, said Goran Sremec from Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Ladera.

Guests feel safe in the campsites as well. Mišela Lastrić (Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences Borik) says that they expect increased interest from domestic guests and that the booking is very good for now. She adds that they are currently at more than half capacity.

(Credit: PIXSELL)

The pandemic has completely changed the tourist picture all over the world, including on our coast.

‘‘There will certainly be no Slovene tourists at this moment. On the days of Corpus Christi, which come after, German tourists traditionally arrive. You know what instructions they have.’’, said Mario Paleka, director of the Zadar Tourist Board.

All private accommodations and tourist workers expect the first large number of tourists to arrive in June if the situation allows them to spend their holidays on the Adriatic during the COVID pandemic, which depends mostly on the vaccination process through Europe.

For the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia, CLICK HERE.

February the 3rd, 2021 - German tourists have always been great lovers of Croatia, arriving year after year in their droves, and then 2020 came. Is Croatia back on the German radar for summer 2021?

As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, last year, 41 percent of Germans didn't travel anywhere on their summer holidays due to fear and uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and their final decision on travel in 2021 will be strongly influenced by the process of population vaccination.

''The results of research by one of the world's largest online agencies eDreams Odigeo shows that 46 percent of Germans consider vaccination a necessary condition for travel outside Germany,'' revealed Nera Milicic, head of the Croatian Tourist Board in Munich in her market review based on available analyses.

According to a Booking.com analysis, 56 percent of travellers will be more careful when travelling in 2021, but will continue to travel, while 38 percent of German tourists will have stricter criteria when choosing accommodation, taking special care of their health, hygiene, cleanliness and safety. More than half of the respondents will prefer to choose accommodation and a destination with clearly indicated security measures as vaccination is rolled out and the pandemic hopefully draws to a close.

The general travel trends in 2021 according to Booking.com's analysis have an emphasis placed on independent, luxury and shorter trips, culinary delights and regional food, as well as holidays with family and friends. 60 percent of survey participants for the summer of 2021 wish for a "relaxing holiday and the enjoyment of local gastronomic specialties."

The world's largest search engine for holiday homes, HomeToGo, also conducted a survey covering 16 million users. The survey found that 70 percent of those respondents will travel this year, 71 percent will travel by car, and 61 percent prefer a holiday home hidden away somewhere in nature. According to FeWo-Direct, demand for holiday homes away from cities rose 650 percent in the second half of 2020.

In addition, the German Tourism Association, DRV, presented a new trend of "home offices in a sunny location", the so-called Bleisure Work - Business and Pleasure Work. Respondents already exploring such opportunities are mostly men aged 19 to 39 in middle and senior management positions.

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February the 2nd, 2021 - Croatian hotel owners have their sights set past Easter, focusing on the upcoming 2021 summer tourist season which is hopefully miles better than the disaster that was 2020.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, while in normal years, Croatian hotel owners would have their hands full with looking for manpower for the summer season ahead and polishing up seasonal facilities to start work on Easter weekend or on May the 1st, right now ,most of them don’t know when they can open their doors at all.

Although a few weeks ago they announced through the Croatian Tourism Association that they were ready to open from Easter onwards, in the meantime, a good part of the market has entered a total closure due to mutated strains of the virus appearing and vaccination not quite going as planned.

As mentioned above, the process of procuring vaccines that was supposed to speed up the end of the pandemic has stalled, which also affects the enthusiasm of guests, so the concern is currently greater than it was about a month ago.

The biggest dilemma which lies in front of Croatian hotels is the current need to weigh up the cost-effectiveness of opening their doors, which is a criterion to study even in the best years. Easter falls early in 2021, at the very beginning of April, and as such they need to figure out how to bridge it until May the 1st and then until Pentecost at the end of May, when the swimming season is already starting.

Tourist consultant Sinisa Topalovic warned the public about this last week, and as we reported, he believes that tourist traffic in the pre-season in 2021 is illusory to expect.

There are no concrete plans yet...

Therefore, Croatian hotel owners have already focused on the summer season in terms of their marketing, for which they're offering discounts and various combinations to attract guests to push the button right now and book their holidays for summer. In the meantime, they are trying to fill the facilities that are intended for year-round operation and are open despite very low tourist traffic.

Valamar currently has only one hotel open, Diamant from Porec, and two camping resorts in Istria and Krk. On the eve of Easter, they plan to open only three of their hotels, Porec's Marea Suites, Padua on Rab and President down in Dubrovnik, as well as eight camps in Istria and Kvarner.

Other facilities are planned to open successively, depending on the state of booking, as is the case with Plava Laguna/Blue Lagoon, which has three hotels open, Molindrio in Porec, Melia Coral in Umag and Bonavia in Rijeka. At the moment, their traffic is mostly made up of sports groups, but they have no concrete plans to open in the spring yet, their plans to open depend entirely on demand.

The company Sunce Hotels encourages its guests to direct their summer booking where they will receive a guarantee of the best offer, now they have a special offer in which they offer a 35 percent discount on early bookings. On their website, the calendar only opens from April the 30th, and they decided to start work on May the 1st, but only in part of the hotel. Solaris has opened for early booking, but only for mobile homes and villas.

The smaller Croatian hotel owners are the most flexible

Due to the nature of the business, small hotels are somewhat more flexible in their decision-making, as it is easier to fill 10 rooms instead of 500 of them.

The Istrian wine hotel San Canzian recently informed its guests on social media that it opens the season on March the 19th, Boskinac from Pag is urging its guests to book their places now, because they have already sold out all the rooms for Valentine's Day.

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