ZAGREB, 23 Sept 2021 - The tourism and catering sector in Croatia grew in the period from 2004 to 2020 in almost all aspects, from income to the number of employees, but 2020 saw a decline due to the coronavirus pandemic, with businesses reporting a total net loss of HRK 3.4 billion.

These are data from an analysis done by the Financial Agency (FINA), which also includes statistics about the number of businesses and employees, total income and expenditure, profits and losses, exports, etc.

The number of businesses providing accommodation and preparing and serving food was the highest in 2020, slightly more than 13,000, and that number had grown since 2004 when there were around 3,000 such businesses.

The number of employees in the sector grew from around 36,000 in 2004 to more than 65,000 in 2020.

The total income of the tourism and catering sector was the highest in 2014, amounting to HRK 19.1 billion, 9.1 billion more than in 2004.

In 2020, marked by the coronavirus pandemic, the sector income was HRK 17.6 billion.

The expenditure was higher than total income in each of the years covered by the survey. In 2004, the expenditure totaled HRK 10.2 billion, in 2009 around 13.8 billion, in 2014 19.3 billion, and in 2020 21.3 billion.

This resulted in losses in each of the surveyed years, ranging from HRK 298.3 million in 2004 to HRK 3.4 billion in 2020, which was mostly due to the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on travel and related sectors.

In terms of the number of employees, income, investments, new employment, and other indicators, the analysis shows that in the said period the first three in the top ten companies were Valamar Riviera from Poreč, Maistra from Rovinj, and Plava Laguna/Istraturist from Poreč/Umag.

For more, check our our dedicated business section.

ZAGREB, 2 Sept 2021 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday commented on the latest ECDC map on which Croatia's coast has stayed orange, saying that foreign tourists had recognized Croatia as a safe destination and that this year's tourism results could exceed 70% of tourism results in the pre-crisis year 2019.

"According to the new ECDC map, the Croatian coast has stayed orange into September. Foreign tourists have recognized Croatia as a safe destination and we could exceed 70% of the tourism results from the pre-crisis year 2019," Plenković said on his Twitter account.

Prema novoj karti @ECDC_EU, hrvatska obala ostala je ? i do početka rujna. Strani turisti prepoznali su ?? kao sigurnu destinaciju te bismo mogli i premašiti 70% turističkih rezultata iz pretkrizne 2019. Odgovornim ponašanjem i cijepljenjem čuvajmo i zdravlje i gospodarstvo ??! pic.twitter.com/uFZY36C4We

— Andrej Plenković (@AndrejPlenkovic) September 2, 2021

He concluded that with responsible conduct and vaccination public health and the national economy were being protected.

According to the latest European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control map, released on Thursday, eastern and central Croatia have turned red while the coast and northern Croatia have stayed orange.

For more on politics, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 29 May 2021 - Adriatic states are a rich tourism whole but have a lot of untapped potential which should be promoted also outside the short and intense season, participants in a regional tourism project said in Subotica, Serbia on Saturday.

Landscape Days, held in the Zasavica Special Nature Reserve near Sremska Mitrovica, are part of the Adrilink project which encompasses ten partner cities in seven Adriatic countries - Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania and Greece.

The project partners in Croatia are the municipality of Mošćenička Draga and the town of Vrsar.

"The goal is a common vision of the landscape as a driver of the local development of the Mediterranean-Adriatic-Ionian economy, and the project envisages using modern information and communication technology to promote new destinations among tourists by making them more attractive, and to extend the season," said Svetlana Sabo, a member of the project team.

The Adrilink project lasts from 1 February 2020 to 31 July 2022, and one of its results should be a sustainable common strategy, new common itineraries, and linking ten interpretation centres in the seven countries though an app and a digital platform.

The goal is to offer tourists new challenges and the discovery of new natural and cultural landscapes such as nature reserves and the historical and cultural heritage.

December 4, 2020 – Accepting all known knowledge of the Coronavirus risk and the announced vaccines, security and risk experts International SOS have published their latest, annual Travel Risk Map. It says Croatia is one of the most safe countries in 2021 for visitors

With the end of the life-halting Coronavirus in sight, thanks to several effective vaccines announced, which country would be best to visit next year? Well, Croatia is one of the most safe countries in 2021 for visitors.

It's been a long, difficult year for everyone. It's maybe hard to believe if you live in Croatia and haven't much travelled outside the country, but the residents of Croatia have had it no more difficult than anywhere else. With only around 4 million inhabitants, there's lots of space in Croatia to move around.

Take in comparison Britain's London. That one city (1,572 km²) alone has 9 million people. Croatia has 56,594 km² for less than half the number of people. But, this generous amount of space in which to move around is not the only reason Croatia is one of the most safe countries in 2021 for visitors.

On 2 December 2020, Total Croatia News published the annual report based on the Global Terrorism Index, identifying Croatia is one of the most safe countries in 2021 in regards to the absence of terrorist threat and effect. Now, according to the latest annual Travel Risk Map, it has been designated that Croatia is one of the most safe countries in 2021 for visitors.

Security and risk experts International SOS's Travel Risk Map for 2021.

The map, created by security and risk experts International SOS , ranks the safety of countries across the globe taking into account medical, security and road risks. It assesses the risk of political violence, social unrest, and the threat of violent and petty crimes – and, most importantly this year, the impact of the pandemic.

For the first two categories, countries are given a rating out of five, while road safety is rated out of four based on the mortality rate per 100,000 people. The places with the highest risk level for security issues are mostly in Africa, with South Sudan, Mali, Yemen, Somalia and the Maiduguri region of Nigeria listed under the most dangerous, along with the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of the Ukraine.

International SOS's map showing the countries with the most and least Covid-19 disruption. Very low-risk countries are marked in white, low risk in grey, medium in blue, high in purple and very high in pink.

Very few countries rank above Croatia in the new safety map, New Zealand, Tanzania and Nicaragua among them, meaning Croatia is one of the most safe countries in 2021 for visitors.

For the residents of crowded cities elsewhere in Europe, Australia or the USA who have felt more than restricted in 2020, it might be worth remembering when planning next year's escape that Croatia is one of the most safe countries in 2021 for visitors.

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As Croats continue to pack up and leave in search of better living conditions in countries whose governments aren't falling apart, the tourism industry is seeing an ever-increasing number of visitors.