The official numbers are in - it has been another exceptional year for tourism in Central Dalmatia.
With Advent in Split and various other late season events pushing the tourist season right up to the New Year bells, 2015 was another exceptional year for tourism in Central Dalmatia, and official figures released on January 5, 2016 bear testament to that, as well as showing some interesting trends in the source of the region's tourist arrivals.
According to the official numbers, 2,453,057 tourists visited Central Dalmatia in 2015, up 9% of the exceptional year of 2014. The biggest number of tourist arrivals came from Germany (237, 318), who overtook the Czechs, although the latter had the most overnight stays. After the Germans and the Czechs, the most visitors came from Poland, UK, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, France, Slovenia, USA, and Sweden.
Overnight stays increased by more than a million nights at 13,602,906.
The largest increases in tourist arrivals also brought encouraging news for the future, with the main growth sectors coming from UK (33%), BiH (25%), USA (24%), Holland (27%), South Korea (21%).
Central Dalmatia has had an exceptional year even compared to other regions in Croatia, becoming the most popular destination in October for the first time, proof that its strategy of diversifying from summer beach tourism is paying dividends. As Central Dalmatia Tourist Board director Josko Stella explained to TCN in a recent interview, the region now has more than 120 programmes, with plenty of emphasis on the region's activity and heritage tourism, and the recent launching of an an official adventure tourism video on the region's attractions (see below), is slowly attracting tourists away from the beach and out of peak season.
Another significant factor has been the rise of the Dalmatian capital of Split as a tourist destination. Where once it was known as the Gateway to the Dalmatian Islands, Split has now become one of the hottest city destinations in Europe, a fact reflected in a 22% rise in tourism numbers from 2014.
