April the 6th, 2022 - The New York Times (NYT) has written about the decreased Croatian reservations we're currently experiencing after high post-pandemic hopes were dashed as Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine. To some foreigners, Croatia is too close on the map of Europe to the battlefield, despite the lack of truth in that.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, so far, the hardest hit destinations when it comes to reservations are countries near to Ukraine, including Poland, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia and Hungary, where bookings have dropped by between 30 and 50 percent, according to the New York Times, citing data from analyst firm ForwardKey.
Negative consequences are also being felt in more distant destinations such as in Spain. Diego Sanz, a tour guide on Spain’s gorgeous Mediterranean coast, received his very first international group in more than a year in mid-February. It was, he thought, a sign of better things to come.
''We live in paradise here and we were sure that when the coronavirus restrictions were lifted, we'd have no more problems and tourists would come flocking back to us like bees come to nectar,'' said Mr Sanz, sitting in the silence of a cafe in the very popular Spanish port city of Alicante.
International reservations have been slowing down ever since Russia invaded Ukraine. In the first week of the war alone, airline bookings within Europe fell by 23 percent, and overseas bookings to European countries fell by 13 percent, according to ForwardKeys.
What about Croatian reservations? The Republic of Croatia is often ranked among the European economies most highly dependent on tourism, as tourism accounts for about a fifth of this small nation's gross domestic product, according to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
Destinations along Croatia's sparkling Adriatic coast attracted the majority of 13.8 million visitors and 84.1 million overnight stays back in 2021, which led to GDP growth of 10.4 percent.
Although the cancellation of Croatian reservations have been somewhat minimal so far, there has definitely been a marked slowdown in some areas. Dubrovnik Boats, a private excursion and charter company with the majority of its clients coming from across the pond in the USA, was expecting a record year, but after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, their reservation rate suddenly fell by 70 percent. "We're an inch away from Ukraine to foreigners when looking at a map," said Niksa Smojver, the company's owner.
Significant concerns this year for shipping charter companies are also being caused by rising gas prices and the possibility of fuel shortages. For Dubrovnik Boats, for example, the cost of a return tour between Dubrovnik and Hvar is now 750 US dollars higher than it was last year.So far, the company hasn't increased its passenger ticket prices, but may need to if the situation fails to calm down. Still, Smojver remains hopeful.
''After the pandemic people have become fed up with everything and everyone wants to travel. This season could be one of the best we've ever had,'' he said.
In other parts of Europe, especially in tourism-dependent countries, the forecasts are gloomier. Cancellations in nearby Italy have brought pessimism among tour guides and operators, although some have expressed hope that the war will end soon and that the season will be saved.
''In general, the mood is a depressed one because it seemed like this was all over, and instead there was yet another new downturn,'' concluded Margherita Capponi, an Italian tour guide from Rome.
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