After years of record growth, rising prices, labour shortages and a failure to attract higher-spending visitors are exposing the weaknesses of Croatia’s tourism model.
Vuk Tesija
In early July, Croatia’s minister for tourism and sport gave his annual update on the country’s vital tourism sector. As ever, the numbers made for impressive reading.
Some 7.6 million tourists visited the country in the first half of the year, notching up 29.5 million overnight stays, on a par with last year. Air traffic was up 3.2 per cent, road traffic four per cent, and maritime arrivals 1.5 per cent, said Tonci Glavina.
The Croatian tourism industry, a mainstay of the economy, “has maintained stability and competitiveness despite geopolitical crises”, Glavina told reporters.
A closer look at figures for June, however, have given some observers pause: seven per cent fewer tourists visited Croatia than in the same month of last year, racking up six per cent fewer overnight stays.
