In November, both tourist arrivals and overnight stays saw significant growth compared to the same period last year. Today, we present you an overview of Croatian tourism in November 2024, as the post-season activities transitions from coastal regions to inland destinations, where vibrant Christmas markets and Advent festivities are taking center stage.
According to the latest report by the Croatian Tourism Board, the total tourist arrivals in November 2024 reached 454k, representing a 20% YoY increase. Foreign tourists accounted for 248k arrivals, up 12% YoY, while domestic tourists totaled 206k, reflecting a significant YoY increase of 30%. A similar trend was observed in overnight stays, which amounted to 1.1m, marking a 19% YoY growth. Of this, foreign tourists contributed 721k nights (+14% YoY), while domestic overnight stays reached 414k (+30% YoY). Therefore, the average stay per person was 2.5 days, remaining relatively unchanged from last year.
Total tourist arrivals and nights in Croatia (January 2019 – November 2024)
Source: HTZ, InterCapital Research
In terms of accommodation types, 92% of nights were recorded in commercial accommodations, 7% in non-commercial accommodations, and 1% in nautical accommodations. Within commercial accommodations, 60% of tourist nights were recorded in hotels, 22% in private accommodations, 6% in camps, and the remaining 12% in other accommodation types.
Domestic tourists accounted for the highest share of nights at 36%, followed by tourists from Slovenia at 10%, Austria, Germany, and Bosnia and Herzegovina at 6% each, and Italy at 4%. Regarding the most visited regions, Kvarner topped the list with 197k tourist nights, followed by Istria at 193k, Zagreb at 189k, Splitsko-Dalmatinska County at 145k, and Dubrovačko-Neretvanska County at 103k.
For the first 11 months of 2024, the total number of tourist arrivals reached 21m, a 3% YoY increase, while overnight stays amounted to 108m, reflecting a 1% YoY growth.
Compared to 2019, total tourist arrivals increased by 14%, driven by a 50% rise in domestic tourist arrivals, despite a 5% decrease in foreign tourist arrivals. Additionally, tourist nights increased by 11% compared to November 2019, with foreign tourist nights rising by 11% and domestic tourist nights increasing by 12%. Looking at YTD performance, total arrivals have increased by 3%, with domestic arrivals up by 25%, while foreign arrivals have remained unchanged. Total tourist nights YTD, compared to 2019, remain relatively stable, with foreign nights unchanged and domestic nights down by 4%.
Overall, despite concerns about reduced budgets in key emissive markets such as Germany and Italy, as well as high vacancy rates in private accommodations during the peak summer months, Croatian tourism has enjoyed a successful year so far, with notable growth in both arrivals and overnight stays. While favorable weather conditions have extended pre- and post-season, challenges persist, particularly in the regulatory framework, which continues to strain the sustainability of Croatian tourism, placing significant pressure on private accommodation providers.
