Croatian tourists boost Germany’s tourism

The German National Tourist Board expects tourism in Germany this year to surpass 2019 levels, which were nearly reached last year with more than 85 million overnight stays, including around 550,000 overnight stays by Croatian tourists, representatives of the board said in Zagreb, CE Report quotes HINA.

"Every year there are more and more Croatian tourists in Germany, and last year’s number of overnight stays in hotels alone was about 18 percent higher than the year before," Cristian Sallai, manager of the German Tourist Board's regional office, said at the organisation's annual press conference for Croatian media. The office, based in Belgrade, covers several Southeast European countries, including Croatia. According to Sallai, Croatian visitors come to Germany for a variety of reasons.

For most of them - 64 percent - the main motivations are city breaks and cultural visits. About 41 percent come for so-called inspirational journeys, while 29 percent travel for nature-based holidays. Most Croatians travel to Germany by car (64 percent), and around 30 percent plan to spend approximately 1,500 euros per person per trip. Additionally, 42 percent of Croatian tourists book their accommodation through online platforms.

Sallai said that current economic uncertainties in Germany and globally are not expected to significantly affect foreign arrivals in Germany or the travel habits of Germans, who have long travelled extensively within Europe and attracted many Europeans to Germany. The Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and the Nordic countries remain Germany's strongest source markets, while China is the leading distant market.

He also emphasised that Germans frequently travel within their own country for vacations, but will not give up their favourite foreign destinations, including Croatia. Regarding rising in prices in Croatia, particularly in tourism, he said that it was due to inflation as well as high demand.