Tourism trends in Zadar and Makarska show mixed results for September

Tourism performance in Croatia showed diverging trends in September across different coastal regions. In Zadar, arrivals decreased by 4% and overnight stays fell by 1% compared to the same month last year. Iva Bencun, director of the Zadar Tourist Board, expressed satisfaction despite the decline, noting that initial fears regarding the season due to Middle East tensions were mitigated. Zadar observed a shift in market demographics, with a decline in visitors from Germany and Austria due to economic conditions, while arrivals from Croatia, Poland, and Hungary increased.

Conversely, Makarska reported significant growth during the same period. Preliminary data shows over 50,000 tourists and approximately 247,000 overnight stays in September, representing a 2.54% increase in arrivals and a 3.2% increase in overnight stays compared to the previous year. The Makarska Tourist Board highlighted a trend of sustained growth outside the peak summer months. In terms of market origin for September, Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged as leading markets for overnight stays, surpassing Poland.