Will Croatia set new benchmarks and surpass tourism records in 2017?

2016 will go down as a defining year for Croatia’s tourism. Croatia has always had the potential to evolve as a major leader in the tourism industry. However, due to certain factors it always lagged behind in the tourism sector. However things finally seem to be coming in place for Croatia as 2016 has been a record breaking year for the beautiful country in the tourism department.

Croatia witnessed a record breaking increase in tourist numbers in 2016 and the rush continued in September as well. The month of September witnessed around 2 million passengers for the first time in Croatia’s tourism history.

It was also reported that there have been around 10 million overnight stays in Croatia which is roughly a million more than in 2015. The rise in overnight stays can be attributed to the increase in popularity of charter boat rentals and bareboat sailing in Croatia. Moreover, there were over 200,000 tourists on Croatian coast starting from 1st January to 28th September. The massive infuse of over 14 million tourists have resulted in the creation of 83.4 million overnight stays in Croatia.

This has resulted in about a 3.4 million increase in the number of tourists than the entire year of 2015 combined. Hence the tourism revenues are expected to be between a mammoth 8 – 9.5 billion euros. According to a credible source, system eVisitor, there have been 14.3 million tourists till the month of September 2016 in Croatia.

The rise in the numbers can be attributed to the nautical tourism period. In the first half of the September month, bareboat charters and boat rentals in Croatia contributed to the increase in tourists. This furthermore contributed to 300,000 overnight stays at the Marinas.

Overnight stays coupled with sail boat tourism and boat rentals are a sure way to measure the volume of tourism with duration of overall stay of tourists.

Moreover the popularity of the popular HBO series – Game of Thrones - has furthermore propelled Croatia’s tourism industry as most of the series has been extensively shot across the locales of Croatia.

It is to be seen if 2017 further more establishes Croatia as a first choice among tourists from across the world and a primary choice for sailing activities among enthusiasts. One thing is certain; Croatia has indeed become a force to reckon with, in the current competitive tourism industry.

Ilijana & JoŠko PiliĆ

Stepinčeva 25 Split, Croatia +385 (0)21 533 675

ilijana@adriasailcharter.com +385 (0)95 399 07 38

josko@adriasailcharter.com +385 (0)91 518 1347

Had a great time, lovely boat and friendly staff! - Bavaria 40 "Crazy Love"

Guests from Australia

Thank you so much for being a splendid charter! We very much appreciate your friendliness! And thanks again for giving us extra time on the boat! Team Gunnar Rornes

Family from Norway

We recomend this great company - Bavaria 40 Cruiser "Allure Voyage"

Guests from Croatia

It was our first boat experience. We just loved every moment of this experience and discovered these magnificient islands of Croatia, with the beautiful nature, the rich culture, the tasty foood and wine. We had a really great time and enjoyed every moment with llijana and Josko.

Family from Netherland

Our sailing trip with Josko and Ilijana was absolutely magnificent! Ilijana was doing the cooking for us and we liked her typical croatian, dalmatian dishes a lot! We will definitely try to come back as soon as possible! Thanks a lot to both of them for this very special and wonderful trip!

Family from Germany

That was one of the best sailing weeks ever. On the boat everything was working perfectly. During the journey we had great support from Adria sail Charter team , Ilijana and Josko!

Guests from Croatia