In 2017, nautical tourists spent €126 per day in Croatia, about 40 percent more than the daily spending of the average tourist. Nautical tourism is fast becoming the most promising Croatian tourist product with huge potential, said Dragan Kovacevic of the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) in the Adriatic town of Biograd on Thursday.

The Biograd Boat Show, the largest in-water show in Central Europe, is taking place in that resort town on October 18-21, bringing together some 300 exhibitors who are promoting more than 300 vessels, including 33 luxury yachts.

In the first nine months of 2018, over 440,000 arrivals and over three million overnight stays were registered in this type of tourism, said the director of the National Tourist Board (HTZ), Kristjan Stanicic, and added that the leading markets for nautical tourists in Croatia were Germany and Austria.

Kovacevic said prudent moves need to be taken in managing this type of industry in order to prevent stagnation or even a drop in arrivals, adding that nautical tourism should not be taken hostage to “a lack of coordination between state institutions.”

Follow N1 via mobile apps for Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| and social media on Twitter | Facebook.