The demand for luxury real estate in Croatia in 2018 was up by 25 percent compared to 2017, with buyers mostly foreign nationals looking for properties along the Adriatic coast, the local branch of Sotheby's International Realty agency said on Wednesday.

“Our clients looking for property are mostly from Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, followed by Scandinavian countries and England,” the head of the company’s Croatia division, Marko Pazanin, told reporters in a news conference.

In the Dalmatia region the most sought after areas are the coastline between the towns of Primosten and Trogir, and the area around the southern city of Dubrovnik. These were most popular due to the proximity of airports, motorways, and nearby marinas.

Among islands, the most popular are Brac and Hvar, and among cities Split and Dubrovnik lead the way. Pazanin said that some enquiries they received also came from clients in Russia, China, and India.

Clients wishing to buy real estate in Croatia are most often aged 45-60, Pazanin said, and the average price per square metre of seaside luxury villas is €5,000 to €6,000.

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