British tourists in Croatia have no reason for concern because not one guest who arrived in an arrangement with the Thomas Cook Group will suffer any damage or remain unattended to, the ministries of foreign and European affairs and tourism said on Monday in a joint press release.
“We are very sorry to hear the news of the Thomas Cook company closing down as it has a long tradition and experience in tourism. What is exceptionally important is that not one its guests currently staying in Croatia will suffer any damage or be unattended to. The British government will organise flights to have all tourists return home while the British government’s insurance agency will cover the costs of their accommodation,” the ministries said in the press release.
The Ministry of Tourism has been in touch with hotels so that their guests can receive timely information and continue holidaying in Croatia without any problems.
“With regard to the current and future impact of Thomas Cook’s closure on tourist arrivals from Britain to Croatia, we wish to underscore that there are many good British tour operators offering their services for Croatia and we believe that this situation will not have any significant impact on Great Britain as one of our markets,” the ministries said.
The ministries added that January-August figures indicated that about 800,000 tourists from Great Britain visited Croatia and generated 4.1 million beds, which is a year-on-year increase of about 4% and 3% respectively.
“As until now, the Tourism Ministry and the Croatian Tourist Board will continue to intensively promote Croatia on the British market, which is one of its most significant markets, and they will continue to implement activities with regard to enhancing air connectivity. That is why we believe that in the years to come Croatia will continue to be one of the most popular destinations for British tourists,” the ministries said.
The oldest tourism company in the world, Thomas Cook, on Monday caved in leaving hundreds of thousands of passengers stranded around the world.
There are currently 190 guests in Dubrovnik who arrived in that Adriatic resort from Manchester via Thomas Cook on Sunday. They are now waiting for the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) personnel to come to Dubrovnik and assist them with their return flight.