The number of overnight stays generated by tourists staying in Croatian campsites was 10 percent up from the record year of 2019, but the sector needs stronger investments, the Croatian Campsites Association (KUH) said in a statement from a congress held in Sibenik.

Along with boating tourism and rural family households, campsites have already exceeded the results from 2019, KUH says, stressing that the geographical position and investments have put Croatia among leading camping destinations in the Mediterranean but also noting that new standards require strong investments in sustainability and digitization.

By the end of October 2022, Croatian campsites generated 21.2 million overnight stays, up 22% from 2021 and 10% more than in the record year 2019.

The results exceed the expectations from early 2022, it was said at the Sibenik congress, which brought together more than 350 participants.

The largest number of overnight stays was reported by campsites in Istria, Primorje-Gorski Kotar and Zadar counties, and the highest rise in overnight stays compared to 2019, of 24 percent, was reported by campsites in Lika-Senj County, which also covers the northern part of the island of Pag and campsites in Lika, all the way to the Plitvice Lakes National Park.

“This year’s figures confirm that camping is an increasingly sought-after tourism product, both in Croatia and across Europe. Aside from the proximity of key markets and attractive natural locations, one of the main reasons for such success is investment in the Croatian camping sector over the past decade, which has continued – albeit at a slower pace but better than in rival countries – also during the crisis years,” KUH director Adriano Palman said.

Croatia is one of the most competitive camping destinations in the Mediterranean and when it comes to the quality of campsites, it ranks second in Europe, after the Netherlands, said Palman.