Croatia registered 144,000 arrivals and 424,000 nights between 24 December and 6 January, up by 306 percent and 190 percent on the year, respectively, the National Tourist Board (HTZ) said on Friday.

Arrivals were at 73 percent and nights at 76 percent of those registered in the corresponding period two years ago.

During the 2021-22 Christmas and New Year’s holidays, coastal counties registered 91,000 arrivals and 298,000 nights, while the continent, including Zagreb, logged 54,000 arrivals and 126,000 nights. The most visited destinations were Zagreb, Opatija, Rovinj, Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar. The largest number of nights were generated by domestic tourists, followed by Austrians, Slovenians, and Germans.

Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac said the results were excellent and would contribute to tourism’s positive impact on the final revenue for 2021 as well as the entire economy.

This year the focus is on year-round sustainable tourism products and retaining the image of a safe destination that was built last year, she said. Hence, it is key to get vaccinated against Covid because this year’s tourism will again occur in pandemic circumstances, she added.

HTZ director Kristjan Stanicic said the results over the past holidays gave reason for optimism and confirmed Croatia’s market position as a quality and well-prepared destination. In order to curb the spread of the pandemic, reduce the number of daily new cases and continue with positive tourism trends, he called on everyone to act responsibly and get vaccinated.

The HTZ will continue with all the activities which will ensure Croatia’s status as the most successful Mediterranean destination, he said, adding that this year’s goal is to generate 90 percent of the results of the record year 2019.