Tourism in Europe this year will reach or surpass the record results from 2019, notably in the Mediterranean, and Croatia has already surpassed them, Kristjan Stanicic, director of the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) and vice president of the European Travel Commission, said on Monday.

Croatia registered 3.5 million arrivals and 10.7 million nights this year by 27 May, up 27% from the same time last year and 3% from the same time in 2019, with 1.4 million arrivals and 4.8 million nights registered this month alone, up 24% from May 2022 and 3% from May 2019, Stanicic told the Croatian state news agency Hina.

He was re-elected ETC vice president in Tallinn last week.

June marks the start of the main season and the HTZ expects excellent results thanks to very good announcements from the most important markets, which is also due to the epidemic being declared over, Stanicic said.

Everyone in the sector must focus on tourism sustainability and positioning Croatia as a year-round destination, he said.

Croatia was highlighted at ETC meetings and during the pandemic as the most successful destination, so the expectations for this season are high, although all ETC member states expect a good tourism year, Stanicic said.

According to ETC surveys, over a half of Europeans have already booked their next trip and 59% plan two or more trips by the end of September, he added.

Asked how higher prices in tourism are affecting demand, Stanicic said ETC surveys showed that 24% of Europeans were concerned about prices, up from 18% last year.

There is similar concern about the economic situation in general and personal finances, but Europeans wish to travel and think that in the next six months they will spend more on travel than before, although they plan to save by travelling more outside the summer months, he added.

This year more US tourists are expected in Europe, with the number of plane seats for this season up by 15% from last year and by 3% from 2019.

Most of Croatia’s competitors are investing more in promotion than in the past, they are very active on the market, some have drawn EU funds and some national tourist organisations have associated with the private sector, Stanicic said.

The HTZ budget for this year is €35 million, up 4% from last year, an amount surpassed by some competitors many times over, which makes Croatia’s success even greater, he said.

Currently, the HTZ is doing promotion in 14 markets, where more than 150 million people have seen its messages on social media and display ads, Stanicic said, adding that the HTZ’s TV campaign in Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, and Great Britain prompted their media to do additional coverage in Croatia.

The HTZ is also in the process of choosing a new communication model for Croatia’s tourism, with a new visual identity and slogan that will replace the current “Croatia full of life”.