For the first time in Croatia’s history, Chinese tourists (including SAR Hong Kong and Macau) have made the list of top 20 source markets with 191 428 arrivals.

Mario Rendulić, president of the Presidency of Chinese Southeast Business Association (CSEBA) said:

“We never had more Chinese tourists than this year and the number is just going to increase in coming years. CSEBA together with Croatian Tourism Ministry and the National Tourist Board, is trying to speed up the removal of administrative barriers and obtain permits which form the basis for the establishment of direct airline connections. The direct links are necessary if Croatian tourist destinations want to attract more Chinese tourists.”

If we also include tourist coming from Taiwan, the overall number of Chinese speaking tourists coming to Croatia in 2017 overpassed the number of 300 000, which shows significant need for more Chinese speaking guides and services better adapted to Chinese market.

The most popular months when Chinese tourists visit Croatia is the end of spring (May and June) and early autumn (September and October) which shows that unlike European visitors that peak in summer months, Chinese tourists don’t prefer to enjoy “sun and the sea”. Chinese like active holidays, full of sightseeing activities, authentic experiences, natural and historic surroundings.

The year 2017 was a record breaking year in all aspects for Croatia’s tourism. With overall number of tourist arrivals reached 18.5 million and 102 million overnights, which represents the annual increase of over 12 percent.