Tourism into Croatia is set to grow again next year thanks to a drop in prices, joining the EU and more flights, its minister of tourism has told Travel Daily.
Access into the country is set to become easier for Brits in July when Croatia enters the EU, while its drop in VAT on 1 January will make prices for accommodation, food, wine and beer 10% cheaper than it is today.
“On 1 July Croatia will enter the EU which will eliminate some procedures so we are preparing for that,” Velkjo Ostojić, minister of tourism for the Croatian government told Travel Daily. “I hope to increase the number of flights in 2014 as that is what is key to raising numbers, but we will continue to work to increase flights, hotel beds and tour operators. We will work to increase the quality of product too and have benefited when other destinations (such as Egypt and Tunisia) had trouble.”
When asked if Croatia would adopt the euro currency, Ostojić said there are no plans yet but would wait “at least until 2018 and see what happens”.
Ostojić’s planned 5-10% growth for Croatia’s tourism in 2013 comes as the country continued to see month-on-month increases this year with the UK market up 22.5%.
With ABTA hosting its annual convention in Dubrovnik next year the destination will increase its awareness with the travel trade and also give its ministry a chance to generate more business. A third of visiting Brits head to the capital, with Istri and the mid-Dalmatian also popular for Brits to travel to.
However despite all other factors, Ostojić has attributed Croatia’s success to the expectation levels of tourists.
“Comparing expectation to delivery is a key success factor as guests do not expect much and it’s often cheaper than they expect,” he explained. “Satisfaction levels are really high and this is why we expect numbers to go up next year.”
Croatia also has the benefit of already captivating niche markets, with its tourism flourishing year round thanks to its gastronomy, biking, sailing and other activities.
Growth projection in a country often raises concerns over sustainability but Ostojić outlined how it will ensure the destination is not spoiled.
“Croatia is the Mediterranean as it once was and we want to keep that. We are fully aware that we should not make the mistakes that other destinations have and not over-build the coast with properties,” he explained. “Our main goal is to keep nature in good shape and new hotels will be built but not in the wrong way. We do not want to repeat mass tourism and instead become a mid to high quality destination.”