Croatia sets record with over 20 million tourist arrivals

For the first time more than 20 million tourists have visited Croatia in one year, the Ministry of Tourism announced here on Friday.

According to the latest data provided by eVisitor, Croatia's online tourism information system, 20.01 million tourist arrivals have been recorded as of Friday, an increase of more than 5 percent from the same period last year.

Overnight stays also rose to 107.03 million, marking a 2 percent year-on-year increase.

Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said in a press release that this historic result is a tribute to excellent cooperation between the public and private sectors.

"Croatian tourism has been booming over the last few years, many new high-quality accommodation facilities have been opened, new offers have been created and tourism has become a real generator of economic development," Cappelli said.

"I believe that this record will motivate us all to make Croatian tourism even better," he added.

Croatia's tourism sector accounts for around 17 percent of its gross national product (GDP). It's among top European countries by the share of tourism in GDP. Its tourism industry has long been linked to the sunny seaside regions of Dubrovnik, Dalmatia, and Istria.

Most foreign tourists came from Germany, Slovenia, and Austria, while tourists from the United States, Australia, Canada, South Korea, and China led the number of those from non-European countries.

Kristjan Stanicic, director of the Croatian Tourist Board said in a press release that they expect do keep positive trends in 2020.

"We have a challenging year ahead of us and we aim to keep positive trends. After meeting many partners at one of the largest tourism fairs, WTM in London, as well as China's largest import fair, China International Import Expo in Shanghai, I think we can do it," Stanicic said.