Croatian tourism in 2025 continues to write pages of success, confirming its resilience and stability in an extremely competitive international market. According to the latest, although still preliminary, data collected through the comprehensive eVisitor system, a noticeable increase in tourist traffic was recorded in the first eight months of the current year. Specifically, 17.2 million arrivals were achieved, which represents an increase of 2 percent compared to the same period of the previous, also record-breaking year. At the same time, the number of overnight stays reached an impressive 89.8 million, recording a slight but significant growth of 0.5 percent. Such results testify to the continuous attractiveness of Croatia as a destination that successfully balances between the summer season and the growing offer during the rest of the year.

A more detailed analysis shows that the lion's share of tourist traffic, as expected, was realized on the Adriatic coast, where over 86 million overnight stays were recorded. However, the continental parts of the country are also gaining increasing importance, having confirmed their growing potential and attractiveness for guests looking for different forms of vacation with almost 2 million overnight stays. The City of Zagreb, as an independent destination and the main urban center, also records excellent results with 1.8 million overnight stays, thus positioning itself as an unmissable point on the tourist map of Croatia throughout the year.

Sustainability and price stabilization as key factors for future success

Commenting on the results so far, the Minister of Tourism and Sports, Tonči Glavina, pointed out that Croatia is recording record indicators not only in physical traffic, but also in the segment of tourist consumption, which is of extreme importance for the entire economy. "We are extremely satisfied with the results achieved, but we are aware that there is always room for further progress," stated Glavina. He particularly emphasized the importance of further price stabilization, which imposes itself as a key factor for maintaining competitiveness, both in the upcoming post-season and during the preparations for the 2026 tourist year. Tourism management, according to him, is carried out in accordance with the principles of sustainability defined by the new strategic and legislative framework. "With the package of laws that came into force this year, which connects tax, spatial, and tourism policy, we are actively working on creating a sustainable structure of accommodation capacities and long-term sustainable tourism," added the minister, alluding to the Government's efforts to direct tourism growth towards quality, not exclusively quantity.

Regional analysis: Istria still in the lead, Dalmatia follows closely

When tourist traffic is analyzed by counties, the picture is quite clear. In the first eight months of 2025, Istria County sovereignly holds the leading position with 25.2 million overnight stays, which represents a slight increase of 0.3 percent. Right behind it is the Split-Dalmatia County, which with 16.9 million overnight stays and a growth of 0.6 percent confirms its status as one of the strongest tourist regions. Kvarner, with its rich tradition, achieved 15.2 million overnight stays, recording a minimal growth of 0.1 percent. It is followed by Zadar County with 13.2 million overnight stays and an increase of 0.2 percent. A significant growth of 1.5 percent is recorded by the Dubrovnik-Neretva County, which reached 7.2 million overnight stays, while the Šibenik-Knin County with 5.5 million overnight stays maintained its result at last year's level. Lika-Senj County, as an important link between the coast and the continent, achieved a notable 3 million overnight stays, with a growth of 1.4 percent. Looking at individual destinations, at the top of the list of the most visited cities and municipalities are Rovinj, Dubrovnik, Poreč, Umag, and Split, which together form the backbone of Croatian tourism.

Markets and trends: Stability of European guests and the historic entry of the USA into the top 10

The Director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, Kristjan Staničić, expressed his satisfaction with the fact that Croatia managed to maintain positive cumulative indicators during the main summer months, which confirms the country's stable position on the international scene. "Given the excellent announcements from partners and positive feedback from key markets, in the upcoming post-season we expect a continuation of positive trends that will further strengthen the overall annual result," Staničić announced optimistically. He particularly highlighted the contribution of the domestic market, as well as the growth of certain long-haul markets, among which the United States of America particularly stands out. "We are especially pleased by the fact that we have achieved almost 600,000 arrivals from the US market during the first eight months. Thus, American guests, for the first time in history, have entered our top 10 most numerous visitors according to the criterion of arrivals in this period," emphasized Staničić. This success is the result of many years of promotional activities and increasingly better air connectivity.

Traditionally, the most loyal guests still come from Germany, with 17.2 million overnight stays, once again confirming their status as the most important emitting market. In second place, which is extremely important for the stability of the entire system, are domestic guests, with 11.2 million overnight stays. They are followed by guests from Slovenia with 9.5 million overnight stays and Austria with 6.5 million overnight stays. Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy, and Hungary also remain at the top in terms of the number of overnight stays.

Structure of accommodation capacities and summer balance

The analysis of accommodation shows long-term trends. Private accommodation in households continues to play a dominant role, where as many as 33.9 million overnight stays were realized. This segment attracts guests looking for greater flexibility and a more authentic experience of the destination. Hotel accommodation, as a carrier of quality and year-round business, recorded 19.6 million overnight stays, while campsites, which have been experiencing a real renaissance in recent years and attracting increasingly demanding guests, achieved 17.7 million overnight stays.

An interesting look is also at the results achieved exclusively during the main summer months, July and August. During this period, 9.6 million arrivals and over 60.4 million overnight stays were realized in Croatia. Comparing these figures with the same period last year, a slight lag of -0.5 percent in arrivals and -1.3 percent in overnight stays is noticeable. This minimal decline can be interpreted as a normalization of the market after the extraordinary post-pandemic years, but also as an indicator of tourists' greater price sensitivity at the very peak of the season, which further emphasizes the importance of a strategy aimed at strengthening the pre-season and post-season.