In 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, the number of tourist nights returned to the level of 20 years ago. Travel restrictions, border closures, quarantine regulations and the implementation of epidemiological measures in the Republic of Croatia and around the world, in order to prevent the spread of the infection, had a direct impact on the decrease in tourist arrivals and nights.
In 2020, there were 7.0 million tourist arrivals and 40.8 million tourist nights in commercial accommodation establishments, which was 64.2% less arrivals and 55.3% less nights than in 2019.
Domestic tourists realised 1.5 million arrivals and 5.4 million nights in commercial accommodation establishments in 2020. Compared to 2019, it was a decrease of 34.2% in tourist arrivals and of 23.7% in tourist nights. Domestic tourists realised 3.7 nights per arrival on average.
Foreign tourists realised 5.5 million arrivals and 35.4 million nights in 2020, which was 68.0% less tourist arrivals and 58.0% less tourist nights than in 2019. Foreign tourists realised 6.4 nights per arrival on average.
The most foreign tourist nights in 2020 were realised by tourists from Germany, as much as 11.7 million, which was 33.2% of the total realised foreign tourist nights. Tourists from Germany realised the highest number of nights in the County of Istria, as much as 5.1 million, which is 43.6% of the total nights realised by tourists from Germany in the Republic of Croatia in 2020. Compared to 2019, nights realised by tourists from Germany decreased by 41.1%.
These were followed by the nights realised by tourists from Slovenia (4.7 million), Poland (4.4 million), the Czech Republic (3.2 million), Austria (2.1 million), Italy and Hungary (1.2 million each). All these countries recorded a significant decrease in tourist nights in 2020 compared to 2019. The nights realised by tourists from Italy decreased by 76.0%, from Austria by 70.3%, from Hungary by 61.7%, from Slovenia by 37.0%, the Czech Republic by 35.6% and from Poland by 25.7%.
The number of tourist nights in 2020 compared to 2019 decreased in all groups in commercial accommodation. Tourist nights decreased the most in the group Hotels and similar accommodation, by 73,0%, followed by Camping sites and camping grounds, by 52.3%, and Holiday and other short-stay accommodation, by 46.6%. The most tourist nights were realised in the group Holiday and other short-stay accommodation, 24.6 million, which accounted for 60.4% of the total realised tourist nights in 2020.
Additional information:
TOURIST ARRIVALS AND NIGHTS, 2020