Croatia Leads Greece, Spain, Turkey in First-Half Tourism Growth
Croatia attracted tourists in the first six months of the year at a faster rate than Greece, Spain, Turkey and Malta because its political system is seen as more stable to visitors, Tourism Minister Veljko Ostojic said.
Tourism arrivals in Croatia grew 5.2 percent from the said period a year ago, according to the minister. That compares with 2.9 percent in Spain, and declines of 4.6 percent in Greece, 2.3 percent in Turkey and 2 percent in Malta, Ostojic told reporters in Zagreb today. He cited United Nations World Tourist Organization’s World Tourism Barometer and data from Turkey, Malta and Spain.
“We can’t avoid the fact that certain events in our rival countries had a positive influence on Croatian tourism this year,” Ostojic said. “This year our strategy was also to play it safe and concentrate on markets more resilient to economic crisis, such as Germany and Austria.”