EVEN THOUGH the number of people infected with coronavirus is growing, the tourism industry on the Adriatic has been doing well at the beginning of July, but the numbers are far from those achieved last year, which was to be expected after all. The initial prognosis predicted that the turnover in the tourism industry would amount to 25 to 30 percent of last year's turnover, but the figures from the first week of July ended up showing better results after all. From July 1 to July 8, there were more than 480,000 arrivals in Croatia (44 percent of the arrivals from the same period last year) and 3.4 million overnight stays (52 percent of the overnight stays from the same period last year). In July, there were 424,000 foreign guest arrivals and about 2.9 million overnight stays.

However, the situation is much better in Istria and Kvarner than in Dalmatia. The data from the Croatian National Tourist Board show that most guests are staying in the following destinations: Vir, Rovinj, Medulin, Mali Losinj, Porec, and Crikvenica.

Most foreign guests came from Germany, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, and Hungary.

Istria and Kvarner are doing well, Dalmatia is not

The data from the Croatian National Tourist Board also show that we owe most overnight stays in the first week of July to Germans (807,000), Slovenes (670,000), Czechs (400,000) and Austrians (167,000).

"The situation differs from region to region. For example, Istria and Kvarner are doing well, while the situation in Dalmatia is far worse, especially in Dubrovnik. Their situation is not improving even though airlines are restarting flights. Those who are counting on the American market have reasons to be dissatisfied," says Tomislav Fain, president of the Association of Croatian Travel Agencies (UHPA).

He also states that there is noticeable progress in the tourism industry, but the situation is still uncertain.

Fain: The whole season is still uncertain, it all depends on us

"When there is a better epidemiological picture, there are more reservations, and when the situation worsens, there are more cancellations. The whole season is still uncertain. The prognosis for the end of July and the beginning of August is good for now, but it all depends on us. We need to adhere to the prescribed measures to protect ourselves and the tourist season. If we are not careful, and the number of infected individuals keeps growing, people in the tourism industry might lose jobs," Fain says.

Tourism in Croatia is currently very dependent on the Slovenes, who are second when it comes to the number of arrivals and overnight stays judging by the July data.

We are very dependent on the Slovenes

Last weekend, Slovenia put Croatia on the "yellow" list of less safe countries to visit, which for Croatian citizens means that they will be able to come to Slovenia freely if they have real estate there or if they have booked tourist accommodation, while for Slovenes staying in Croatia, it means that upon their return they will have to answer where exactly they have been in Croatia (which they can prove with a hotel bill), but they will not be quarantined.

The CNTB told us that, given the overall situation, they are satisfied with the tourist traffic in the country.

"We started to intensively promote Croatia as a safe tourist destination at the end of May, in the markets from which we have had most visits in June and July. The results show that our promotion of Croatia in the countries that have a good traffic connection to us was successful. We have had a lot of tourists from Germany, Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland. When it comes to guests from distant markets, such as Great Britain, France, and Scandinavia, they are very dependent on airlines, so we will have to be patient," the CNTB stated for Index.

Airlines are restarting flights, will that help Dubrovnik?

In mid-July, numerous airlines will restart their flights. For example, Jet2 will launch 12 direct routes from the UK to Dubrovnik, Split, and Pula, while Croatia Airlines, Air France and Transavia will connect Croatian destinations with the largest French cities such as Paris, Lyon, and Nantes.

During July and August, the CNTB is expecting more tourist traffic from Central Europe - Germany, Slovenia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, while from the second half of July and in August there will be traffic from France, Great Britain, Benelux, and Scandinavian countries.

"In these circumstances, our comparative advantage over the competition is that Croatia can be reached by car from a large number of European countries. We also have diverse accommodation and a favorable epidemiological situation. This year we are expecting an increase in the share of the domestic market in overall results. We are currently one of the few Mediterranean countries with tourist traffic", states the CNTB.

Dubrovnik Airport is expecting a lot of traffic

"According to the latest information from the representatives of airlines around the world, we are expecting the traffic at our airport to double during the second half of July, and it is likely that it will triple in August compared to the current situation," Dubrovnik Airport stated yesterday, as Dubrovački Dnevnik reported.

We are especially proud to announce that the airline Flydubai will fly a route from Dubai to Dubrovnik this year as well. Despite this unprecedented crisis in air traffic all over the world, Dubrovnik will soon be connected to three new destinations: to Kiev (Winrose Aviation), Budapest (LOT), and Vilnius (Air Baltica)," the statement reads.