Illustrative photo – The coast in the Croatian city of Opatija on May 15, 2021.
Prague – One of the most sought-after destinations for Czechs is in this year's pre-sales tours traditionally Croatia. Compared to last year, sellers report up to 44 percent higher demand. According to them, the country's entry into the Schengen area and the eurozone also partially contributed to the increase. Trips to Croatia have become more expensive by around a tenth year-on-year, Czechs most often go there by car. This follows from information from travel agencies and agencies contacted by ČTK.
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Croatia experienced a large influx of tourists last year, and it was difficult to book accommodation there in the summer. This year, capacities will be sold out earlier, some hotels are already full, said Aleš Kotek, spokesman for the travel agency České kormidlo. Among our clients, demand for the destination is 44 percent higher than last year, 30,000 to 35,000 should go there this year, he added.
Sales of tours to Croatia are now also successful in the travel agency Travel Family, since the beginning of the year more than 7,000 clients have bought it. This was told to ČTK by the regional manager for Croatia, Lenka Laus. According to her, thanks to the country's entry into the Schengen area, the journey by car will be shorter by about two hours. According to Laus, the acceptance of the euro is also an advantage.
“If you are not going to travel through Hungary, you will pay with the euro, i.e. one currency, in all the countries you pass through, in Austria and Slovenia,” she said. This year, according to her, clients are also very interested in accommodation in mobile homes and campsites. In addition to Czechs, Germans, Slovenians and Austrians go to Croatia the most, she added.
A fifth more clients have already bought a vacation to Croatia than in the past year, Jan Bezděk, spokesman for the Fischer travel agency, told ČTK. According to him, the most popular areas include Poreč, Umag or Rovinj, as well as Vodice, Baška Voda or Omiš in Northern and Central Dalmatia.
Čedok started selling tours to Croatia by train this Wednesday, spokeswoman Kateřina Pavlíková told ČTK. The connection will be provided by RegioJet for the third year. The train will go to Rijeka in Croatia three times a week, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, from June 16 to the end of September. The train will also pick up passengers in Bratislava, so far hundreds of clients have reserved their seats, added Pavlíková. According to her, families with children are very interested in train transport.
“Clients from the regions also take the train and get on at some of the stops near their place of residence, or groups who can already be together during the journey,” she said. According to her, the company sold a third more trips to Croatia than in the same period last year.
The travel agency Invia reports a double year-on-year demand for vacations in Croatia this year, spokeswoman Jiřina Ekrt Jirušková told ČTK. “This positive trend is partly due to the fact that we offer tours to Croatia through German travel agencies, which often offer better prices,” she said. According to her, clients most often go to the Makarska Riviera, for example.
Croatia entered the Eurozone and the Schengen area on January 1 of this year. According to Laus, Czechs regularly occupy the fifth place in the number of visitors to the country, last year there were almost 900,000, compared to 2019 it was eight percent less, she said.
