Croatia's premium tourism grows as luxury demand rises
Premium tourism is becoming increasingly sought after both in Croatia and globally. In 2024, it accounted for around 10% of Croatia's total tourism revenue, or roughly €1.4 billion, and the goal is to increase this share to 20% in the coming years, it was said at an event in Zagreb, CE Report quotes HINA.
The event was the anniversary celebration of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce's (HGK) premium tourism platform, Stories Croatia.
Premium tourism involves authentic offerings that create memorable and distinctive experiences, which partly include luxury but not necessarily, explained consultant Sanja Čizmar, who also conducted a study on the segment.
In addition to figures on premium tourism's share in overall revenue, the study - conducted among top managers of global hotel chains, agencies and others - showed that Croatia was rated "good to very good" in this segment. By comparison, France and Italy received top marks of "very good to excellent".
Given the still relatively modest scope of Croatia's premium offer, Čizmar described the findings as encouraging.
160 service providers on the platform
The HGK's Tourism Division director, Andreja Vukojević, said the platform currently includes 160 service providers, around 60 of which are hotels, with the remainder comprising campsites, marinas, restaurants, holiday homes, travel agencies and others.
One of the criteria for inclusion is that the facility must be categorised with four or five stars and have high guest ratings.
The aim is to position Croatia as a premium destination and achieve growth in premium accommodation and year-round tourism offerings. This also contributes to sustainable tourism, Vukojević said.
She added that premium offerings account for around 22% of hotels in Croatia, 39% of marina berths, 12% of campsites and roughly 3,000 villas.
The importance of development and networking in this segment was emphasised by HGK president Luka Burilović, while MEP Nikolina Brnjac underlined the role of authentic offerings in sustainable and year-round tourism, both in Croatia and across the EU.
This is also the direction of European tourism policy as such offerings help maintain balance in local communities, Brnjac added.
The director of the Zagreb Tourist Board, Martina Bienenfeld, used Zagreb as an example of what constitutes a premium offer - in addition to accommodation and services, it includes projects and events that help brand a destination as premium. Examples from Zagreb include the "Museums, maybe" project, "Zagreb Classic" and others.
Minister Glavina: Premium is part of all strategic tourism policies
Tourism and Sports Minister Tonči Glavina stressed that the development of premium offerings is a component of all strategic tourism policies, saying that while Croatia is accessible to all, it aims to become a destination of high quality and value.
According to Glavina, Croatia can turn the premium niche into a competitive advantage, operating year-round and spread evenly across the country.
He said the pre-season had been good, and he expected a similarly strong post-season, but added that much effort would be needed to maintain last year's performance during the main summer season.
"In light of European Central Bank projections that the EU economy could slow or even enter recession by the end of the year due to US tariffs, it is vital for everyone to work hard on putting together strong pricing and service packages, so that growth and profit are not limited to a few months but spread throughout the year," Glavina concluded.
