Croatia Awaits Tourists, But Finds Few Takers

Owners of yachts and campsites on Croatia’s scenic Adriatic coast are hoping their isolation in the Mediterranean country will attract tourists, Reuters reported. The nation’s lockdown eased in late April, two weeks after the tourist season should have begun.

But in the Dalmatian port of Krilo-Jesenice, dozens of boats are docked and campsites are nearly empty.

“Sadly, we’re still stuck here waiting for the first guests,” Denis Grubisa, owner of the Black Swan yacht, which can accommodate 38, told the news service. “We hope guests will start pouring in from late June or early July.”

Last month, the International Association of Travel Agents Network (IATAN) reported that four million international flights have been canceled, affecting 590 million passengers. During the week of May 17, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said that 1.8 million passengers passed through their gates, compared to 17.6 million for the same week in 2019.

Not far from Krilo-Jesenice, up the coast near Split, the port city is typically packed with tourists during any other summer, the news service reported. Two couples from Germany at the Stobrec camping facility, which has room for 1,100 campers, said they don’t worry about social distancing.

Tourism accounts for nearly one-fifth of Croatia’s economy. The government expects that number to dwindle by nearly 10 percent due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Veljko Ostojic, director of the Croatian Tourist Association, told Reuters that the majority of their guests reach them by car these days. “Safety standards are in line with recommendations by the experts,” he said.

This week, PYMNTS reported that HomeToGo Co-founder and CEO Patrick Andrae isn’t quite convinced that summer vacation 2020 will be canceled. His company is designed to give consumers a single vantage point from which to see listings on sites like VRBO, Airbnb and various smaller home-sharing platforms.

“In general, we are seeing a sharp pick-up in standalone, house-like vacation rentals,” he noted. “That is something people want more and more. It is a priority as the fastest-growing travel segment we see right now…”