TOURIST ACTIVITY OF POPULATION OF REPUBLIC OF CROATIA, 2022

 

A total of 48.2% of the Croatian population aged 15 and over went on private trips with overnight stays

In 2022, a total of 1.6 million persons, which accounts for 48.2% of the Croatian population aged 15 and over, went on at least to one private trip with overnight stays. Compared to 2021, there were 21.7% more population of Croatia aged 15 and over on private trips with overnight stays, whereas compared to 2019 it was a decrease of 12.1%.

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Increase of private trips with overnight stays abroad

In 2022, Croatian population aged 15 and over made a total of 4.0 million private trips with overnight stays, of which 2.9 million (71.7%) in Croatia, and 1.1 million (28.3%) abroad. Compared to 2021, 13.8% more private trips with overnight stays were made. There were 4.1% fewer private trips with overnight stays in Croatia, whereas those abroad were doubled. Bosnia and Herzegovina remained the most popular destination (28.5% of the total private trips with overnight stays made abroad), followed by trips to Germany (10.1%), Slovenia (9.3%), Austria (7.7%), Italy (7.6%), Hungary (6.8%) and Serbia (5.0%).

Compared to 2019, there were 12.2% fewer private trips with overnight stays in Croatia, and 37.3% fewer private trips with overnight stays abroad.

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The most private trips made in the summer months of 2022

In June, July and August of 2022, a total of 1.9 million private trips with overnight stays were made, which accounts for 46.6% of the total realised private trips with overnight stays in 2022. In Croatia, the largest number of private trips with overnight stays were made in August (588 thousand trips, which accounts for 20.3% of the total private trips with overnight stays in Croatia) and in June (516 thousand trips, or 17.8%). The largest number of trips abroad were made in June (161 thousand trips, which accounts for 14.1% of the total private trips with overnight stays abroad) and in December (151 thousand trips, or 13.2%).

Seaside vacation and visiting relatives and friends are the most common motives for making trips

Seaside vacation (1.4 million trips or 33.6% of the total private trips with overnight stays) and visiting relatives and friends (1.3 million trips or 31.1%) were the most common reasons for making private trips with overnight stays in 2022. The most common motives for making private trips with overnight stays in Croatia were seaside vacation (1.3 million trips or 45.6% of the total private trips with overnight stays realised in Croatia) and visiting relatives and friends (782 thousand or 27.0%). The most common motives for going on private trips with overnight stays abroad were visiting relatives and friends (476 thousand or 41.5%) and city sightseeing (350 thousand or 30.5%).

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The highest number of nights spent in non-commercial accommodation establishments

In 2022, the Croatian population aged 15 and over spent a total of 24.6 million nights, of which 18.7 million nights (75.9%) on private trips with overnight stays in Croatia, and 5.9 million nights (24.1%) abroad. An average of six nights were spent on private trips with overnight stays in Croatia, and five on private trips with overnight stays abroad.

In 2022, the Croatian population aged 15 and over spent 2.8% more nights on private trips with overnight stays in Croatia, and 22.5% more nights on private trips with overnight stays abroad than in 2021. Compared to 2019, the Croatian population aged 15 and over spent 1.8% fewer nights in Croatia, and 35.8% fewer nights abroad on private trips with overnight stays.

By type of accommodation, the highest number of nights was spent in non-commercial accommodation establishments (15.2 million nights or 61.6%), of which 8.6 million nights in accommodation establishments owned by relatives and friends and 6.5 million nights in own villas and summer houses.

Average expenditures per private trip in Croatia amounted to 1 886 kuna

Total expenditures on private trips with overnight stays in 2022 amounted to 9.1 billion kuna, of which 5.5 billion kuna (59.9%) in Croatia and 3.6 billion kuna (40.1%) abroad. Average travel expenditures per private trip in Croatia amounted to 1 886 kuna and per private trip abroad to 3 185 kuna. Total expenditures on private trips with overnight stays in 2022 were 36.9% higher than in 2021.

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Finances as the most common reason for not taking private trips with overnight stays

Out of the total population of Croatia aged 15 and over, 1.8 million persons, or 51.8%, did not go on a private trip with overnight stays in 2022. The most common reasons for not making private trips with overnight stays were lack of financial resources (41.1%) and health reasons (32.6%).

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Increase of business/professional trips with overnight stays abroad

In 2022, 237 thousand persons, or 6.9%, of the Croatian population aged 15 and over made at least one business/professional trip with overnight stays. A total of 457 thousand business/professional trips were realised, of which 252 thousand (55.1%) in Croatia and 205 thousand (44.9%) abroad. In 2022, there were 94.5% more business/professional trips made abroad than in 2021, but still 52.1% fewer than in 2019. There were 2.4% fewer business/professional trips in Croatia than in 2021, and 38.3% fewer than in 2019.

In 2022, 2.5 times more private same-day visits made abroad than in 2021

In 2022, the Croatian population aged 15 and over made 4.6 million same-day visits, of which 4.3 million visits (92.4%) were private and 352 thousand (7.6%) were business/professional visits. It was an increase in same-day visits of 16.7% compared to 2021, but a decrease of 42.0% compared to 2019.

In 2022, there were 621 thousand private same-day visits made abroad, which was 2.5 times more compared to the previous year, while 3.7 million same-day visits were made in Croatia, which was 7.9% more compared to 2021.

Total expenditures on private same-day visits amounted to 1.6 billion kuna (1.1 billion on same-day visits in Croatia and 451 million on same-day visits abroad). Average travel expenditures per private same-day visit in Croatia amounted to 306 kuna, and per private same-day visit abroad to 727 kuna.

 

NOTES ON METHODOLOGY

The purpose of the statistical survey

The purpose of the statistical survey Tourist Activity of the Population of the Republic of Croatia is to gather data on national tourism, that is, the data on the number and characteristics of travels of the Croatian population outside their usual environment. The goal is to assess to what extent does the Croatian population travel, their reasons for going on a trip, where and when they travel, how long do the trips last and what the trip expenditures amount to. For the surveyed persons who did not go on a private trip with overnight stays, the data on the reasons for not going on a trip were gathered.

The main survey results and the methods according to which the survey was carried out are presented here. In individual tables the total sum does not equal the sum of individual figures due to the rounding of the figures. Indices had been calculated as whole numbers before they were expressed in thousands or millions.

Legal basis

The survey is carried out according to the Official Statistical Act (NN, No. 25/20) and the Regulation (EU) No. 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2011 concerning European statistics on tourism.

Confidentiality

According to the Official Statistics Act (NN, No. 25/20) and the Regulation (EC) No. 223/2009, the confidentiality of all personal data on the household and its members given by respondents is guaranteed. The collected data are used solely for statistical purposes and they are published at the aggregate level https://podaci.dzs.hr/en/.

Observation units and coverage

The observation units for the number of persons who went on a trip are Croatian citizens aged 15 and over. The observation unit for data on the number of trips with overnight stays and same-day visits and their characteristics is a trip of a Croatian citizen aged 15 and over. This survey covers only trips with regard to the main reason for going on a trip (private and business/professional) and the main destination of a trip (in Croatia and abroad) that ended in the reporting period. The month of departure for a trip with overnight stays may be outside the reporting period (for example, December 2021 for a trip that ended in January 2022).

Sources and methods of data collection

The basis for the sampling frame is a directory of fixed and mobile telephone lines in the Republic of Croatia. A random sample stratified according to the county and type of telephone line (fixed or mobile) was used in the survey. The target population for a survey are citizens of the Republic of Croatia aged 15 and over who live in private households, excluding population living in institutional households (homes for the elderly, prisons and the like), citizens of the Republic of Croatia living abroad and foreign citizens living in Croatia. In case of a fixed telephone line, a surveyed person was selected from a chosen household according to the birthday key method.

The data on tourist activity of the Croatian population in 2022 were gathered through telephone interviews with computer support (CATI method) on a representative sample of a total of 22 000 Croatian citizens aged 15 and over.

The data were gathered by carrying out four waves of CATI research. A quarter is taken as the reference period. A travel has to end within the reference period and may start up to 365 days prior to its end.

The first round of gathering data was carried out in April 2022 and included the tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia in the period from January to March 2022. The second round was carried out in July 2022 and included the tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia in the period from April to June 2022. The third round was carried out in October 2022 and included the tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia in the period from July to September 2022. The fourth round was carried out in January 2023 and included the tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia in the period from October to December 2022 and in the whole of 2022.

The characteristics of trips are monitored on the level of four overnight stays and four same-day visits as the upper limit. The following data are gathered for each individual trip: type of trip (private, business/professional), the main reason for going on the trip, the month in which the person went on the trip, the duration of the trip with overnight stays (the number of nights), the destination country for trips abroad, the organisation of the trip (self-organised, through an agency), the main transportation vehicle, the type of accommodation on trips with overnight stays, the number of persons for which expenditures are presented, the trip expenditures, the structure of expenditures on trips with overnight stays.

Except for the previously mentioned characteristics of trips, data are also gathered on the socio-demographic profile of the population (age, sex, level of education, number of persons in the household, status in employment, county).

Due to the fact that the data on tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia refer to each individual quarterly period, merging the results of four quarterly periods does not allow for the assessment of the number/share of persons who went and who did not go on a trip in the observed year. The assessment of the number of persons who went on a trip was calculated on the basis of 7 000 surveyed persons who were surveyed in the last (fourth) survey wave in which the trips throughout the whole 2022 were included.

In the analysis of the accuracy of estimates, the sum estimate, the coefficient of variation expressed in percentage and the 95.0% reliability interval used in the sum estimate are presented. The categories with the coefficient of variation value ranging between 10.0% and 29.9% are put in brackets, which means that the estimation is less accurate.

Response rate

The response rate was 54.9% of all eligible units.

The highest non-response rate was recorded for questions regarding trip expenditures. This non-response problem was mitigated by applying the sequential hot-deck imputation method.

Imputation rates include transportation expenditures (12.9%), accommodation expenditures (15.3%), expenditures on food and drinks in hotel and restaurant establishments (10.5%) and other expenditures (3.9%).

Definitions

Tourism means the activity of visitors taking a trip to a main destination outside their usual environment for less than a year, for leisure, business or other personal purpose other than to be employed by a resident entity in the place visited.

Usual environment of a person is immediate vicinity of the person’s home and place of work or schooling, or other places that the person regularly visits. Each person has only one usual environment. The following criteria define a usual environment: crossing of the administrative borders of the distance from the place of usual residence; duration of a trip; the frequency of going on a trip; the purpose of a trip.

Place of usual residence is considered a place where a person came with an intention of permanent residence.

National tourism of a country encompasses national tourism, which includes activities of citizens of a particular country who travel and accommodate in places within that country but outside their usual environment, and outbound tourism, which includes the activities of citizens of a particular country who travel and accommodate in places outside the borders of that country and outside their usual environment.

Visitor is every person who travels to a place different from his/her usual environment for a period shorter than 12 months without interruption and whose main purpose of travelling differs from performing a particular activity financed by a resident entity in the place visited, providing that he/she spends at least one night in an accommodation establishment. Visitors include tourists and same-day visitors.

Tourist is every person who, outside his/her place of permanent residence, spends at least one night in a commercial or non-commercial accommodation establishment for reasons of rest, recreation, visit to family and friends, preservation and improvement of health, business, religious and other reasons. Tourists exclude migrants, borderline workers, diplomats, military force members on their regular duties, displaced persons and nomads.

Same-day visitor is every person who travels to a place outside his/her usual environment, who does not spend a night in a hotel or some other tourist accommodation establishment and whose main purpose of travelling differs from performing a particular activity financed by a resident entity in the place visited.

Duration of a tourist trip is the time spent on the trip, which can last a maximum of 365 days continuously. According to the duration criterion, there are same-day visits and trips with overnight stays.

Same-day visits are trips outside the usual environment, on which a person spends at least three and less than 24 hours at a destination (a night is not realised).

Trips with overnight stays are trips outside the usual environment with at least one but less than 365 overnight stays realised.

As regards purpose, trips can be private and business/professional.

Private trip is a trip aiming at rest, recreation, shopping, health, pilgrimage, religious event, visit to relatives and friends, etc. Private trips do not include weekly migrations or departure for work or schooling, seasonal work, staying in hospitals or spas financed by social insurance contributions, staying in refugee camps and asylum.

Business/professional trip is a trip aiming at business or professional reasons excluding daily local trips or business-motivated trips in usual environment. Business/professional trips include trips to congresses, conferences, business meetings, fairs, exhibitions, language learning and other educational trips, cultural, sports and similar trips. Trips financed by a resident entity in the place visited are excluded.

Duration of a trip with overnight stays is measured by the number of nights spent at a destination. There are shorter and longer trips.

Shorter trips are trips on which tourists realise 1 – 3 tourist nights.

Longer trips are trips on which tourists realise 4 or more tourist nights.

Expenditures on a tourism trip include all travelling expenses that occurred before the beginning of the trip and during the trip. These expenditures may also be made by another person on behalf of the visitor or at the visitor’s expense.

 

Abbreviations

EU	European Union
EC	European Communities
mln	million
NN	Narodne novine, official gazette of the Republic of Croatia
‘000	thousand

Symbols
( )	less accurate data

 

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Prepared by:
Ivana Brozović and Suzana Nujić

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