TOURIST ACTIVITY OF POPULATION OF REPUBLIC OF CROATIA, 2023

A total of 49.3% of the Croatian population aged 15 and over went on private trips with overnight stays

In 2023, a total of 1.6 million persons, or 49.3% of the Croatian population aged 15 and over, went on at least one private trip with overnight stays. By duration of stays, longer private trips, those with four and more nights, were more often chosen. Namely, 1.3 million persons, or 79.9% of Croatian citizens aged 15 and over, went to that kind of trips.

Data for 2023 have been estimated on the basis of the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Croatia in 2021 (Census 2021), while previously released data were estimated on the basis of the Census 2011 data. This caused a break in time series of data and, consequently, data for 2023 are not comparable to data for previous years. In order to achieve a consistency of data and to make 2023 data comparable with already released data for previous years, a revision of data will be subsequently carried out, thus enabling the harmonisation of data for previous years with the Census 2021 results.

In 2023, there were more private trips with overnight stays in Croatia than abroad

In 2023, Croatian population aged 15 and over took a total of 5.0 million private trips with overnight stays, of which 3.3 million (65.4%) in Croatia and 1.7 million (34.6%) abroad. Concerning trips abroad, the most often chosen destinations were Bosnia and Herzegovina (26.4% of the total realised private trips with overnight stays abroad), then Italy (12.9%), Slovenia (12.3%), Germany and Austria (8.3% each), Serbia (4.8%), Spain and Hungary (3.3% each) and France (1.9%).

The most private trips with overnight stays were taken in the summer months of 2023

In June, July and August of 2023, a total of 2.0 million private trips with overnight stays were taken, which accounts for 40.9% of the total realised private trips with overnight stays in 2023. The largest number of private trips with overnight stays in Croatia were taken in August (631 thousand trips, which accounted for 19.3% of the total private trips with overnight stays in Croatia), then in July (496 thousand trips, or 15.2%) and in June (411 thousand trips, or 12.5%). The largest number of trips abroad were taken in August (233 thousand trips, which accounts for 13.4% of the total private trips with overnight stays abroad) and in December (213 thousand trips, or 12.3% of the total realised private trips with overnight stays abroad).

Visiting relatives and friends and seaside vacation were the most common motives for making trips

Visiting relatives and friends (1.6 million trips, or 32.1% of the total private trips with overnight stays) and seaside vacation (1.5 million trips, or 30.2%) were the most common reasons for making private trips with overnight stays in 2023. The most common motives for making private trips with overnight stays in Croatia were seaside vacation (1.4 million trips, or 43.2% of the total private trips with overnight stays realised in Croatia) and visiting relatives and friends (910 thousand, or 27.8%). The most common motives for going on private trips with overnight stays abroad were visiting relatives and friends (699 thousand or 40.3%) and city break trips (567 thousand or 32.7%).

The Croatian population on private trips spent most nights in non-commercial accommodation establishments, at relatives’ and friends’

In 2023, the Croatian population aged 15 and over spent a total of 29.5 million nights, of which 20.0 million nights (67.9%) on private trips with overnight stays in Croatia and 9.5 million nights (32.1%) abroad. An average of six nights were spent on private trips with overnight stays both in Croatia and abroad.

By type of accommodation, the largest number of nights were spent in non-commercial accommodation establishments (18.4 million nights, or 62.4% of the total realised nights), of which 10.2 million nights (55.2%) in accommodation establishments owned by relatives and friends and 8.1 million nights (43.8%) in own villas and summer houses. A total of 11.1 million nights were spent in commercial accommodation establishments, which accounted for 37.6% of the total realised nights on private trips with overnight stays.

In commercial accommodation establishments in Croatia, the largest number of nights on private trips with overnight stays were realised in rooms, apartments, studio-type suits and summer houses, namely 3.0 million nights (43.6% of the total nights realised in commercial accommodation establishments in Croatia), which was followed by nights spent in the group Hotels and similar accommodation, namely 2.9 million nights (42% of the total nights realised in commercial accommodation in Croatia).

In commercial accommodation establishments abroad, the largest number of nights on private trips with overnight stays were spent in group Hotels and similar accommodation, namely 2.5 million of nights (58.7% of the total nights realised in commercial accommodation establishments abroad), which was followed by nights spent in rooms, apartments, studio-type suits and summer houses, namely 1.4 million nights (32.4% of the total nights realised in commercial accommodation establishments abroad).

Average expenditures per private trip abroad amounted to 471 euro, while in Croatia they amounted to 281 euro

Total expenditures on private trips with overnight stays in 2023 amounted to 1.7 billion euro, of which 921 million euro (53.0%) were spent in Croatia and 815 million euro (47.0%) abroad. Average expenditures per private trip with overnight stays in Croatia amounted to 281 euro and per private trip abroad to 471 euro.

A private passenger car was the most common transportation mean

The most often chosen transportation mean on private trips with overnight stays, both in Croatia and abroad, was a private passenger car. It was chosen for as much as 3.9 million trips (77.4% of the total realised trips with overnight stays), followed by coach (583 thousand trips, or 11.6%) and by airplane (346 thousand trips, or 6.9%).

The most often chosen transportation mean on private trips with overnight stays in Croatia in 2023 were a private passenger car, namely 2.8 million trips (85.2% of the total realised private trips with overnight stays in Croatia) and coach (312 thousand trips, or 9.5%). As for private trips abroad, apart from the private passenger car (1.1 million trips, which accounted for 62.7% of total realised private trips with overnight stays abroad), the most often chosen transportation mean were airplane, namely 334 thousand trips (19.3%) and coach, 270 thousand trips (15.6%).

Lack of finances was the most common reason for not taking private trips with overnight stays

Out of the total population of Croatia aged 15 and over, 1.7 million persons, or 50.7%, did not go on a private trip with overnight stays in 2023. The most common reasons for not taking private trips with overnight stays were lack of financial resources (claimed by 41.7% of the total number of persons who did not take private trips with overnight stays) and health reasons (34.3%).

In 2023, business/professional trips with overnight stays were more often taken in Croatia than abroad

There were 318 thousand persons, or 9.6%, of the Croatian population aged 15 and over, who took at least one business/professional trip with overnight stays in 2023.

They realised a total of 684 thousand business/professional trips, of which 355 thousand (51.9%) in Croatia and 329 thousand (48.1%) abroad.

In Croatia, the largest number of business/professional trips with overnight stays were taken in March (58 thousand of them, which accounted for 16.3% of the total number of business/professional trips with overnight stays in Croatia), while the largest number of business/professional trips with overnight stays abroad were taken in September (102 thousand of them, which accounted for 31.0% of the total number of business/professional trips with overnight stays abroad).

Total expenditures on business/professional trips with overnight stays in 2023 amounted to 458 million euro, of which 167 million euro (36.5%) were spent in Croatia and 291 million euro (63.5%) abroad. Average expenditures per business/professional trips with overnight stays amounted to 471 euro in Croatia and to 882 euro abroad.

There were 6.9 million same-day visits

In 2023, the Croatian population aged 15 and over took 6.9 million same-day visits, of which 6.5 million visits (93.7%) were private and 438 thousand (6.3%) were business/professional visits.

In 2023, out of the total number of private same-day visits (6.5 million), 5.5 million were realised in Croatia (which accounted for 84.9% of total number of private same-day visits), whereas 983 thousand (15.1%) of them were taken abroad.

Total expenditures on private same-day visits amounted to 347 million euro (257 million euro on same-day visits in Croatia and 90 million euro on same-day visits abroad). Average travel expenditures per private same-day visit amounted to 47 euro in Croatia and 91 euro abroad.

In 2023, out of the total realised business/professional same-day visits (438 thousand), 344 thousand were taken in Croatia (which was 78.4% of the total realised business/professional same-day visits) and 94 thousand (21.6%) were taken abroad. Total expenditures on business/professional same-day visits amounted to 41 million euro. Average travel expenditures per business/professional same-day visit amounted to 84 euro in Croatia and 122 euro abroad.

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.

Coverage and comparability

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 2022 for a trip that ended in January 2023).

Data for 2023 have been estimated on the basis of the Census of Population, Households and Dwellings in the Republic of Croatia in 2021 (Census 2021), while previously released data were estimated on the basis of the Census 2011 data. This caused a break in time series of data and, consequently, data for 2023 are not comparable to data for previous years.

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 2023 and included the tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia in the period from January to March 2023. The second round was carried out in July 2023 and included the tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia in the period from April to June 2023. The third round was carried out in October 2023 and included the tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia in the period from July to September 2023. The fourth round was carried out in January 2024 and included the tourist activity of the population of the Republic of Croatia in the period from October to December 2023 and in the whole of 2023.

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% 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 60.1% 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 (17.7%), accommodation expenditures (20.7%), expenditures on food and drinks in hotel and restaurant establishments (15.9%) and other expenditures (7.3%).

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
mln	million
NN	Narodne novine, official gazette of the Republic of Croatia
‘000	thousand

Symbols
( )	less accurate data

 

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