Croatia's tourism industry booms in peak season amid COVID-19 pandemic

Croatia

ZAGREB, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Croatia's tourism results almost reached the 2019 level in July and August, and booking for September also looks promising, Croatian Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac said on Wednesday.

"The number of tourists and overnight stays is around 90 percent of summer months in 2019," Brnjac told the national news agency Hina.

According to the eVisitor system, 9.8 million tourists visited Croatia this year and there were 61.3 million overnight stays. It is 64 percent of arrivals and 74 percent of overnight stays compared to the same period in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country.

Foreign tourists are also provided with free vaccinations in Croatia.

"We desire to maintain the status of the country with the most favorable epidemiological situation in the Mediterranean, and that is why we will continue to focus on security so that tourist and social events can take place in the rest of the year," Brnjac told Hina.

Croatia depends heavily on the tourism industry, which makes almost 20 percent of the southeastern European country's gross domestic product.