The German newspaper WELT described emptier beaches and quieter old town centers in part of the Croatian coast at the beginning of September and warned that high prices are driving guests away.

Official figures for July nevertheless do not show a decline in tourist traffic. According to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, 4.5 million arrivals and 25.3 million overnight stays were recorded in commercial accommodation.

July nevertheless ended in the black

The number of arrivals increased by 2.7 percent, and the number of overnight stays by 1.2 percent compared with July last year. Domestic tourists recorded 411 thousand arrivals and 1.9 million overnight stays, while foreign guests recorded 4.1 million arrivals and 23.4 million overnight stays. Higher growth in arrivals than overnight stays indicates that guests stayed somewhat shorter on average.

Foreign tourists accounted for 92.7 percent of all overnight stays. Once again, the most were recorded by guests from Germany, a total of 4.4 million, followed by tourists from Slovenia with 2.7 million overnight stays. Germans recorded 1.2 percent more overnight stays than last year, and Slovenians 0.3 percent more.

Most overnight stays in resorts and similar accommodation

More than half of all overnight stays, or 56.4 percent, were recorded in resorts and similar facilities for shorter holidays. Campsites had 6 million overnight stays, and hotels and similar accommodation 5 million. All three main accommodation groups recorded slight growth compared with last year.

The most overnight stays were recorded in Istria County, a total of 7.5 million, which is almost a third of all overnight stays in Croatia. In the first seven months of 2026, 11.7 million arrivals and 51.2 million overnight stays were recorded, also somewhat more than last year. The Croatian Bureau of Statistics does not investigate the reasons for this growth, but the figures show that both domestic and foreign tourist traffic increased, with domestic tourism growing significantly faster.

The number of overnight stays is not the same as a full beach

The data do not confirm the claim that the Croatian coast remained empty or that the season fell short. There were somewhat more tourists and overnight stays in July than a year earlier, but the growth is modest and does not cancel out warnings about high prices and shorter guest stays. Croatian tourism has so far not been left without tourists, but that does not mean it can ignore the question of whether guests are getting enough for the money they spend.