From coast to capital: How Croatia became a year-round tourist hotspot

Beyond the beaches: Inland Croatia is attracting more visitors than ever.

Croatia saw a 4% rise in tourist arrivals to more than 21.3 million and a 1% increase in overnight stays to over 108.7 million in 2024, the Ministry of Tourism and Sports reported on Friday.

The vast majority of the overnight stays - 103.3 million - were recorded along Croatia's picturesque Adriatic coast.

However, the country's inland regions also saw a 5% rise in overnight stays with the capital Zagreb experiencing a 6% increase from the previous year to 2.7 million, according to the ministry.

"We can be very satisfied with all accomplished tourist results in 2024, including financial indicators, because we have had another record year according to all parameters," Tourism and Sports Minister Tonči Glavina said in a statement.

Glavina said the most significant growth in arrivals occurred during the pre-season and post-season periods, showing that "we are becoming a whole-year-around tourist destination".

The Croatian central bank reported that revenues from foreign tourists rose 1.7% to 13.2 billion euros ($13.6 billion) in the first nine months of 2024. ($1 = 0.9718 euros).