Summer 2006: Booming Croatia

[IMG=20549-6278] While the demand for some mass-market destinations does not meet the expectations of tour operators, others are booming. Mladlen Falkoni, Director of Croatian Tourist Board in Moscow, said in the interview to a BANKO correspondent: ‘Demand for Croatia has hit the record high. According to official information, a number of tourists who visited Croatia in June increased by 40% comparing to the same period of 2005. These figures prove the growing interest in the country in the Russian market. Forecasts say the demand will exceed all expectations by the end of summer. Air traffic volume in high season has increased by 30%. At the moment 22 daily flights are operated from Moscow to 5 Croatian airports’. Meanwhile, representatives of PAKS, Ascent Travel and Regulus, interviewed by a BANKO correspondent, confirmed the information. Thus, Sergey Prigolovkin, CEO of PAKS, commented: ‘Croatian sales have increased by 42%. We urgently had to launch an additional flight to Pula (Boeing – 757, VIM-avia). We plan to operate it until September. The demand is so high that we can not meet it’. However, experts believe, that record figures in June are partly explained by the move of the charter programs of tour operators. In 2006 the Croatian authorities do not subsidize the holders of long charter programs. As a result the season started in June, not in May. Meanwhile, the positive dynamics in the destination is evident. Tour operators point out several factors that stimulated the demand for Croatia. Andrey Zabolotnikh, General Director Deputy of Ascent Travel, commented: ‘the interest in Croatian resorts was stimulated by drop in demand for Turkey. People search for changes’. Olga Voikina, the Head of Travel Department of Regulus, believes that promotion of the Croatian destination by Russian tour operators contributed into the development of the country. She also added that Croatia ‘is in fashion’. Furthermore, Sergey Prigolovkin, the growth of demand was stimulated by the increase of advertising budget of the Croatian Tourist Board in Moscow and by promotion of the destination on TV.