The tourism sector GDP share in Croatia was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total *** percentage points. The share is estimated to amount to **** percent in 2028. While the share was forecast to increase significant in the next years, the increase will slow down in the future.Depited is the economic contribution of the tourism sector in relation to the gross domestic product of the country or region at hand.The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than *** countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the tourism sector GDP share in countries like Romania and Albania.

The international tourist departures in Croatia were forecast to increase between 2024 and 2029 by in total 0.4 million departures (+13.79 percent). This overall increase does not happen continuously, notably not in 2028 and 2029. The number of depatures are estimated to amount to 3.3 million departures in 2029. According to Worldbank, international tourist departures can be defined as departures from the country of usual residence to any other country for any purpose other than work. The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than 150 countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the international tourist departures in countries like Romania and Cyprus.

In 2023, the share of travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in European Union member countries and the United Kingdom remained in most cases below the figures reported before the COVID-19 pandemic, but showed strong signs of recovery. Overall, Croatia was the EU country where travel and tourism contributed the highest share of gross domestic product in 2023. That year, these industries generated, directly and indirectly, nearly ** percent of the country's GDP. Portugal and Greece followed in the ranking in 2023, with travel and tourism representing **** percent and **** percent of GDP, respectively.

Croatia is one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations when it comes to beach vacations, attracting nearly ** million visitors in 2024. Most of them traveled from Germany, with approximately ***** million visitors arriving from the country. Slovenia and Austria were two other key tourist markets for Croatia, although figures were significantly lower. Tourism’s contribution to GDP The contribution of Croatia’s tourism sector to the country’s economic success is undeniable. In 2024, the sector’s share in Croatia’s gross domestic product was measured at over 22 percent, which was still below pre-pandemic levels. However, this figure is forecast to increase over the following years and reach over ** percent by 2028. Most popular tourist towns Croatia’s capital, Zagreb, recorded the highest number of overnight visitors in 2023, at over *** million arrivals, marking a significant increase compared to the preceding year. Dubrovnik, also known for its role as a main filming spot for King’s Landing in Game of Thrones, came second in the ranking with ****million visitors.

While the tourism sector GDP share in Cyprus was forecast to increase long-term between 2023 and 2028 by in total three percentage points, it is estimated to decrease in the years 2026, 2027 and 2028. The share is estimated to amount to ***** percent in 2028. While the share was forecast to increase significant in the next years, the increase will slow down in the future.Depited is the economic contribution of the tourism sector in relation to the gross domestic product of the country or region at hand.The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than *** countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the tourism sector GDP share in countries like Bulgaria and Croatia.

The tourism sector GDP share in Turkey was forecast to continuously increase between 2023 and 2028 by in total *** percentage points. The share is estimated to amount to ***** percent in 2028. While the share was forecast to increase significant in the next years, the increase will slow down in the future.Depited is the economic contribution of the tourism sector in relation to the gross domestic product of the country or region at hand.The forecast has been adjusted for the expected impact of COVID-19.The shown data are an excerpt of Statista's Key Market Indicators (KMI). The KMI are a collection of primary and secondary indicators on the macro-economic, demographic and technological environment in more than *** countries and regions worldwide. All input data are sourced from international institutions, national statistical offices, and trade associations. All data has been are processed to generate comparable datasets (see supplementary notes under details for more information).Find more key insights for the tourism sector GDP share in countries like Romania and Croatia.

********* in Croatia reported the highest direct contribution of travel and tourism to gross domestic product (GDP) among the selected European destinations over the period considered. It was estimated that the travel and tourism sector in Dubrovnik would account for **** percent of the city's GDP in 2022.

With a Gross Domestic Product of over 4.3 trillion Euros, the German economy was by far the largest in Europe in 2024. The similarly sized economies of the United Kingdom and France were the second and third largest economies in Europe during this year, followed by Italy and Spain. The smallest economy in this statistic is that of the small Balkan nation of Montenegro, which had a GDP of 7.4 billion Euros. In this year, the combined GDP of the 27 member states that compose the European Union amounted to approximately 17.95 trillion Euros. The big five Germany’s economy has consistently had the largest economy in Europe since 1980, even before the reunification of West and East Germany. The United Kingdom, by contrast, has had mixed fortunes during the same period and had a smaller economy than Italy in the late 1980s. The UK also suffered more than the other major economies during the recession of the late 2000s, meaning the French economy was the second largest on the continent for some time afterward. The Spanish economy was continually the fifth-largest in Europe in this 38-year period, and from 2004 onwards, has been worth more than one trillion Euros. The smallest GDP, the highest economic growth in Europe Despite having the smallerst GDP of Europe, Montenegro emerged as the fastest growing economy in the continent, achieving an impressive annual growth rate of 4.5 percent, surpassing Turkey's growth rate of 4 percent. Overall,this Balkan nation has shown a remarkable economic recovery since the 2010 financial crisis, with its GDP projected to grow by 28.71 percent between 2024 and 2029. Contributing to this positive trend are successful tourism seasons in recent years, along with increased private consumption and rising imports. Europe's economic stagnation Malta, Albania, Iceland, and Croatia were among the countries reporting some of the highest growth rates this year. However, Europe's overall performance reflected a general slowdown in growth compared to the trend seen in 2021, during the post-pandemic recovery. Estonia experienced the sharpest negative growth in 2023, with its economy shrinking by 2.3% compared to 2022, primarily due to the negative impact of sanctions placed on its large neighbor, Russia. Other nations, including Sweden, Germany, and Finland, also recorded slight negative growth.

The number of registered coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Croatia reached approximately 1.28 million as of October 12, 2023. By this date, 1.26 million people had recovered from the illness and the number of deceased totaled 18,374.

The spread of the virus

Authorities confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Croatia on February 25, 2020, after a man was tested positive for coronavirus following his return from Milan, where he had traveled to see the Champions League match between Atlanta and Valencia. In March 2020, multiple Croatian settlements reported new infections, totaling over 800 by the end of the month.

Effect on tourism in the first year

Croatia's tourism sector, which accounts for one-fifth of the GDP, was particularly badly affected by the pandemic since Croatia depends almost exclusively on foreign visitors, who generate 90 percent of the sector’s revenue. In April 2020, the Croatian National Tourist Board recorded a 99 percent decline in tourist arrivals compared to the previous year. However, by the middle of June 2021, Croatia had already recorded a 40 percent increase in the number of tourists compared to the figures from 2020. Travellers arived mostly from European countries, such as Germany, Austria, and Czechia.

For further information about the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, please visit our dedicated Facts and Figures page.