Adriatic gets fewer tourists but they stay longer

Croatia's Adriatic coast saw a drop in holiday makers in the first three months of 2010 with only 252,000 tourists, a four percent decrease from the same period last year, the preliminary statistics of the Croatian National Tourist Board show.But 778,000 overnight stays saw a one percent increase over last year, of visitors staying longer.Adriatic destinations received 11 percent more tourists this March than the same month last year, or 135,300 visitors. They also registered a 16 percent increase in overnight stays, with 401,000.Foreign tourists get the credit for this growth, with more than half of the visitors coming from abroad. An eight percent increase in foreign tourists was registered in the first quarter, while just March saw 29 percent more visitors than the same month last year. It also registered 37 percent increase in overnight stays, or a 13 percent increase for the first quarter.The number of domestic tourists, however, has decreased from last year by 16 percent in the first quarter, or 13 percent for March.  The number of their overnight stays also fell by 13 percent in the first quarter and by 16 percent last month, the Croatian business portal Poslovni reports.

Source: Croatian Times Online News