June the 25th, 2025 – Croatian prices have remained the same despite warnings issued by those in tourism about the country’s less expensive competition, but are there really less tourists?
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, many are quick to blame Croatian prices for the apparent drop in the number of tourists in the first five months of 2025. It seems that Croatian prices are very much remaining the same, and in some places they are even rising. The calculation seems to be that this won’t cause any harm because there will still be tourists. The government has repeatedly warned those in tourism that this is counterproductive. The warning has been heard from the Croatian National Bank. The governor has pointed out that Croatia’s so-called real consumption is already falling because of this.
Tourists visiting Croatia have always paid for their accommodation before arriving and as such, they’ve accepted that price. However, surprises seem to follow when they actually arrive in Croatia and spend money outside of their accommodation units.
“Last year, we paid 60 euros for a taxi ride from Pula to Rovinj, and now it cost us 120 euros. Everything has become so more expensive,” Maria, a guest from Spain, revealed to HRT.
“Croatian food is expensive, but I paid 30 euros for a manicure here, and in Belgium it would have cost me 60 euros,” said another visitor from Belgium on the now infamous topic of Croatian prices.
Even boaters are complaining, and in Split, fewer berths were rented for the usually very busy months of June and July.
“We can see that our guests are eating out less and less in restaurants, and they’re choosing to cook more and more on board the boats. We can see it in the gas bottles and the amount of gas we give them. They’re spending more and more time on the boat for the entire week long stay, which isn’t good for our boats or the batteries,” said Sara Douzzan Županović, head of the Group of Boat Accommodation Providers at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“I think that prices abroad are the same as Croatian prices. We’ve become ‘Europe’ and workers have become more expensive, just like elsewhere across Europe,” believes Anton Fariš, who works in the catering and hospitality sector in Rovinj.
Some counted on tourists not saving on small pleasures, so they played around with prices there too.
A coffee with milk in a 5-star hotel in Zagreb costs about 3.5 euros. That’s a lot compared to the café around the corner where coffee costs 2.2 euros. In Opatija, however, you’ll pay as much as 6 euros for a coffee with milk in a hotel of the exact same category.
“I’d like to appeal to peoples’ wisdom and reason so that we don’t end up without tourists for a year due to price exaggerations in that sector,” stressed Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar. The same warning was echoed by the long serving Governor of the Croatian National Bank, Boris Vujčić: “I repeat that we’ve had double-digit price increase in the last three years compared to competing countries across the Mediterranean. Because of that, we’ve started to lose our share in the Mediterranean market in terms of overnight stays. Croatia’s real consumption is already falling.”
“Croatia and Croatian prices have seen us end up with a discrepancy – a 50% increase in prices and a 15% increase in the purchasing power of those who visit the country. Well, what happens then? All those tourists have to do is look left and right, and go somewhere else,” warned economic analyst Mladen Vedriš.
