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Rovinj – Croatia"s Top Destination for Overnight Travel

September 18, 2013 – 3 Million Overnights

For the third consecutive time on September 18, 2013 Rovinj reached 3 million overnights, thus becoming Croatia’s top destination for overnight travel for the fourth year in a row. Rovinj has recorded 420,000 tourist arrivals, which is an increase of 2% on a year-over-year basis. This result has been achieved with a total of 30,719 beds, which has also increased by 2% compared to 2012.   

The analysis providing a breakdown between the different types of accommodation shows that, according to the number of overnights, the most popular places to stay were:

  • campsites (1.65 million overnights) with a 55% share of total overnights, which is 2% less than last year,
  • hotels (480,000 overnights) with a 16% share of total overnights, which is 3% more than last year,
  • private accommodations (450,000 overnights) with a 15% share of total overnights and a 14% increase over last year, and
  • tourist resorts and apartments (304,000 overnights) with a 10% share of total overnights, which is 9% less than last year.

 

According to a report from the Port Authority, there was an increase in the number of cruise ship visits to Rovinj. By mid-September 58 cruise ships and 262 mega yachts stopped at Rovinj, while the number of visits by boats providing regularly scheduled international transport is declining due to the cancellation of the boat service from Ravenna and reduced number of scheduled arrivals from Trieste. Let us also mention that earlier this year the American TripAdvisor, which has over 50 million visits per month, awarded the Rovinj Port Authority with its 2012 Certificate of Excellence.

 

The analysis of overnights according to emissive tourist markets shows that the largest number of guests arrived from:

  • Germany, with 980,000 overnights, matching last year’s level, and a 33% share of total overnights,
  • Austria, with 361,000 overnights, which is an increase of 1% over last year and a 12% share of total overnights, 
  • Italy, with 338,000 overnights, a 1% increase over last year and a 11% share of total overnights,
  • The Netherlands with 323,000 overnights, which is a 11% share of total overnights, but also a 5% decline since last year, and
  • The United Kingdom with 123,000 overnights, a 4% share in total overnights and a year-over-year increase of 53%, which is a revival of this market that used to be an important emissive market for Rovinj.

 

It is clear that three key emissive markets are still stabile tourist-generating markets, while there is a noticeable drop in the number of tourists from the Netherlands, who are mostly staying in campsites, as well as in the number of guests from Slovenia (9%), Russia and Ukraine (38%), which was caused by the new visa regime.  Positive trends are recorded for Poland, Hungary and Scandinavian countries.

 

The tourism season in Croatia indicated good results for Adriatic destinations, while in Istria, the strongest tourism region, last year’s good results were reached at the end of August.

 

For Rovinj as a tourist destination this is a challenging year in which the tourism sector is faced with an imperative of achieving better results than last year, regardless of the problems encountered in the industry and the recession still present in our emissive markets. This year an important investment cycle was completed, but also a number of issues and occurrences have emerged that have had a negative effect on the destination’s reputation and the tourism development we are striving to achieve and our fellow citizens are expecting. Therefore, the achieved is the result of a continuous effort of the people working in the private and public sector and business owners and craftspeople to make the offerings and amenities suited to modern travellers, thus making our destination more competitive and recognizable.

 

In order to attract more guests, numerous promotional activities have been organized on the destination level and within the scope of the 2013 Istrian Marketing Plan, whose implementation is being funded with HRK 4.5 million from the Tourist Board of Rovinj and Rovinj-based businesses. Joint marketing activities have been carried out through collaboration between the Croatian National Tourist Board, Istria County Tourist Board, Tourist Board of Rovinj and local businesses and numerous visits by press members, study groups and television crews were organized.  This year to date we have welcomed 39 media groups with 157 reporters from some of the most renowned European and world news agencies, tourism magazines and publications, web portals and TV companies, who have presented their perspective on the experience of staying in Istria and Rovinj in a variety of articles and on numerous television programmes. The marketing activities have resulted in multiple media awards and recognitions (Lonely planet, ADAC, National Geographic Traveler, the American issue of Travel & Leisure, Fodor"s, ShermansTravel, CNN – Rovinj Among 13 Hidden Corners of Europe, Trip Advisor, Jet2.com, The joys of Traveling, Next avenue, Executive travel, Reader"s Digest, The Huffington Post and Flos Olei), with Istria being called one of the top and most interesting leisure, gastro and wine destinations in the world and Rovinj one of the most attractive towns to visit. This means that the key success factors, in addition to numerous amenities, are also the destination’s appeal, originality, beautiful nature and rich tradition and culture.

Earlier this year Rovinj was visited by members of the European Parliament and other European delegations, who gave their nod to the direction in which the tourism development is heading. The newest in the awards galore is the prestigious Golden Apple Award from the World Federation of Travel Journalists and Writers (FIJET) for Rovinj’s contribution to the preservation, enhancement and development of historic and cultural heritage in promoting and raising the level of tourism.  

 

A rich event calendar also contributed to Rovinj’s success, not only by featuring events that appeal to tourists and strengthening Rovinj’s image of a vibrant town booming with attractions, but also presenting it as a place of romance, numerous landmarks and rich culture. 

 

Owing to joint efforts of the Tourist Board, town institutions and tourism industry professionals, multiple events have taken place throughout the year, appealing to all types of travellers, such as: 12th Rovinj Underwater Fishing Cup, International Women’s Football Cup, Istrian Riviera Tennis Cup, European League Volleyball Tournament, International Handball Camp, Popolana, 10th International Rally Histria Classic, Regatta Rovinj-Chioggia-Rovinj, Regata Rovinj-Pesaro-Rovinj, Lug Sail Regatta, 1st Aquatlon Rovinj 2013, Apnea Academy, Valentine’s Day in Rovinj, Easter in Rovinj, Hairstyle News Festival, Etnofilm5,  Avantgarde Jazz Festival, Rovinj Food Trail,  6th Artexchange, Lighted Batana Boat Parade and a Dinner at the Spacio – event series, Rovinj Photodays, Baromus – Baroque Music Concerts, Rovinj Summer Festival, Summer Sensual Days and Salsa Festival, Dolce Vita, Traditional Fishermen’s Nights, Mediterranean Music Festival “Sete sois sete luas”, St. Lawrence’s Night, Rovinj’s Night, St. Euphemia’s Day (the patron saint of Rovinj), Unknown Festival, etc.       

 

In addition to promotional activities and events, we are constantly investing in upgrading the quality of tourism services and amenities in the private and public sectors, in accordance with the guidelines of the adopted Rovinj Tourism Development Master Plan.

This year Rovinj’s tourism offerings were enriched following the completion of several major projects. The biggest investor was Maistra with a HRK 132 million investment in the Amarin Tourist Resort, which included 190 new suites with 567 beds, pool area and beach restaurant remodelling and renovation of the local infrastructure, roads and the parking lot, which earned Amarin a 4-star rating. With the completion of the investment and 271 new suites on offer, in only a few years this tourist resort was completely remodelled and now, with 461 suites and 700 pitches in the caravan park, it can accommodate 4,500 tourists.

Moreover, HRK 43 million was invested into building a common pool area for the use of guests staying at Eden and Lone and Eden now has a new wellness centre, which adds to the level of comfort and enriches the amenities offered at the hotel, while Valalta is constantly raising the quality of its products and services in order to stay among Top 10 Campsites in Croatia.

Rovinj’s investment in tourism development continued, especially in landscape architecture, parks and greenery, cleaning of beaches, construction of roads and town infrastructure, people’s safety, etc. Special mention should also be made of the opening of a newly built gym in the Rovinj Gymnasium, which will be an excellent venue for a variety of sporting events taking place in Rovinj.   

Adjacent to the Monte Mulini Zone a new 4-star hotel called Arupinium was built with 200 accommodation units, while private accommodations continue upward trend in terms of new capacity. With 744 new beds more than in 2012, destination’s capacity has grown by 12% to a total of 7,158 beds (1,252 renters - 23% of total destination capacity).

Let us also mention that Rovinj now has free Internet zones (so-called Hotspot Croatia free) from Valdibora to Trg na lokvi.

The Tourist Board of Rovinj has, within the framework of product development and preservation of areas of great landscape and cultural value, continued to support the maintenance and cleaning of the Monkodonja – Mušego archaeological site in order to make this attraction a popular stop for tourists with a thirst for knowledge about the history of the area. In cooperation with the Town of Rovinj Utility Department the protected locality of the geologically valuable site Fantazija Quarry (Monfiorenzo) was also cleaned and a Project Concept has been made for a future educational park.

We are especial pleased with the realization of the Basilica project for a new educational walking/bike trail, which has been implemented with the assistance of the employees of the Town of Rovinj, Town of Rovinj Utility Department, Rovinj Heritage Museum, and Rovinj Forest Management. The project encompassed renovation of part of the existing Limes bike trail and arrangement of a new 19-km route stretching from Valalta to the promontory overlooking Lim Channel on the one side and Rovinjsko Selo on the other, intersecting the former railway on the northern part of town. In addition to protected natural localities (coastal zone, hills and freshwater ponds) situated along the trail, especially attractive are also the ruins of four old churches cyclists will come across while enjoying the ride through the pastoral landscape of this agriculturally developed region covered in vineyards, olive groves, orchards and wonderful nature’s gardens. The trail leads through an ancient Roman quarry, along an overpass bridging the old railway and the local horseback riding centre, while the recently remodelled Lim Channel Viewpoint undoubtedly affords the most stunning view of the area. Along the trail there are 11 educational panels and markers, 9 waymarks and 4 rest stops with tables and benches (at St. Thomas’s, St. Christopher’s and St. Prothus’s and at the Lim Channel Viewpoint). To promote the trail a map has been issued providing detailed information about this new attraction.

According to announcements, investing will continue in 2014 and the town will offer even more opportunities for urban exploration and enjoyment, more tended beaches, a new tourist information centre, remodelled catering establishments, etc.

A more detailed overview of investment plans will be presented later this year.