ZAGREB, July 29 (Xinhua) -- An estimated one million tourists were staying in Croatia this week, the country's Ministry of Tourism said here on Thursday.
For the first time this year, Croatia hosts so many tourists -- 220,000 more than last year -- which is welcome news for the country whose economy is heavily dependent on the tourism industry.
The government expects this year's tourist arrivals and revenues to reach 60 percent of the figures registered in 2019, when a record 21 million tourists visited Croatia.
According to Croatia's eVisitor information system, currently there are 866,000 foreign and 140,000 domestic tourists in the country. Most foreign visitors came from Germany, Slovenia, Poland and Austria.
Tourism makes up almost 20 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) and the COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on the industry. The government expects a quick rebound in tourist arrivals to pre-pandemic levels.
According to a map published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), Croatia's Adriatic coast is currently in the orange zone, meaning that the risk of coronavirus infection there is considered "moderate," while the continental part of the country is in the green zone.
"We are still in the busiest tourist months of the year and I call on everyone to remain responsible, adhere to the epidemiological measures and recommendations, and thereby protect themselves and others," Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac said in a statement. Enditem
