Croatian charter companies have reported a significant increase in interest in sailing holidays, for the first time after all the problems created by the coronavirus.
Yachting holidays make up a significant part of the total share of the tourism business in Croatia. According to some reports, there are about 30% of the world's charter fleet of sailboats up to 16 meters long. However, the coronavirus pandemic has become a real test for this business. The flow of tourists has dried up and the maintenance of yachts has become an unbearable burden on charter companies. Even a small sailing ship requires about 30,000 dollars annually, which is difficult to find in the absence of income.
But there was hope that all these difficulties are now behind us. The epidemic situation in Croatia has been steadily improving in the last few weeks. The number of infections has dropped to 300 new cases daily from more than 2,500 cases in mid-April. And this has led to a restoration of interest in sailing holidays from foreign tourists.
The number of bookings for June is still not too high, and May has been completely lost. But July and September promise to be very profitable. Reuters journalists interviewed a number of representatives of various charter companies in the country and in general they are all positive, stating a significant increase in bookings from July to September.
Holidays are mainly planned by tourists from Germany and Austria, but residents of Scandinavia, Great Britain, the USA and Australia are also showing interest. And if a good epidemic situation continues in the country, then we can expect that Croatia will again become the center of yachting holidays.
Perhaps today is a really good time to rent a sailboat in this Eastern European region. After all, the number of new bookings, although increasing, is still not so large that there are any difficulties with renting a sailboat you like. Surely many of the returning tourists are thinking that way, counting on a great pastime under sail, away from the crowds.
