River Cruising Development in Croatia: Potental and Challenges

Resumen

Since the 1970s, cruises have recorded continuous growth, becoming an increasingly important segment of the global tourism market. A special growth is being experienced by river cruises, which have recorded a steady increase in the number of passenger and ship arrivals. This trend has also reached Croatia, where river cruising is gaining more importance, as it has been stimulated by natural advantages such as the length of navigable waterways and favourable geographical features.
The paper analyses the level of development of river infrastructure as well as passenger and ship traffic.  The focus is on the importance of river cruising in the broader European context and on its potential for diversifying the tourism offer. The authors analyse key spatial and infrastructure prerequisites for the future development of river cruise tourism in Croatia in accordance with the Sustainable Tourism Development Strategy until 2030.
The paper aims to highlight the need for building and upgrading river infrastructure, with special attention given to the importance of enriching the tourism offer in river destinations to increase their attractiveness and competitiveness.