Tourism figures indicate higher-than-forecast economic growth

This year's tourism results indicate that economic growth will exceed the government's expectations also in Q3, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said at a government session on Thursday.

The very encouraging results indicate also that economic growth this year will be higher than forecast by the government, as well as by international financial institutions and agencies, he said.

In the year to date there have been 14.9 million arrivals and 85.9 million overnights stays, which is 91% and 96% of the results in the record-breaking year 2019, said the PM.

In the period from 1 January to 31 August, fiscalised receipts in the tourism sector amounted to HRK 168 billion, 28.6% more than in 2019, and in the provision of accommodation and food serving and preparation alone, they were HRK 28 billion or 37% higher, he said.

According to a preliminary estimate, Croatia's GDP in Q2 grew by 7.7% from the same period of 2021.

The Q2 growth was faster than GDP growth in Q1, which was 7%, and the second quarter of this year was the fifth consecutive quarter to see the economy recover from the coronavirus crisis.

Gov't aid against price hikes to be presented next week

Plenković said that the government would present measures designed to help households and the business sector cope with rising prices, notably of energy products, next week.

The measures will be comprehensive and designed for households and the entire public sector, nonprofit organisations and energy consumers like schools, hospitals, kindergartens, public institutions, associations, religious communities, and local government units, he said.

"We will do our best to make it possible for them to pay their bills without significant problems," he said, adding that special measures would be introduced for the most vulnerable citizens and social transfers continued, and that care would be taken also of the business sector, notably small enterprises.

In a comment on the situation in INA and the gas trading scam, Plenković said that the affair had a judicial as well as a corporate governance dimension and that the government "will take steps to change things."

"What happened is very bad, disastrous, and things should be radically changed so that something similar does not happen again."

In the political sense, the perpetrators of the fraud should answer, he said, adding in a message to political rivals that this was an act committed by individuals and that it was not politically motivated or sponsored.

Text: Hina

News