Croatia's revenue from foreign tourists up 5% in H1

In the second quarter alone, Croatia earned 2.233 billion kuna from foreign tourists, up 5% compared to April-June 2018, the ministry said in a statement on Monday, quoting central bank figures.

"The results from the first six months of this year confirm the progress of the Croatian tourism towards strengthening Croatia's recognition as a full-year destination," tourism minister Gari Cappelli said in the statement.

He added that in the past five years, the number of tourists visiting Croatia in the first half of the year jumped by 62%, while the tourism revenue increased by 51%.

Tourism is a key driver for the Croatian economy, contributing some 20% of the country's GDP.

The government hopes to see the number of both domestic and foreign tourists rising 3% this year and their overnight stays increasing by up to 2%.

(1 euro = 7.4128 kuna)