September 9 (SeeNews) - Foreign tourist arrivals in Croatia reached 3.2 million in July, up 61% compared to July last year but far below the 2019 level, as epidemiological measures and recommendations are still in force to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease, the statistical office said on Thursday.
The number of overnights of foreign tourist in July rose 44% on the year to 19.2 million, the office said in a statement.
Compared to July 2019, foreign tourist arrivals decreased by 21.5% and nights were up by 20%, it added.
The number of domestic tourists reached 367,727 in July, up 60% on the year, while the number of overnights by domestic tourists rose to 1.7 million, up by 31% on the year.
In 2020, foreign tourist arrivals to the Adriatic country dropped 68% year-on-year to 5.55 million due to the coronavirus crisis.
Tourism is a key industry for the Croatian economy, contributing a fifth of the country's GDP.