August 6 (SeeNews) - Foreign tourist arrivals to Croatia increased 6% year-on-year to 9.8 million in the first seven months of 2018, the country's National Tourism Board said on Monday.
The number of overnights rose an equal 6% on the year to 49.8 million in the period under review, the tourism board said in a statement.
Tourism is a key industry for Croatia, generating around a fifth of the country's gross domestic product.
Overall, arrivals to Croatia grew 6% to 11.1 million in january-July, while overnights increased by an equal 6% to 56.3 million, the tourism board said.
During the first seven months of 2018, most of the overnight stays were recorded in Istria (15.6 million overnights), while 10.5 million overnight stays were recorded in the Split-Dalmatia County and 10 million were registered in Kvarner.
In July alone, tourist arrivals to Croatia totalled 4.6 million, while overnights rose 2% on the year at 31 million.