Zagreb in Numbers
The same as the year before, Zagreb did it again in 2008 and surpassed the one million mark in the number of overnights, which were mostly realized by foreign tourist. The number of business gatherings held in the city last year was also almost twice as many as in 2007, however, with a fewer number of participants because Zagreb lacks the capacity to organize large congresses.
According to official data, a total of 637,976 tourists visited Zagreb last year, five percent more than the year before, and they accounted for 1,137,908 overnights, or three percent more than in 2007. Out of that total, there were 464,025 foreign guests, which was a five percent increase, and they accounted for 812,451 overnights, or two percent more than the year before. In terms of the number of arrivals in Zagreb, guests from Germany were in first place, followed by guests from the USA, Japan, Italy and France. According to the number of overnights in the first five months of the year, first place was held by guests from Germany, then the USA, Italy, Great Britain and France. The discrepancy between the number of arrivals and guest overnights by Japanese tourists is explained by the fact that a great number of groups come to visit Zagreb on one day excursions from Slovenia.
According to the data from the Convention Bureau of the Tourist Board of the City of Zagreb, a total of 52,938 participants attended the 448 business gatherings held last year, nearly double the 2007 number, which is accounted for by the increased number of smaller business gatherings. Well known Zagreb hotels, such as the Sheraton Zagreb, The Westin, The Regent Esplanade Zagreb, Hotel Antunović, International, Four Points by Panorama and many others have already built a reputation among the business clientele as veritable convention cities in small. Each of these hotels offers a choice of conference halls and has a broad experience in hosting congresses. Most of them are just a short leisurely walk from the city center, which is an added attraction. Aside from being held in hotels, congresses for up to 2,000 participants can be organized at the Vatroslav Lisinski Concert and Conference Hall, the Congress Center at Zagreb Fair and the Hypo Alpe Adria Center. Many of the smaller gatherings can be held in splendid buildings in the Upper Town.
Zagreb offers accommodation in a total of 43 hotels with more than 6,000 beds. Young travelers can also chose to stay in nine hostels that are near the city center. The favorable location of these facilities has been mentioned by guests in many surveys as one of the competitive advantages of Zagreb.
Published: 04.02.2009