October the 17th, 2026 – The well known German newspaper Die Welt has accused the country of greed, claiming it is threatening Croatian tourism.
The German newspaper Die Welt has published a somewhat accusative text about this year’s tourist season in Croatia. The paper warns that the short-term desire for higher earnings could endanger the country’s most important economic branch. DW has reported that the author of the article, Volker Corsten, describes his own impressions from the area between Zadar and Split and from the Adriatic islands. He points out that the beaches during the summer of 2026 were apparently “noticeably emptier than in previous years”, that there were “no usual traffic jams on the coastal roads”, and that even in August, the peak of the season, “one could walk through the old town centres of Zadar and Šibenik without large crowds”. We’re not sure how true that is.
ice cream, aperol and grilled squid…
What are the reasons for this claim, the author of the Berlin newspaper asks. At the same time he emphasises that it was by no means the climate, which he describes as almost ideal. The sea was, he notes, exceptionally clean and of a pleasant temperature, and the weather conditions were sunny and without extreme heat. “Everything was, as always, excellent – as long as nothing is consumed, nothing is wanted on the beach, and one does not look at the bill for accommodation and visits to restaurants.”
According to Die Welt, the problem begins precisely at the moment when tourists look at the bills, i.e. the prices – for accommodation, restaurants and other tourist facilities. The German newspaper cites prices in Zadar as an example. In the most visited tourist parts of the city a scoop of ice cream costs at least three euros, while in side streets it can still be found for around two euros, Die Welt writes. It adds that an Aperol Spritz, depending on the location of the hospitality establishment, costs between nine and eleven euros.
The German media outlet also notes that the price of one of the most popular Dalmatian dishes, grilled squid, in 2026 in many taverns has risen to around 25 euros, while “a year earlier it amounted to around 20 euros”. As a symbol of the price increase the newspaper highlights the example of pancakes at a kiosk on a beach near Šibenik: “Before the introduction of the euro in 2023 they cost seven kuna, or around one euro. After the switch to the euro the price rose to two euros, and this year to as much as five euros!”
prices have risen, but quality allegedly hasn’t
Referring to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, Die Welt states that prices in tourism between 2015 and 2024 rose by 70 percent. At the same time it recalls that the current inflation rate in Croatia is 4.4 percent, while on the coast, according to the author’s assessment, the rise in prices is even more pronounced. Although the Croatian Ministry of Tourism officially claims that the number of officially registered overnight stays in July was slightly higher than a year earlier, the author of the text recalls numerous reports about empty beaches and hotels: “Anyone who compares those claims (of the Ministry of Tourism – ed.) with their own impressions thinks of Potemkin villages.”
a criticism of croatia’s tourism strategy
The German newspaper recalls that the Croatian authorities want to develop a more sustainable and higher-quality form of tourism, with Mallorca often mentioned as a model. However, according to the author’s assessment, when it comes to prices Croatia has already set off down that path, but the quality of infrastructure, hotels, private accommodation, gastronomy and service still lags behind the level of prices demanded from guests: “Almost fifty years of socialist Yugoslavia cannot be erased so quickly.”
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