Commercial accommodation in Novalja and Stara Novalja recorded 642,140 overnight stays, up 3.9 percent from last year, while the number of overnight stays by British guests surged by 85.5 percent.
In commercial accommodation in Novalja and Stara Novalja, July 2026 saw 642,140 overnight stays, marking a 3.9 percent increase compared to the same month last year. There were also 95,350 arrivals, up 2.6 percent from July last year, as reported by Novi list, citing data from the Novalja Tourist Board.
Thanks to the record-breaking July, the total number of overnight stays reached 1,078,690, which is 0.7 percent more than in the same period last year. Notably, overnight stays by guests from the United Kingdom surged by 85.5 percent, while Polish visitors, after four years of modest results, saw a 12.2 percent increase in arrivals by August 1.
Despite numerous negative reports about the position of domestic tourists on the Adriatic due to prices, Novalja saw a 9.6 percent increase in domestic guests. Family accommodation also performed excellently, with 103,355 arrivals and 568,549 overnight stays, a growth of 1.8 percent.
Novalja currently ranks seventh among all Croatian destinations, and fourth in terms of overnight stays in private accommodation. The hotel offering in Novalja this year recorded growth of nearly five percent. The Hideout Festival was also in the spotlight, with tickets selling out within an hour.
The director of the Novalja Tourist Board, Marina Šćiran, emphasizes that the positive result reflects the combined effect of a strong July, quality events, good connectivity with source markets, and a diverse accommodation and destination offering. Novalja actively anticipates positive and negative trends rather than waiting to see what the year brings.
"The positive result reflects the combined effect of a strong July, quality events, good connectivity with source markets, and a diverse accommodation and destination offering. Over the years, we have systematically built the recognition of an outdoor and gastro destination, and new investments further elevate the quality and value of the overall experience. Simply put, we do not allow inertia. Tourism does not happen; it is systematically built, significantly reducing the risks of negative percentages, or a decline in traffic for which we would be blamed," Šćiran told Novi list.
An important competitive advantage remains the excellent transport connectivity with key source markets. Novalja is connected by ferry on the Prizna-Žigljen line, and since this year, Lun is linked by a new catamaran service, known as the Kvarner Bridge, to Kraljevica, Crikvenica, Senj, Rab, and Lošinj.
This route provides another link between Pag, the Kvarner islands, and the mainland, simplifying travel and movement between destinations for visitors. The international catamaran line Pesaro, Novalja has been bringing Italian tourists, mostly younger ones, for fifteen years, many of whom are visitors to Zrće, Croatia's most famous party beach.
