According to the study called "Hrvatski turizam-realnost i izgledi" ("Croatia's Tourism - Reality and Prospects" in an unofficial translation), tourism has been in a good position over the recent years, but it is necessary to improve infrastructure, the relations between prices and services and offer a variety of services as well as to additionally train employees in this sector so as to ensure its further sustainable growth.
The study compares Croatia with another 38 European countries and puts Croatia as the 15th-ranked in 2006 thanks to visits of 10 million tourists last year.
Croatia finished as the 13th-ranked according to tourist trade revenues in 2006 (some 6.3 billion euros), and it is on the 8th place according to revenues per tourist as last year saw 600 euros of the average revenue per arrival.
With its share of 18.4 percent in the Gross Domestic Product, tourism is undoubtedly a driving force of the national economy.
The study, delivered to Hina last Friday, was conducted among 52 "key tourist players" throughout Croatia.
The document also suggests that Croatia should cut waiting time at the customs offices and border crossings and improve the connections between airports and railway lines.
The document also highlights the pronounced seasonality of tourism as a key problem, as nothing has been changed in the recent years in relation to the duration of the peak season from May to the end of September and the offer in that period.
The study also recommends the adoption of a better legal framework for foreign investors in order to make them shift their focus from investments in real estate to investments in services.