Salzburgers picky

Croatia vacation? no longer at any price!

Salzburg's most popular destinations this summer are once again the Mediterranean(Bild: zVg)

Croatia, the most popular car vacation destination for Salzburgers, is struggling with rising prices and the traffic situation. In addition, the flight business around the Mediterranean is also picking up and offers inexpensive alternatives. 

Croatia? No longer at any price! This is probably the motto of some Salzburgers who have been heading for Austria's most popular vacation destination on the Mediterranean, which is accessible by car, for years: The uncertainty with the traffic, especially due to the tunnel construction work on the A10 towards Carinthia and, in addition, the current unusually warm Adriatic Sea are two small factors that make holidaymakers think twice before heading south. "But Croatia fans really start to think about the prices," several tourism experts tell Krone.

Crete is the most popular island in the Mediterranean for Salzburgers(Bild: Manuel Schwaiger)

Compared to Italy, the second most popular destination, it has long been the more expensive destination in many respects, such as hotel and food prices. With the introduction of the euro in 2023, there was another noticeable boost.

"Trend from two small vacations to one big vacation"
The number one position is still unchallenged. However, real growth rates are still being seen for home vacations, for example. Or, as Alexander Klaus from Salzburg Airport reports, for many other Mediterranean destinations. "The demand for Greece remains high." The devastating fires in Rhodes last year seem to have been forgotten.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe)

"But Turkey, with its strong price-performance ratio in the all-inclusive sector, is also scoring points. In addition, Tunisia is once again an affordable alternative. As in Turkey, the all-inclusive offers are particularly attractive for families." In general, Salzburg Airport is noticing an upswing, especially when it comes to direct flights to various islands in the Mediterranean. According to the tour operator TUI, Crete is the most popular island for Salzburgers, followed by Mallorca in Spain before Rhodes.

With a forecast of 1.66 million guests, Salzburg Airport will finish this year only 100,000 passengers behind 2018. According to Klaus, the biggest corona aftershocks are not being felt among vacation guests: "It's business travel. Companies are still reluctant to send their employees to branches abroad."