The fact that the tourism industry has almost completely recovered after the coronavirus pandemic is also evidenced by the record data from this year's ITB fair: over 5.800 exhibitors from 170 countries.
The recovery is also shown by the data from a survey published at the very beginning of the fair, which shows the undiminished need of Germans to travel. Despite inflation and price increases, German citizens do not want to hold back when it comes to travel expenses.
This is confirmed by Romeo Dragičio, director of the Croatian Tourist Board in Frankfurt: "We heard from our partners here at the fair that prices in Croatia are not different from prices in other destinations in the Mediterranean. German families are feeling the inflation and have a smaller budget. But we all know that vacations are very important to Germans and that they will not give up on vacations, so for now prices do not represent an insurmountable problem," Dragičio is convinced.
During the recent consumer revolts and boycotts of Croatian retail chains, the prices have also become a hot topic in Germany, so photos comparing prices in the same chains in Croatia and Germany will certainly prompt some potential tourists to think about choosing a vacation destination.
Albania – a new star in Berlin
And there are more than enough destinations just waiting for tourists who find Croatia too expensive. The partner country of this year's fair in Berlin is Albania. It has the same advantages as its northern neighbors on the Adriatic, but with significantly more favorable prices.
Until just a few years ago, only a few tens of thousands of Germans visited Albania annually, but last year that number had already risen to 350.000. And it is constantly growing. The increasing number of low-cost airlines also contributes to this.
These figures are still far from the approximately 3,5 million Germans who visit Croatia annually, but the trend is more than obvious: Albanian tourism is recording an annual growth of 15 percent.
Montenegro as a cheaper Croatia?
In Montenegro, which is sandwiched between regional tourism powerhouse Croatia and the "rising destination" of Albania, some hope is pinned on the fact that the country is still more favorable than Croatia.
"People who find Croatia too expensive can just continue on to Montenegro and find low prices," says Michael Bader, chairman of the Tourism Committee at the German-Montenegrin Economic Association. He admits that Montenegro has not been spared the global wave of price increases, but adds that tourism workers in the country are trying to mitigate the trend with countermeasures.
Bader thus points out to DW that an annual ticket for all national parks in Montenegro has cost just 13,50 euros since the beginning of the year. For comparison, a single visit to the Plitvice Lakes in Croatia costs 40 euros. And this is part of a strategy to attract guests who come to the Montenegrin coast to the rest of the country, especially to the north with its numerous national parks.
Skiing in the north, swimming in the south of Herzegovina
The Bosnia and Herzegovina stand this year is noticeably larger than last year, and many of the country's tourism boards are represented. This indicates a desire to attract more visitors to the country, which is still not widely recognized as a tourist destination, especially from nearby markets such as Germany.
And here, diversity is at stake – from Sarajevo and its assets that seem exotic to many Europeans, through numerous national parks, to the small but tourist-rich coast.
One of the most diverse regions is the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. As Krešimir Miličević, a senior associate of the Tourist Board of that canton, points out, the region primarily seeks to attract tourists with its diverse offer.
"You can ski here in the north of the canton, then there is the important pilgrimage, Međugorje, then Mostar with its cultural offerings and finally Neum with its beaches," Miličević tells DW, adding that it takes an hour to get from Mostar to Neum. "Proximity and good connectivity are our great advantage," he points out.
Belgrade as a gastronomic Mecca?
However, the relatively low representation of tourism offers based on gastronomy indicates that the region of Southeast Europe is still an unknown territory for many visitors from abroad, especially from Germany. Serbia wants to change this and add another form of specific offer to rural and spa tourism.
"Gastronomy has become a highly recognized potential in Serbia, especially after we received our first two Michelin stars and 23 restaurants on the Michelin recommended list," Marija Labović, director of the Tourist Organization of Serbia, told DW.
In addition to gastronomic tourism, Serbia in Berlin is also pinning its hopes on the form of short city breaks, and is also promoting "Expo 2027". The hope is that the number of tourists from Germany, which has much greater potential than the current 130.000 per year, will permanently increase.
The mood of tourism workers could be dampened, however, by the latest statistics on flight prices, released at the ITB trade fair in Berlin. At the start of the summer season, 19 percent fewer flights are expected than in the same month in 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.
"Reduced flight availability and rising airport fees are driving up prices," the German Airline Operators Association said in a statement.
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