Zagreb, Jan 3 (IANS): Croatia's revenues from tourism in 2022 are projected to total a record 13 billion euros, the country's Minister of Tourism Nikolina Brnjac said here.

The number of tourists who visited Croatia last year was almost as high as in pre-pandemic year 2019, Xinhua news agency quoted the Minister as saying.

In the first nine months of last year, Croatia's tourism revenues already exceeded 11.6 billion euros, easily surpassing the previous record of 10.5 billion euros logged in 2019, Brnjac said.

The country recorded 18.9 million tourist arrivals and 104.8 million overnight stays last year, 37 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively, more than in 2021, and 91 per cent and 96 per cent, respectively, more than the previous record year of 2019.

"Our focus in 2023 remains on quality, sustainability and innovation so that the successes of tourism are long-term and can contribute to the overall economic and social development of Croatia," Brnjac said.