News Feature

Croatia to benefit from boom in 'religious tourism'

27 April 2009

Croatia is set to see a significant rise in the number of visiting religious tourists, with pilgrims likely to shrug off economic worries and take a villa holiday to a number of key sites across the country.

According to the World Religious Travel Association (WRTA), 2009 is set to be the year of religious tourism, with several countries set to benefit from the growing phenomenon.

These include Croatia and as such, tourism industry leaders are gearing up for a boom in demand for Croatian villas and other services from mainly-Christian travellers.

The Croatian Times cited local newspaper the Slobodna Daily in reporting that the Marian shrine, located in the municipality of Marija Bistrica in the heart of the country, is gearing up to deal with almost one million visitors over the course of 2009, with 50 priests already in place to conduct ceremonies over the busy summer period.

The shrine at Marija Bistrica, which has been one of the most popular attractions among travellers enjoying a Croatian villa holiday for decades, is reached via a flight of 561 steps, though a new visitor centre has been built at the summit.

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