Matakovic - Implementation of Containment and Closure Measures

INTERNAL SECURITY CONTEXTS
Implementation of Containment and Closure

Measures During COVID-19 Pandemic and
Their Effect on Tourism in Croatia
Hrvoje Mataković
ORCID: 0000-0001-7652-8846
Institute for Tourism, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in early 2020 has a strong impact on human health but also on many other
segments of life such as the economy. To prevent the spread of the infection, governments are implementing containment and
closure measures to limit contact between people and their mobility. One of the direct consequences of limited mobility is a decrease
in tourism demand. In this paper are presented the containment and closure measures implemented by the Croatian government
to restraint the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is also analysed the impact of these measures on tourism. The government in Croatia
had a complex task: with containment and closure measures, they tried to prevent the spread of the infection, and on the other
hand, they wanted to attract foreign tourists, who make the majority of overnight stays in Croatia. During the summer tourism
season in 2020, containment and closure measures were implemented, and in the summer of 2021, despite a larger number
of infected and dead, these measures were not intensified, since the attempts to stop the pandemic, in addition to the containment
and closure measures, also involved vaccination. Tourism in Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic achieved satisfactory results,
similar to those from 2019: this is partly the consequence of the optimal level of containment and closure measures, but also the
unfavourable epidemiological situation in other Mediterranean countries.
DOI: 10.5604/01.3001.0016.0370
http://dx.doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0016.0370
Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, crisis management, crisis response measures, tourism
Introduction
Epidemics are not a new phenomenon; they often broke out in the past and one
of the most famous and most dangerous was the Spanish flu which in the period
from 1918 to 1920 caused the death of 40–50 million people worldwide1. Epidemics
of infectious diseases can be defined as ‘an increase in infectious diseases unu-
sual in the number of cases, time, place and population affected, and an unusual
increase in the number of diseases with complications or death’ 2. The basic dif-
ference between epidemics and pandemics is the scale of the disease spread:
epidemics cover a narrower geographical area, and a pandemic is declared by the
1
Asquith B.J, What Can We Learn from the 1918 Pandemic? Careful Economics and Policy
Lessons from Influenza, Policy Paper No. 2020–022. W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Re-
search, Kalamazoo, 2020. Electronic source: https://research.upjohn.org/up_policypapers/22/
Problematica psihosocială a mediului de penitenciar. Electronic source: http://www.rasfoiesc.
com/educatie/psihologie/PROBLEMATICA-PSIHOSOCIALA-A-ME21.php, accessed: 12.02.2022.
2
Ogorec M, Izazovi kriznog upravljanja. Veleučilište Velika Gorica. Velika Gorica, 2010, p. 57.
Internal Security, January–June 23

Hrvoje Mataković
World Health Organization when a new disease for which people have no immunity
spreads worldwide. The World Health Organization determines whether a disease
is an epidemic or a pandemic and the official declaration of the World Health
Organization on a pandemic is a guide for governments and health organisations
to shift their efforts from restrictions to mitigation. Since the announcement
of a pandemic has an economic, political, and social impact on a global scale, the
World Health Organization is very cautious about when to announce a pandemic
outbreak.3
The COVID-19 pandemic that broke out in the early 2020 ‘proved to be the threat
that most endangered the security of states and individuals since World War II’4 and
it cannot be compared in terms of characteristics, intensity, and effects to epide-
mics that broke out in the recent past. For example, the SARS epidemic that broke
out in 2002 in Southeast Asia, regardless of the consequences it caused, was much
weaker in its intensity and effects, as it mainly affected several Asian countries,
and was brought under control in 8 months. 5 Because of the global connectivity
of today’s world, the COVID-19 epidemic spread very quickly globally and thus from
a local problem that arose in Asia became a global problem, that is, a global crisis,
and unaware of the impact of pandemics, many countries too late activated crisis
management mechanisms and took the necessary measures.6
Various countries have applied different approaches in responding to the
pandemic crisis, however, most of these approaches have involved some form
of movement restriction, and consequently, movement restriction has resulted
in restrictions on economic activities.7 The decline in economic activities result-
ing from various crises is particularly evident in economic sectors such as tourism,
as ‘the hospitality industry is particularly vulnerable to any disastrous event’ 8. Tour-
ism in Croatia has three specific characteristics: the first is that tourism is especially
important for the Croatian economy. Croatia bases a significant part of its incomes
on tourism: according to data published by the World Travel and Tourism Council,
in 2019, the last ‘normal’ year before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel,
and tourism directly contributed to Croatia’s GDP by 25% and its share in total
employment was 25.1%.9 Except for a direct impact on GDP and employment,
3
Quirinus Portal, Pandemija — epidemija, koja je razlika? 2020. Electronic source: https://
quirinusportal.com/2020/03/pandemija-epidemija-koja-je-razlika/, accessed: 12.02.2022.
4
Tatalović S, Malnar D, Pandemija COVID-19 i novo razumijevanje sigurnosti. Politička
misao: časopis za politologiju, 2021, Vol. 58, No. 3, p. 134.
5
Wilder-Smith A, Chiew C.J, Lee VJ, Can we contain the COVID-19 outbreak with the same
measures as for SARS? The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2020, Vol. 20, No. 5, pp. 102–107.
6
Tatalović S, Malnar D, op. cit., note 4.
7
Rogić Dumančić L, Bogdan Ž, Raguž Krištić I, Utjecaj COVID-19 krize na hrvatsko gos-
podarstvo, [in:] Tica J, Bačić K (Eds), Ekonomska politika Hrvatske u 2021: Hrvatska poslije
pandemije. Hrvatsko društvo ekonomista, Zagreb, 2020, pp. 121–163.
8
Stafford G, Yu L, Armoo AK, Crisis Management and Recovery: How Washington, DC,
Hotels Responded to Terrorism, [in:] Mansfeld Y, Pizam A, (Eds), Tourism, Security and Safety.
From Theory to Practice. Butterworth — Heinemann, 2006, p. 292.
9
World Travel and Tourism Council, Croatia 2020 Annual Research: Key Highlights, 2020.
Electronic source: https://wttc.org/Research/Economic-Impact/moduleId/704/itemId/96/
controller/DownloadRequest/action/QuickDownload, accessed: 12.02.2022.
24 Internal Security, January–June

Implementation of Containment and Closure Measures During COVID-19 Pandemic…
tourism also has an indirect impact on the economy, as it is intertwined with other
economic activities such as trade, food preparation and service, and real estate
business, so its importance for the Croatian economy is even larger10. The second
characteristic is a strong seasonality — most tourism activities take place in the
period from June to September, with a peak in July and August: in 2019, 72.21%
of tourist arrivals and 84.03% of overnight stays were realized in the period from
June to September. The third feature is that most of the tourists in Croatia are
foreigners, so in 2019 they accounted for 88.69% of tourist arrivals and 92.25%
of overnight stays.11 This characteristic is especially important in the context of the
outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, as domestic tourists are well acquainted with
the situation in the country and can more easily assess the risk of travel or vacation;
however, foreign tourists do not have complete and accurate information about
risks in the country, and if they assess the arrival at the destination as risky, they will
prefer to choose holidays in their home country or in a foreign country that they
assess as safe12.
In the spring of 2020, the Croatian government faced a complex task — on the
one hand, they should have implemented restrictive measures to stop the spread
of the infection and to protect the health of citizens, and on the other hand, they
should have enabled the arrival of foreign tourists on summer holidays. The first
infected people were recorded in February, and since the tourism season in Croatia
usually starts in March or April and relates to the Easter holidays, the government
had little time to assess the situation, implement appropriate measures and achieve
the expected results. Their position in this crisis was ‘very unenviable’, not only
because they needed to find the optimal degree of containment and closure meas-
ures, but also because ‘everyone expects leadership and solutions, and in a crisis,
it is very difficult to provide that’ 13.
This paper aims to analyse the containment and closure measures implemented
by the Croatian government to limit the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and
assess the impact of these measures on tourism in Croatia. Based on the aim of this
study, the following research questions were formulated:
(1) What containment and closure measures did the Croatian government
choose against the COVID-19 pandemic, and did these measures prove
appropriate?
(2) How did the implemented containment and closure measures affect tourism
in Croatia?
To answer these research questions, decisions taken by government bodies,
statistical data and media reports were analysed. The primary methodology used
is qualitative in approach, but it is supported by statistical data on tourism and the
COVID-19 pandemic.
10
Rogić Dumančić L et al., op. cit., note 7.
11
Ministarstvo turizma Republike Hrvatske, Turizam u brojkama 2019., 2020. Electronic
source: https://www.htz.hr/sites/default/files/2020-07/HTZ%20TUB%20HR_%202019%20
%281%29.pdf.
12
Seabra C, Dolnicar S, Abrantes JL, Kastenholz E, Heterogeneity in risk and safety per-
ceptions of international tourists. Tourism Management, 2013, Vol. 36, pp. 502–510.
13
Mikac R, COVID-19 Pandemic and Crisis Management in the Republic of Croatia. Anali
Hrvatskog politološkog društva, 2020, Vol. 17, No. 1, p. 48.

Hrvoje Mataković
The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

and crisis response measures
The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic began on the last day of 2019 when
Chinese authorities acknowledged that a grouping of pneumonia patients had
been recorded in the Chinese city of Wuhan.14 At that time, it was not clear how seri-
ous is the disease and what consequences it could cause. Considering the frequency
of news about various diseases around the world, in most of the media and public
this news did not attract much attention, however on January 7, 2020, Chinese
health authorities officially announced the discovery of a new virus similar to SARS,
so, therefore, it could be presumed that this virus represents a serious health threat.
During January and February, the COVID-19 infection spread worldwide, and
in Croatia, the first infected persons were recorded on 26 February. It has become
clear to the Croatian government that a pandemic is ongoing, and that urgent
action is necessary to stop its spreading. Crisis management, among other things,
has the following characteristics:
— the need for a quick and uncompromising response,
— adoption of radical measures,
— hierarchical decision-making system,
— high process speed,
— unpredictability of the situation development.15
In order to stop epidemics and mitigate their consequences, governments have
different measures at their disposal, and these measures can be generally divided
into three groups: health measures, economic measures, and containment and
closure measures. Health measures have the primary goal of stopping the spread
of infection and preventing mortality. These measures include wearing protective
masks, testing for infection, monitoring the contacts of infected people, vaccina-
tions, measures to protect the elderly, and conduction of information campaigns.16
Besides threatening human health and lives, pandemics are also threatening the
economy, as they cause a demand shock and supply shock. The demand shock
is manifested through a decrease in demand due to a reduction in the income
of economic entities, measures to restrict movements, and uncertainty and correc-
tion of consumer and investor expectations. The supply shock is visible through the
reduction of production that occurs due to restrictions on the work of companies
implemented as a measure to control infection, due to dismissal of employees,
or a decrease in their productivity due to illness or work from home during self-
isolation.17 To help the economy, but also individuals, governments can implement
14
Litvan G, K(O)RONOLOGIJA: Kalendar epidemije koja mijenja svijet i Hrvatsku iz dana
u dan, 2020. Electronic source: https://lider.media/poslovna-scena/hrvatska/k-o-ronologija-ka
lendar-epidemije-koja-mijenja-svijet-i-hrvatsku-iz-dana-u-dan-130915?utm_source=Midas&
utm_medium=Widget&utm_campaign=Content%2bexchange.
15
Ogorec, op. cit., note 2, p. 87.
16
Hale T, Angrist N, Hale A.J, Kira B, Majumdar S, Petherick A et al., Government responses
and COVID-19 deaths: Global evidence across multiple pandemic waves. PLoS ONE, 2021, Vol.
16, No. 7.
17
Rogić Dumančić L et al., op. cit., note 7.

various fiscal and monetary measures: easing the fiscal burden placed on compa-
nies, securing minimum wages, declaring a moratorium on, or restructuring the
repayment of, certain types of loans, extending utility payment deadlines, and
foreign exchange interventions to ensure exchange rate stability during periods
of crisis and other similar measures.18
Containment and closure measures in the literature are known by different
names: they are also called social distancing measures19, physical distancing
interventions20, nonpharmaceutical interventions21, disease control measures22,
or lockdown measures23, and their purpose is to limit contact between people
to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Containment and closure measures
include the following interventions: 1) closure of kindergartens, schools, and other
educational institutions; 2) closure of workplaces; 3) cancellation and prohibition
of mass gatherings, but also events attended by a small number of people; 4)
limiting the number of people who can attend public events; 5) closure of public
transport; 6) stay-at-home requirements for entire territories or countries; 7) restric-
tions on internal movement, which includes closing the borders of regional areas
within a country; 8) restrictions on international travel, which include measures
such as the implementation of quarantine for persons coming from abroad, or,
in the end, the closure of external borders24.
Restrictions on human rights, which occur during the implementation of con-
tainment and closure measures, have their basis in the Constitution of the Republic
of Croatia.25 Article 16 of the Constitution stipulates that the freedoms and rights
of citizens may be restricted in order to protect the freedoms and rights of oth-
ers and the legal order, public morals, and health and that the restriction must
be proportionate to the nature of the need for such restriction in each particular
18
Tatalović S, Malnar D, op. cit., note 4.
19
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Coronavirus disease 2019 (CO-
VID-19) pandemic: increased transmission in the EU/EEA and the UK — seventh update.
ECDC, Stockholm, 2020. Electronic source: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/
documents/RRA-seventh-update-Outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-COVID-19.pdf; Brodeur A,
Gray D, Islam A, Bhuiyan S, A literature review of the economics of COVID-19. Journal of Eco-
nomic Surveys, 2021, Vol. 35, pp. 1007–1044.
20
Islam N, Sharp S J, Chowell G, Shabnam S, Kawachi I, Lacey B et al., Physical distancing
interventions and incidence of coronavirus disease 2019: natural experiment in 149 coun-
tries. British Medical Journal, 2020; 370, m2743.
21
Mossong J, Hens N, Jit M, Beutels P, Auranen K et al., Social contacts and mixing
patterns relevant to the spread of infectious diseases. PLoS Med, 2008, Vol. 5, No. 3, e74;
Demirgüç-Kunt A, Lokshin M, Torre I, The sooner, the better: The economic impact of non-
pharmaceutical interventions during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic. Economics
of Transition and Institutional Change, 2021, Vol. 29, pp. 551–573.
22
Lazić N, Lazić V, Kolarić B, First three months of COVID-19 in Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia
and Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina — comparative assessment of disease control
measures. Infektološki glasnik, 2020, Vol. 40, No. 2, pp. 43–49.
23
Kharroubi S, Saleh F, Are Lockdown Measures Effective Against COVID-19? Frontiers
in Public Health, 2020, Vol. 8, Article 549692.
24
European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, op. cit., note 19.
25
Constitution of the Republic of Croatia, Official Gazette No. 56/90, 135/97, 8/98, 113/00,
124/00, 28/01, 41/01, 55/01, 76/10, 85/10, 5/14.

Hrvoje Mataković
case. Article 17 stipulates that freedoms and rights guaranteed by the Constitution
may be restricted during a state of war or imminent threat to the independence and
unity of the state and event of major natural disasters, and the extent of the restric-
tion must be appropriate to the nature of the threat. The Constitution provides
another mechanism for acting in crisis situations: in accordance with Article 101 dur-
ing a state of war and case of the imminent threat to the independence, integrity,
and existence of the state, the President of the Republic may, at the proposal of the
Prime Minister and with his countersignature, issue decrees with the force of law.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, this provision of the Constitution was not acti-
vated, but the provisions of the Law on the civil protection system were applied,
and one of the key measures was the activation of the Civil Protection Headquar-
ters, the appointment of its new members26 and the expansion of its powers and
in this way, Civil Protection Headquarters became a central body for strategic
decision-making and management of crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the Republic of Croatia, Civil Protection is organised within the Ministry of the
Interior. The scope of work of the Civil Protection Headquarters is defined by Article
22 of the Law on the Civil Protection System27 where is stated that ‘at the proposal
of the Minister, the Government of the Republic of Croatia establishes and appoints
by decision the Civil Protection Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, consisting
of executives of central state administration bodies, operational forces of the civil
protection system and other legal entities of special importance for the civil protec-
tion system of the Republic of Croatia’. This law also stipulates that the Minister
of the Interior manages the work of the Headquarters. Throughout the COVID-19
pandemic, the Civil Protection Headquarters, except the Minister of the Interior, also
includes representatives of other ministries and institutions such as the Croatian
Institute of Public Health. The Law on the Civil Protection System was amended
on March 18, 202028, and the Civil Protection Headquarters are enabled to issue
decisions and instructions with the aim of ‘protection of life and health of citizens,
preservation of property, economic activity, and the environment, and standardiza-
tion of treatment of legal entities and citizens’. These decisions are implemented
by the local and regional civil protection headquarters.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a crisis that has not existed in Croatia since the
Homeland War (1991–1995). In the crisis management literature, there exist different
approaches to crisis classification, but all of them chronologically divide crisis into
several stages, and the community response to the crisis is generally divided into
four or six stages.29 Each of these stages has specific characteristics but also specific
measures that are applied within it. The first stage is the so-called pre-event stage —
in this stage, it becomes apparent that the crisis is coming, that it cannot be avoided,
and that it is, therefore, necessary to take certain measures. Measures are mainly
aimed at preventing and mitigating a potential crisis, and these measures include
26
Resolution on appointment of the chief, deputy chief, and members of the Civil Protec-
tion Headquarters of the Republic of Croatia, Official Gazette No. 20/20.
27
Law on the Civil Protection System, Official Gazette No. 82/15, 118/18, 31/20.
28
Law on Amendments to the Law on the Civil Protection System, Official Gazette No.
31/20.
29
Faulkner B, Towards a framework for tourism disaster management. Tourism Manage-
ment, 2001, Vol. 22, No. 2, p. 140.

analysing the situation and developing crisis contingency plans. The next stage is the
acute crisis stage, which represents the central and the most difficult and intense
part of the crisis; the measures are mostly focused on resolving the crisis situation
in which a certain community, endangered by the crisis, finds itself. A crisis man-
agement plan is being implemented, which means, among others, reorganisation
of resources, evaluation of potential decisions, and usage of the media to maintain
or restore public confidence. After resolving this most critical part of the crisis, the
next stage is the chronic stage — in this stage decreases the intensity of the crisis,
and the applied measures are aimed at recovery and reconstruction. Within this
stage, measures such as damage audit, restoring public confidence, and developing
investment plans are being implemented. The final stage is called the resolution
stage. This stage does not occur until ‘normality’ or routine is established, and
already implemented measures are analysed, possible improvements in measures
are considered, and in a certain way, the lessons learned are tried to be transformed
into new opportunities. 30 The stages overview of the COVID-19 crisis in Croatia
is shown in Table 1, with the implemented measures and the duration of stages.
Table 1. Stages of the COVID-19 crisis in Croatia
STAGE MEASURES DURATION

(1) pre-event stage preventive measures 31.12.2019 – 10.3.2020
(2) acute crisis stage crisis resolution 11.3.2020 – 8.5.2020
(3) chronic stage recovery and renewal 9.5.2020 –
(4) resolution stage analysis of implemented measures and their improvement
Source: adapted from Ritchie; Johnson Tew et al., op. cit., note 30.
In the first stage of the crisis, various preventive measures were implemented.
The first measure was introduced on January 23, when the Croatian Institute of Pub-
lic Health published a multilingual leaflet and notice on COVID-19 for travellers
to China, and a day later, prevention and protection measures against COVID-19
were introduced at all international airports and seaports in Croatia. As the first
death, as a consequence of the COVID-19 infection, was recorded in Italy on Feb-
ruary 22, surveillance of border crossings to Italy was intensified on February 24,
and self-isolation health surveillance was planned for all passengers coming from
infected areas. A recommendation was given to schools not to go on excursions and
trips to Italy. The first two cases of the infection in Croatia, which were confirmed
on February 26, were people who came from Italy. In order to reassure the public
and point out that the health situation related to COVID-19 is still under control,
on March 2, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism said in a joint state-
ment that Croatia is still a safe tourism destination despite precautionary measures
30
Ritchie BW, Chaos, crises and disasters: a strategic approach to crisis management
in the tourism industry. Tourism Management, 2004, Vol. 25, No. 6, pp. 669–683; Johnson
Tew P, Lu Z, Tolomiczenko G, Gellatly J, SARS: lessons in strategic planning for hoteliers and
destination marketers. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 2008,
Vol. 20, No. 3, pp. 332–346.

Hrvoje Mataković
taken against the emergence and spread of COVID-19. Despite these conciliatory
tones, on March 5, the Minister of Health declared the danger of a COVID-19
epidemic. A day later, the Ministry of Science and Education recommended that
schools and universities postpone traveling abroad, and since March 9 all foreign
nationals coming from crisis areas were required on a mandatory 14-day quaran-
tine. Moreover, it was recommended that all organised gatherings with more than
a thousand people should be postponed. 31
On March 11, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak
a global pandemic, and consequently, an epidemic was declared in the entire
Republic of Croatia, so this event can be viewed as entering the second phase
of the crisis, i.e. entering the acute crisis stage. At this stage, more serious measures
were taken than in the previous one, and instead of preventive measures, prohibi-
tive measures were implemented to influence the spread of the epidemic: classes
in schools and universities were suspended, and gatherings of more than five
people were banned on March 19. Also, most restaurants and shops were closed,
the activities of cultural institutions and service activities were banned, and sports
competitions were stopped. Four days later, it was forbidden to leave the place
of residence, except for vital and business activities32, thus introducing one of the
strictest lockdowns in Europe33. Such radical measures were introduced because
at that time there was no adequate scientific information on COVID-1934 and there-
fore it was difficult to prevent the spread of the disease, and also the health system
lacked protective equipment35. Despite these restrictive measures, the number
of infected persons rose until April 10, which was expected since the implemented
measures do not show their effects immediately after their introduction. The num-
ber of infected and deceased persons from COVID-19 is shown in Table 2.
Since the decrease of new infections in mid-April, the time for mitigation of the
implemented measures began to be discussed: in this way, the third stage of the
crisis would be entered, i.e. the chronic crisis stage. At this stage of the crisis, the
risk of infection still exists, but its intensity is decreasing and therefore the conse-
quences, both health and economic, can be addressed. On April 23, the government
adopted a package of new measures, thus mitigating the measures introduced
on March 11 and 19: shops, services, kindergartens, and schools were opened,
and also, traffic between counties was restored.36 From May 9, Croatian citizens
were allowed to travel abroad37, and from May 28, citizens of the Czech Republic,
31
Litvan, op. cit., note 14.
32
Ibid.
33
Večernji list, Oxford: Hrvatska ima najstrože mjere u Europi. Beroš: Pažljivo balansiramo,
2020. Electronic source: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/oxford-hrvatska-ima-najstroze-mjere-
u-europi-iza-su-samo-srbija-i-sirija-1389281.
34
Lazić N et. al., op. cit., note 22.
35
Mikac, op. cit., note 13.
36
Švagelj I, HZJZ objavio detaljne upute: Evo kako će izgledati rad kafića, a tko će prije
posla mjeriti temperaturu, 2020. Electronic source: https://www.rtl.hr/vijesti-hr/novosti/
hrvatska/3805593/hzjz-objavio-detaljne-upute-evo-kako-ce-izgledati-rad-kafica-a-tko-ce-
prije-posla-morati-mjeriti-temperaturu/
37
Decision amending the Decision on the temporary prohibition of crossing the border
crossings of the Republic of Croatia. Official Gazette, No. 56/20.

Table 2. COVID-19 new cases and deaths in Croatia by months
New cases Deaths

Month Index 2021 / Index 2021 /
2020 2021 2020 2021
2020 2020
January 0 23,644 – 0 1,138 –
February 5 10,527 2,105.40 0 513 –
March 785 26,392 33.62 6 417 69.50
April 1,272 61,167 48.09 61 1,112 18.23
May 184 25,965 141.11 36 974 27.06
June 479 3,595 7.51 4 191 47.75
July 2,346 3,661 1.56 37 49 1.32
August 5,052 9,933 1.97 40 77 1.93
September 6,257 29,750 4.75 91 297 3.26
October 30,167 65,558 2.17 256 580 2.27
November 80,065 1,181
December 81,834 2,148
Total 208,446 260,192 3,860 5,348
Source: https://covid19.who.int/measures, accessed: 12.02.2022, calculation by the author.
Hungary, Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Germany, and Slovakia
were allowed to come to Croatia38, which actually created the preconditions for
a new tourism season. From July 1 this decision was extended to all EU citizens39.
Nightclubs were opened on June 2640, and gatherings of more than 100 people
were allowed from July 1041.
In July, and especially in August, the number of newly infected people began
to grow, and the famous Croatian scientist Ivan Đikić explained this increase as fol-
lows: ‘people somehow began to understand that the virus was not so dangerous
anymore, and now for the past month we have been faced with a relaxation,
misunderstandings, and bad decisions’.42 The rise of newly infected people has
initiated the gradual introduction of restrictive measures: from 13 August the bars
should be closed at midnight43 and from October 13 gatherings were limited to 50
38
crossings of the Republic of Croatia, Official Gazette No. 64/20.
39
Decision on the temporary prohibition of crossing the border crossings of the Republic
of Croatia, Official Gazette No. 74/20.
40
Decision about controlling compliance with the Recommendation for the prevention
of infection with COVID-19 in the catering industry and nightclubs, Official Gazette No. 74/20.
41
Decision about the necessary measures for the organization of gatherings attended
by more than a hundred participants during the declared epidemic of the COVID-19 disease,
Official Gazette No. 80/20.
42
Cited in Mikac, op. cit., note 13, p. 46.
43
Decision on the necessary measure of limiting the working hours of catering facilities
in the category ‘Bars’, Official Gazette No. 92/20.

Hrvoje Mataković
participants.44 In October, the number of new infected exceeded 30,000, so on

October 25, new measures were adopted: public events must end by 22:00, sports
competitions were held without spectators, and employers were advised to allow
employees to work from home.45 With these measures, a second lockdown was intro-
duced. These measures were further intensified on November 20 when gatherings
were limited to 25 people, and nightclubs and casinos were closed.46 On November
30 there were restricted crossings of the state border, and only persons tested by PCR
could enter Croatia.47 Movement within the country was restricted on December 18,
and it was forbidden to leave the county in which a person lived.48 This decision was
abolished on December 2949, but most of the other measures remained in force until
May 28. In late May, since the decrease in the number of newly infected persons, con-
tainment and closure measures were mitigated: public events with a maximum of 100
people were allowed and they could last until 23:00, and cafes, restaurants, and casi-
nos were also allowed to work until 23:00.50 Entry into the country was allowed from
April 1 to persons who had been vaccinated or had a negative test for COVID-19.51
The number of newly infected people began to grow slowly in early July, and in Sep-
tember this growth became stronger since the school year had begun, and since the
people were staying more indoors.52 During the summer, but also in the autumn, the
number of newly infected and deceased persons was higher than in the corresponding
period of 2020, but this fact did not encourage the introduction of measures stricter
than those implemented in 2020. There are several reasons for this: there is more
knowledge but also direct experience about COVID-19 and the fight against the pan-
demic, the health system is better prepared for the challenges that COVID-19 can cause,
and vaccination is also being implemented from the end of 2020, as shown in Table 3.
44
Decision amending the Decision about the necessary measures for the organization
of gatherings attended by more than a hundred participants during the declared epidemic
of the COVID-19 disease, Official Gazette No. 111/20.
45
Decision on necessary measures restricting gatherings and introducing other neces-
sary epidemiological measures and recommendations for the prevention of transmission
of COVID-19 disease through gatherings, Official Gazette No. 117/20.
46
Decision amending the Decision on necessary measures restricting gatherings and
introducing other necessary epidemiological measures and recommendations for the pre-
vention of transmission of COVID-19 disease through gatherings, Official Gazette No. 128/20.
47
Decision on temporary prohibition and restriction of crossing the border crossings
of the Republic of Croatia, Official Gazette No. 132/20.
48
Decision on the prohibition of leaving the county according to the place of residence
or stay in the Republic of Croatia, Official Gazette No. 141/20.
49
Decision repealing the Decision on the prohibition of leaving the county according
to the place of residence or stay in the Republic of Croatia, Official Gazette No. 147/20.
50
51
52
Šiljeg L, Ja sam se cijepio trećom dozom. Covid-potvrde? Za očekivati je da će se
proširiti njihova upotreba u budućnosti, 2021. Electronic source: https://www.rtl.hr/vijesti-hr/
novosti/hr vatska/4123918/ja-sam-se -cijepio-trecom-dozom-covid-potvrde -za-ocekivati-je
-da-ce-se-prosiriti-njihova-upotreba-u-buducnosti/

Table 3. COVID-19 vaccinations in Croatia by months
Vaccination
Vaccination
Cumulative
Cumulative
population
population
to the total
to the total
in relation
in relation
First dose
Month
Second
dose
total
total
Dec 2020 12,637 0
Jan 2021 53,932 66,569 1.64 41,573 41,573 1.02
Feb 2021 162,969 229,538 5.66 26,630 68,203 1.68
Mar 2021 267,090 49,6628 12.24 63,189 131,392 3.24
Apr 2021 408,548 90,5176 22.31 166,239 297,631 7.33
May 2021 481,649 138,6825 34.17 301,864 599,495 14.77
Jun 2021 144,181 1,531,006 37.73 586,413 1,185,908 29.22
Jul 2021 128,818 1,659,824 40.90 261,202 1,447,110 35.66
Aug 2021 65,553 1,725,377 42.52 99,220 1,546,330 38.10
Sep 2021 97,652 1,823,029 44.92 70,290 1,616,620 39.84
Oct 2021 47,769 1,870,798 46.10 40,647 1,657,267 40.84
Source: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/data-covid-19-vaccination-eu-eea,
accessed: 10.02.2022, calculation by the author.
Croatian citizens were not vaccinated against COVID-19 in large numbers, so in
early June, the Prime Minister called on citizens not to hesitate and vaccinate, as this
was the only way to return to normal life and to abolish the remaining measures.
Prime Minister also pointed out that if the measures would not be eased, there
is a risk for the tourism season, which potentially means an additional loss for the
economy. 53 The Prime Minister’s appeals were not particularly successful since,
at the end of October, only 40.84% of the population were vaccinated with two
doses, which is less than in other European Union countries. The small number
of vaccinated people makes it difficult to fight against the pandemic, as the govern-
ment combines containment and closure measures with vaccination, i.e. with the
EU digital COVID certificate and, in this way, the government will not be forced
to further restrict the movements of citizens with strict measures such as those
implemented in 2020. After adopting the Regulation of the European Parliament
and of the Council on EU digital COVID certificate on June 1454, the Civil Protection
Headquarters started to include the EU digital COVID certificate in its decisions.
Thus, for example, the decision adopted on June 18 enabled the organisation
53
Poslovni.hr, Plenković poslao važnu poruku građanima: ‘To je jedini način da ukinemo
mjere’, 2021. Electronic source: https://www.poslovni.hr/hrvatska/plenkovic-poslao-vaznu-
poruku-gradanima-to-je-jedini-nacin-da-ukinemo-mjere-4291733.
54
Regulation (EU) 2021/953 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June
2021 on a framework for the issuance, verification and acceptance of interoperable COVID-19
vaccination, test and recovery certificates (EU Digital COVID Certificate) to facilitate free
movement during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021. Electronic source: https://eur-lex.europa.
eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021R0953&from=EN

Hrvoje Mataković
of public events with more than 100 people, but only if participants have a COVID
certificate, and such events could last after midnight. Nightclubs and bars located
in open spaces can operate without working hours restrictions, only if they are
opened exclusively for guests with COVID certificates.55 Moreover, individuals hold-
ing an EU digital COVID certificate are free to enter the country, and those without
it must present evidence of vaccination, testing, or recovery from COVID-19.56
Impact of containment and closure

measures on tourism in Croatia
A strategic approach to crisis events is particularly important for those destina-

tions where tourism accounts for a significant share of general economic activities.57
As we mentioned in the introduction, tourism is a very important economic branch
in Croatia since, according to data from 2019, it accounts for about a quarter of Croa-
tian GDP and a quarter of total employment. 58 The COVID-19 pandemic affected
the tourism industry in Croatia in two ways: the first is direct, manifested through
a reduction in tourist arrivals due to restrictions on movement, which results
in lower revenues from tourism. The second way of influence is indirect and is vis-
ible through the changing of tourist preferences, fear of travel, and competition
among destinations.59 The implementation of containment and closure measures
directly affects the very core of tourism since ‘tourism is by definition mobility’60
and ‘without mobility there is no tourism’61, so one of the most obvious negative
consequences of containment and closure measures is a strong decrease in tourism
demand, especially international travel62.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caused a shock in the tourism markets,
and the initial forecasts for 2020 were quite unfavourable, especially the forecasts
of international tourist arrivals. For example, an OECD forecast from March 2020
proposed two possible scenarios:
55
56
57
Mikulić J, Miloš Sprčić D, Holiček H, Prebežac D, Strategic crisis management in tourism:
an application of integrated risk management principles to the Croatian tourism industry.
Journal of Destination Marketing & Management, 2018, Vol. 7, pp. 36–38.
58
World Travel and Tourism Council, op. cit. note 9.
59
Mačkić V, Hrvatska zimmerfrei ekonomija. Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Zagreb, 2020.
Electronic source: http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kroatien/16211.pdf.
60
Bausch T, Gartner WC, Ortanderl F, How to Avoid a COVID-19 Research Paper Tsunami?
A Tourism System Approach. Journal of Travel Research, 2021, Vol. 60, No. 3, p. 480.
61
Hall CM, Scott D, Gössling S, Pandemics, transformations and tourism: be careful what
you wish for. Tourism Geographies, 2020, Vo. 22, No. 3, p. 585.
62
Almeida F, Silva O, The Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism Sustainability: Evidence from
Portugal. Advances in Hospitality and Tourism Research, 2020, Vol. 8, No. 2, p. 441.

— Scenario 1: international tourist arrivals start to recover in July and gradually

strengthen in the second half of the year (a decline of 45%),
— Scenario 2: International tourist arrivals start to recover in September and
then gradually strengthen in the last quarter of the year (a decline of 70%).63
The final results of tourism in Croatia in 2020 were somewhere between these
two scenarios — compared to 2019, the decline of tourist arrivals was 65%, and the
decline of overnight stays was 55%. The number of tourist arrivals and overnight
stays in commercial accommodation is shown in Table 4.
Table 4. Tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Croatia in commercial

accommodation in 2020 (in 000)
Tourist arrivals Overnight stays

2019 2020 2019 2020
2019 2019
January 208 220 105.77 504 545 108.13
February 264 279 105.68 550 610 110.91
March 450 104 23.11 944 290 30.72
April 1,106 2 0.18 2,975 34 1.14
May 1,569 62 3.95 4,917 167 3.40
June 2,921 798 27.32 13,017 3,589 27.57
July 4,326 2,246 51.92 25,523 14,666 57.46
August 4,712 2,468 52.38 27,771 16,697 60.12
September 2,171 488 22.48 10,366 3,126 30.16
October 1,076 185 17.19 3,080 618 20.06
November 391 87 22.25 819 269 32.84
December 372 62 16.67 777 184 23.68
Total 19,566 7,001 35.78 91,243 40,795 44.71
Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics, calculation by the author.
Global uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the increase in the num-
ber of infected people in Croatia, but also the restrictive measures implemented
since March have significantly affected the number of tourist arrivals and overnight
stays in 2020. After the initial encouraging figures in January and February, there
was a strong decrease in March and especially in April, as a direct consequence
of the containment and closure measures introduced in mid-March. The implemen-
tation of containment and closure measures in tourism can be divided into two
phases. In the first phase, accommodation facilities, restaurants, and attractions are
closed, and in the second phase, these facilities are re-opened, but with the adher-
ence to social distancing measures and the implementation of hygienic measures.64
63
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Covid-19: Tourism Policy
Responses. Updated 25 March 2020. OECD, 2020. Electronic source: http://pipa.ps/files/2020/
COVID19_Tourism%20policy%20responses_march%202020_OECD.pdf.
64
Bausch et al., op. cit., note 67.

Hrvoje Mataković
The low daily incidence of new infections in the second half of April allowed the
government to consider mitigation of the adopted measures, but also to draw up plans
for the summer tourism season. In April it was not yet clear how the summer tourism
season during the COVID-19 pandemic would look like. Measures such as exhaustive
room cleaning and disinfection were already implemented by hotel companies as part
of their normal business, and it could be assumed that it would be no major changes
in this business segment. However, measures such as wearing protective masks
or keeping a safe distance were not until then applied in everyday life, nor tourism.
Regardless of the fact that during the summer tourism season in 2020 the empha-
sis would be on domestic guests65, various solutions for the arrival of foreign tourists
were intensively considered. One of the possible solutions was a bilateral agreement
with countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Austria, and Slovakia about
opening some kind of corridor for the arrival of tourists in Croatia66. The key measure
for intensifying tourism activities was adopted on May 28, when citizens of several
Central European countries were allowed to enter Croatia67, and thereafter the num-
ber of tourist arrivals increased sharply in June. This number further increased in July
and August, especially after July 1, when the borders have opened to all citizens of the
European Union68. However, in mid-August, there was a stronger increase in newly
infected people, and their number first exceeded 150 and then 200 newly infected
people per day; the reasons for this increase could be found in the rise of uncontrolled
social contacts on a broader scale and the arrival of foreign tourists69. This increase
in newly infected people encouraged several countries to require their citizens to be
tested for COVID-19 or to stay in quarantine for 14 days70 when they come from
Croatia. Consequently, the summer tourism season, to a larger extent, was ended.
The decrease in tourist arrivals and overnight stays was smaller than expected
in the spring71, and about half of the 2019 results were achieved, due to ‘accept-
able transport infrastructure, marketing campaigns of the Croatian National Tourist
Board and above all a relatively favourable clinical picture despite the positive trend
of persons who have fallen ill’72. The opening of the state borders, which was a basic
65
Rihelj G, Putuj lokalno i domaći gosti bit će glavni fokus na dan nakon koronavirusa.
Budite spremi, 2020. Electronic source: https://hrturizam.hr/putuj-lokalno-i-domaci-gosti-bit-
ce-glavni-fokus-na-dan-nakon-koronavirusa-budite-spremi/
66
Direktno, ‘PUTOVNICA COVID-19’ Dogovoreno donošenje protokola za putovanja
na razini Europske unije, 2020. Electronic source: https://direktno.hr/domovina/putovnica-
covid-19-dogovoreno-donosenje-protokola-za-putovanja-na-razini-europske-unije-192077/
67
crossings of the Republic of Croatia, op. cit., note 68.
68
Decision on the temporary prohibition of crossing the border crossings of the Republic
of Croatia, op. cit., note 39.
69
Nastić M, Odgovor države na bolest COVID-19: na primjerima Hrvatske i Srbije. Pravni
vjesnik: časopis za pravne i društvene znanosti Pravnog fakulteta Sveučilišta J.J. Strossmayera
u Osijeku, 2020, Vol. 36, No. 3–4, pp. 69–90.
70
N1, Kraj turističke sezone? Sve više zemalja stavlja Hrvatsku na crvenu listu, 2020.
Electronic source: https://hr.n1info.com/vijesti/a539476-kraj-turisticke-sezone-sve-vise-
zemalja-stavlja-hrvatsku-na-crvenu-listu/
71
Zebić E, Turistička sezona u Hrvatskoj bolja od očekivanja, 2020. Electronic source:
https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/hrvatska-ljeto-turizam-sezona-corona/30813304.html.
72
Rogić Dumančić L et al., op. cit., note 7, p. 147.

precondition for the tourism season and the arrival of foreign tourists, the Prime
Minister called the ‘calculated risk’ 73 and explained that the government tried
to protect the health of citizens, but also to enable the functioning of tourism as one
of the most important industries in Croatia. In this situation, the Croatian tourism
industry has used the advantage of being relatively geographically close to the
main markets of Western and Central Europe from which regular and loyal guests
come; they mostly use road transport, thus avoiding air transport which is more
complicated regarding security74. Croatia succeeded to attract tourists mostly from
the geographically nearer countries such as Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and Italy,
who visited Croatia by car. The number of tourists from more distant countries
such as the United Kingdom or the United States, who visit Croatia by air, was three
quarters less than in 2019.75
The significant increase of infected people in the autumn and winter of 2020 and
the introduction of lockdown in October have limited tourism activities, and the num-
ber of tourists overnight stays during the first four months of 2021 was 50 to 75% lower
than in 2019. The peak of the third wave of infection was in April with more than 60,000
newly infected persons. The number of newly infected persons decreased significantly
in May, and the measures, introduced in October 2020, were mitigated on May 28.
Table 5. Tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Croatia in commercial accommodation

in 2021 (in thousands)
Tourist arrivals Overnight stays

2019 2021 2019 2021
2019 2019
January 208 87 41.83 504 249 49.40
February 264 104 39.39 550 245 44.55
March 450 132 29.33 944 359 38.03
April 1,106 219 19.80 2,975 668 22.45
May 1,569 407 25.94 4,917 1,501 30.53
June 2,921 1,370 46.90 13,017 6,517 50.07
July 4,326 3,532 81.65 25,523 20,956 82.11
August 4,712 4,067 86.31 27,771 26,198 94.34
September 2,171 1,760 81.07 10,366 10,190 98.30
October 1,076 639 59.39 3,080 2,221 72.11
Total 18,803 12,317 65.51 89,647 69,104 77.08
Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. Electronic source: https://podaci.dzs.hr/media/beu-

p5ux5/msi-turizam.xlsx), calculation by the author.
73
Jutarnji, Plenković na CNN-u: Naše otvaranje turistima bio je kalkulirani rizik, ali zaštitili
smo građane, 2020. Electronic source: https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/hrvatska/plenkovic-na-
cnn-u-nase-otvaranje-turistima-bio-je-kalkulirani-rizik-ali-zastitili-smo-gradane-15017679.
74
Mačkić, op. cit. note 60, p. 5.
75
Ministarstvo turizma Republike Hrvatske, Turizam u brojkama 2020, 2021. Electronic
source: https://www.htz.hr/sites/default/files/2021-06/HTZ%20TUB%20HR_%202020_0.pdf.

Hrvoje Mataković
However, preparations for the new tourism season began much earlier: in Febru-
ary, the Ministry of Tourism has presented the ‘Safe stay in Croatia’ project and
label76. Within this project were designed safety protocols for the implementation
of epidemiological and health care measures. Facilities that implement these meas-
ures can display on their facility the label ‘Safe stay in Croatia’, thus enabling tourists
to easily identify providers of accommodation, transport, or tourism attractions that
have adopted national and world standards of health and hygiene.77 Except focus-
ing on health protection, this project also has a promotional purpose, to restore
the trust of foreign tourists, which is one of the key measures of crisis management
in the later stages of the crisis: label ‘Safe stay in Croatia’ as a guarantee of high
hygiene standards, should further encourage tourists to choose Croatia as a holi-
days destination. The Ministry of Tourism checks all segments foreseen in the
safety protocols, such as wearing protective masks, limiting the number of people
indoors and regular disinfection of common areas and rooms, and those facilities
that do not comply with these epidemiological measures may lose the ‘Safe stay
in Croatia’ label.78
The beginning of the summer was promising, and in June half of the arrivals
and overnight stays from 2019 were achieved; July and August were even more
successful, and the number of overnight stays from 2019 had almost been achieved.
As in 2020, most tourists came from countries geographically close to Croatia, such
as Germany, Slovenia, and Austria, because these tourists could visit Croatia by car.
Regarding the type of accommodation, in the first nine months of 2021, camping
sites achieved 90% of overnight stays from 2019, accommodation establishments
in households 81%, and hotels only 61%. Based on these data, it can be concluded
that tourists preferred outdoors accommodation and accommodation in smaller
units, such as accommodation in households, where it is easier to implement sani-
tary measures, and that they showed some distrust towards hotels, which are larger
and more complex systems.79
However, besides the measures implemented in Croatia, these good results were
also affected by the circumstances regarding the COVID-19 pandemic in other Med-
iterranean countries. At the end of July, in Croatia 14-day rate of confirmed cases
per 100,000 inhabitants was 33, but the situation in other Mediterranean countries
was much worse: the 14-day rate in Spain was 624 confirmed cases, in Portugal 407,
in Malta 379, in Greece 292, and in Italy 40 confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabit-
ants.80 The importance of gradual and timely mitigation of restrictive measures was
76
Vlada Republike Hrvatske, U Hrvatskoj oznake i protokoli za siguran boravak turista
‘Safe stay in Croatia’, 2021. Electronic source: https://vlada.gov.hr/vijesti/u-hrvatskoj-oznake-i-
protokoli-za-siguran-boravak-turista-safe-stay-in-croatia/31568
77
Safe stay in Croatia, 2021. Electronic source: https://www.safestayincroatia.hr/hr/o-
projektu
78
Večernji list, Ovo je oznaka pomoću koje se turistima u Hrvatskoj garantira visoka razina
higijene i sigurnosti, 2021. Electronic source: https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/ovo-je-oznaka-
pomocu-koje-se-turistima-u-hrvatskoj-garantira-visoka-razina-higijene-i-sigurnosti-1510218
79
Institut za turizam, Turistička statistika, Hrvatska, siječanj — rujan 2021, 2021. Electronic
source: https://my.visme.co/view/n0ywnnm4-15-10-2021-domaca
80
Pauček Šljivak M, Hrvatska je najsigurnija na Mediteranu, sezona je zasad odlična.
Pogledajte brojke, 2021. Electronic source: https://www.index.hr/vijesti/clanak/hrvatska-je-

demonstrated in Portugal. In the spring of 2021, Portugal implemented a relatively

strict lockdown, and significant efforts were made to restrain the COVID-19 pan-
demic so that the country could open on time for the summer tourism season.
Portugal was the first country in the Mediterranean open to foreign citizens
because, in this way, Portugal wanted to achieve a comparative advantage and
increase the number of bookings, believing that bookings will increase if potential
tourists see that Portugal is safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, premature
opening to foreign citizens caused an increase of infected persons and, therefore,
restrictive measures were reintroduced.81 The consequence of these decisions
was a decrease in foreign tourist overnight stays: in the first eight months of 2021,
Portugal achieved 24% of foreign tourist overnights stays from 2019, which is much
less than in Croatia, where in the same period, 72% was achieved.82
Conclusions
The pandemics that have erupted in the past were ‘essentially transformative’
and their effects forced societies to adapt to external changes.83 This paper has
analysed how Croatia and its tourism sector have adapted to the changes caused
by the COVID-19 pandemic. To answer the research questions formulated in the
introduction, it analysed the containment and closure measures introduced in the
Republic of Croatia to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and their
appropriateness, as well as their effect on the functioning of the tourism sector.
Looking for an answer to the first research question about the type of measures
and their suitability, the analysis revealed that despite the difficulties in coordi-
nating the activities and decision-making of various state bodies and actors,
the containment and closure measures adopted during the COVID-19 epidemic
were mostly timely and of appropriate intensity. This analysis also showed that
the outbreak of COVID-19 caused many queries and doubts and, therefore, at the
beginning of the pandemic, stricter measures were implemented, as it was not
fully clear what would be their results. It should be noted that stronger disruptions
in everyday life were avoided, and radical measures, such as imposing a curfew, did
not have to be implemented, but measures were mainly aimed at limiting contacts
and mobility.84 Over time, a large amount of knowledge about this new disease was
gained, so in 2021 softer measures could be applied, which was also seen in tour-
ism. The analysis also demonstrated that most of the measures were introduced
reactively, i.e., they were adopted mainly in response to certain events, and only
najsigurnija-na-mediteranu-sezona-je-zasad-odlicna-pogledajte-brojke/2292367.aspx
81
Jutarnji list, Portugal je veliko upozorenje za Hrvatsku: ‘Željeli su imati komparativnu
prednost, a pogledajte ih sada‘, 2021. Electronic source: https://www.jutarnji.hr/vijesti/
hrvatska/portugal-je-veliko-upozorenje-za-hrvatsku-zeljeli-su-imati-komparativnu-prednost-
a-pogledajte-ih-sada-15084584
82
Institut za turizam, Turistička statistika, Hrvatska u usporedbi s konkurentima,
Španjolska / Portugal, siječanj — kolovoz 2021, 2021. Electronic source: https://my.visme.co/
view/jwdmnn4k-15-10-2021-meunarodna
83
Hall et al., op. cit., note 62, p. 2.
84
Nastić, op. cit., note 70.

Hrvoje Mataković
a small part of the measures was preventive, to preclude the occurrence of certain
events or their consequences. This finding is in line with research from other areas
for which it was also found that the Croatian government solves most of the public
policy problems reactively, i.e. after they have appeared.85
As an answer to the second research question about the impact of these
measures on tourism in Croatia, it can be concluded that, as expected, restrictions
on mobility had an extremely negative impact on tourism, as they limit and hinder
movement and contacts, which are the very core of tourism. That is particularly
evident in countries with small internal markets, such as Croatia, which are strongly
dependent on foreign tourists.86 To mitigate the negative effects of the COVID-
19 pandemic on tourism, in May 2020 and in May 2021, the Croatian government
made attempts to ease the containment and closure measures as much as possible
to enable and facilitate the summer tourism season while trying not to endanger
people’s health. Stricter measures were implemented at the beginning of the
pandemic because COVID-19 was a new disease with unknown characteristics, but
over time, a large amount of knowledge about it was gained, so the Croatian state
and Croatian tourism were much more prepared for the safety challenges than
in 2020, and therefore softer measures could be implemented. Although in the
summer of 2021, the number of new infections and deaths was much higher than
the previous summer, no more rigorous measures were introduced than those
applied in 2020. The government has estimated that existing measures can control
the pandemic without putting the tourism season at risk. Likewise, accommodation
facilities were much more prepared, implementing various epidemiological and
hygienic measures provided for in the ‘Safe stay in Croatia’ project. Vaccination,
a measure on which the Croatian government has placed strong emphasis, has not
proved to be successful, as at that the end of October 2021, only about 40% of the
population was fully vaccinated, which is among the lowest in the European Union.
It should be noted that tourism in Croatia during the COVID-19 pandemic achieved
satisfactory results: this is partly the consequence of the optimal level of contain-
ment and closure measures but also the unfavourable epidemiological situation
in other Mediterranean countries. At this moment, it is not possible to estimate
with certainty when the pandemic will end, but the experiences gathered so far are
an appropriate basis for ensuring a safe summer tourism season in 2022.
The results of this analysis can be useful to tourism experts, but also experts
in other fields, such as safety and security studies, and to the general public, since
they indicate difficulties that arose during 2020 and 2021, but also possible solutions
which could be implemented during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and can
be the basis for approaching future pandemics. Although in the recent past, there
was no pandemic as large as COVID-19, the knowledge gathered during epidemics
such as SARS was the basis for handling the COVID-19 pandemic, so the knowledge
gathered during the latter could also serve as a guide for resolving future pandemics.
This study has two limitations. The first limitation is the fact that in the recent
past, there were no pandemics similar to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of severity
85
Mataković H, Cajner Mraović I, Stvaranje javnih politika u različitim nacionalnim kontek-
stima. Pravni vjesnik, 2014, Vol. 30, No. 3–4; pp. 157–176.
86
Almeida, Silva, op. cit., note 63.

and intensity and therefore, there is no appropriate case with which the measures
implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic could be compared. The second
limitation is that the analysis was made only for one country, without comparing
it with another similar country to analyse the appropriateness of the implemented
measures. In future research, a comparison of implemented measures should
be made in countries that are similar in size or in other respects, such as a strong
orientation towards tourism. In this way, a larger number of implemented measures
would be analysed, their effects could be compared, and the most effective meas-
ures could be singled out, thus laying the theoretical foundations for a new system
of crisis management in pandemics.
Acknowledgements
This paper was created as part of an internal scientific project of the Institute for
Tourism: Development of integral indicators and carrying capacity model (RIPP).
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Hrvoje Mataković
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Hrvoje Mataković
About the Author
Hrvoje Mataković, PhD, research associate, Institute for Tourism, Zagreb, Croatia. Field
of scientific interest: security and safety tourism. E-mail: hrvoje.matakovic@iztzg.hr
Streszczenie. Pandemia COVID-19, która wybuchła na początku 2020 roku, ma silny wpływ na zdrowie ludzi, ale także na wiele
innych obszarów życia, takich jak gospodarka. Aby zapobiec rozprzestrzenianiu się zakażenia, rządy wdrażają różnorodna
rozwiązania, aby ograniczyć kontakt między ludźmi i ich przemieszczanie się. Jedną z bezpośrednich konsekwencji ograniczonej
mobilności jest spadek popytu turystycznego. W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono przedmiotowe środki wdrożone przez rząd
Chorwacji w celu powstrzymania pandemii COVID-19, a także przeanalizowano ich wpływ na turystykę. Rząd Chorwacji miał
do wykonania skomplikowane zadanie: za pomocą środków zapobiegawczych próbował powstrzymać rozprzestrzenianie
się zakażenia, a z drugiej strony chciał przyciągnąć zagranicznych turystów, którzy najczęściej korzystają z bazy noclegowej
w Chorwacji. Podczas letniego sezonu turystycznego w 2020 roku wdrożono środki ograniczające rozprzestrzenianie się pandemii,
a latem 2021 roku, mimo większej liczby zakażonych i zmarłych, nie intensyfikowano tego typu działań, ponieważ pandemię, poza
wyżej wspomnianymi środkami, próbowano powstrzymać także za pomocą szczepień. Turystyka w Chorwacji COVID-19 osiągnęła
podczas pandemii zadowalające wyniki, podobne do tych z roku 2019: było to częściowo konsekwencją optymalnego poziomu
środków zapobiegawczych, ale także niekorzystnej sytuacji epidemiologicznej w innych krajach śródziemnomorskich.
Zusammenfassung. Die Anfang 2020 ausgebrochene COVID-19-Pandemie hat starke Auswirkungen auf die menschliche
Gesundheit, aber auch auf viele andere Lebensbereiche wie z. B. die Wirtschaft. Um die Ausbreitung der Infektion zu verhindern,
führen die Regierungen Eindämmungs- und Schließungsmaßnahmen durch, um den Kontakt zwischen den Menschen und ihre
Mobilität einzuschränken. Eine der direkten Folgen der eingeschränkten Mobilität ist ein Rückgang der Tourismusnachfrage.
In diesem Beitrag werden die Eindämmungs- und Schließungsmaßnahmen vorgestellt, die die kroatische Regierung zur
Eindämmung der COVID-19-Pandemie ergriffen hat, und es werden auch die Auswirkungen dieser Maßnahmen auf den Tourismus
analysiert. Die kroatische Regierung stand vor einer komplexen Aufgabe: Mit Eindämmungs- und Schließungsmaßnahmen
versuchte sie, die Ausbreitung der Infektion zu verhindern, und auf der anderen Seite wollte sie ausländische Touristen
anlocken, die den Großteil der Übernachtungen in Kroatien ausmachen. Während der Sommertourismus-Saison 2020 wurden
Eindämmungs- und Schließungsmaßnahmen durchgeführt, und im Sommer 2021 wurden diese Maßnahmen trotz einer
größeren Zahl von Infizierten und Toten nicht intensiviert, da die Versuche, die Pandemie zu stoppen, neben den Eindämmungs-
und Schließungsmaßnahmen auch Impfungen umfassten. Der Tourismus in Kroatien hat während der COVID-19-Pandemie
zufriedenstellende Ergebnisse erzielt, ähnlich wie im Jahr 2019: Dies ist zum Teil die Folge des optimalen Niveaus der Eindämmungs-
und Schließungsmaßnahmen, aber auch der ungünstigen epidemiologischen Situation in anderen Mittelmeerländern.
Резюме. Пандемия COVID-19, котороя началась в начале 2020 года, оказывает сильное влияние на здоровье человека,
а также на многие другие сферы жизни, например, на экономику. Чтобы предотвратить распространение инфекции,
правительства стран принимают различные меры по сокращению контактов и передвижения людей. Одним из пря-
мых последствий снижения мобильности является снижение туристического спроса. В этой статье представлены
меры, принятые правительством Хорватии с целью сдерживания пандемии COVID-19, и рассмотрено их влияние
на туризм. Перед правительством Хорватии стояла сложная задача: с помощью профилактических мер оно пыта-
лось сдержать распространение инфекции, а с другой стороны, оно хотело привлечь иностранных туристов,
которые в основном пользуются ночлежной базой в Хорватии. В течение летнего туристического сезона 2020 г. были
предприняты меры по недопущении распространения пандемии, а летом 2021 г., несмотря на большее количество
инфицированных и умерших, данный вид действий не усиливался, т.к. в связи с вышеупомянутыми мерами были
также предприняты попытки остановить пандемию с помощью вакцинации. Туризм в Хорватии достиг во время
пандемии COVID-19 удовлетворительных результатов, аналогичных показателям 2019 года: частично это было
следствием оптимального уровня профилактических мер, а также неблагоприятной эпидемиологической ситуации
в других средиземноморских странах.

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INTERNAL SECURITY CONTEXTS

Implementation of Containment and Closure

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic, crisis management, crisis response measures, tourism

Internal Security, January–June 23

24 Internal Security, January–June

Internal Security, January–June 25

The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic

26 Internal Security, January–June

Internal Security, January–June 27

28 Internal Security, January–June

Table 1. Stages of the COVID-19 crisis in Croatia

STAGE MEASURES DURATION

Internal Security, January–June 29

30 Internal Security, January–June

Table 2. COVID-19 new cases and deaths in Croatia by months

New cases Deaths

Source: https://covid19.who.int/measures, accessed: 12.02.2022, calculation by the author.

Internal Security, January–June 31

participants.44 In October, the number of new infected exceeded 30,000, so on

32 Internal Security, January–June

Table 3. COVID-19 vaccinations in Croatia by months

Internal Security, January–June 33

Impact of containment and closure

A strategic approach to crisis events is particularly important for those destina-

34 Internal Security, January–June

— Scenario 1: international tourist arrivals start to recover in July and gradually

Table 4. Tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Croatia in commercial

Tourist arrivals Overnight stays

Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics, calculation by the author.

Internal Security, January–June 35

36 Internal Security, January–June

Table 5. Tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Croatia in commercial accommodation

Tourist arrivals Overnight stays

Source: Croatian Bureau of Statistics. Electronic source: https://podaci.dzs.hr/media/beu-

Internal Security, January–June 37

38 Internal Security, January–June

demonstrated in Portugal. In the spring of 2021, Portugal implemented a relatively

Internal Security, January–June 39

40 Internal Security, January–June

Internal Security, January–June 41

10. Decision amending the Decision on the temporary prohibition of crossing

42 Internal Security, January–June

28. Faulkner B, Towards a framework for tourism disaster management. Tourism

Internal Security, January–June 43

44 Internal Security, January–June

Internal Security, January–June 45

About the Author

46 Internal Security, January–June

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