Croatian ports of international economic interest with a focus on the tourisam development perspective of the Port of Zadar

The Croatian coastline, as well as various natural and man-made attractions in the Croatian hinterland, provide for a fairly well-developed tourism sector. Nacional marine ports play an increasingly important role in promoting and develoing the tourism sector. Zadar is the second largest domestic and international passenger port in the country and the third largest cruise port. In addition, the port serves several anchor clients in the dry bulk, liquid bulk and general cargo sectors. After analyzing Croatian ports of international economic interest in general, trends and developments in the port sector, and the destination states of Croatian ports, the authors in this paper focus on the segments of the Port of Zadar that are important for the development of tourism. The paper provides an overview of the current state, recommended targets and status of the Port of Zadar. Further, the paper predicts targets for passenger traffic (domestic, international and cruise) by 2030.