ZAGREB, 17 July (Hina) – Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on Thursday called for a sensible pricing policy in tourism, noting that other countries also offer the sea, sun, hotels, campsites and similar amenities.

Speaking to the press after a session of the Council for Slavonia, Baranja and Srijem, Plenković responded to concerns about this summer’s high prices.

“There is competition. People compare and decide where to travel, and they send a message with their choices. In a market economy, that’s to be expected,” he said.

“So I’ll repeat, even though we’re in the middle of the tourist season: other countries also have the sea, the sun, islands, hotels, campsites, private accommodation, and infrastructure. And 50% of travellers in Europe choose their destination based on price. They consider all factors. There’ll be another season next year too, so businesses should think carefully about what makes sense.”

He added that the government had held timely meetings with key stakeholders, including representatives from the hotel industry, hospitality sector, retail chains and even the construction sector.

“We held structured dialogue with all those whose potential price hikes can affect us all,” Plenković said.

The government can only appeal and try to reason with those in the service sector, but cannot impose price controls, he noted.

“In a market economy, setting price caps is not realistic. There’s no heavy-handed centralised control, that idea is long gone. But people must take a sensible approach to pricing, so that things work out well for everyone,” the prime minister said.

He announced that the Tourism Council would meet in Hvar on Tuesday, 22 July, with pricing expected to be a key topic.