New school holidays open up opportunities for pre- and post-season in Croatian tourism

Proposal publication school calendar for 2026/2027. The school year has reopened the issue of the importance of domestic guests for Croatian tourism, especially in the pre- and post-season periods.

Although Croatian tourism still relies predominantly on international markets, domestic guests play an important stabilizing role throughout the yearThat is why the dates of school holidays, public holidays and long weekends represent key landmarks for planning tourist campaigns, family packages and short vacations.

According to the proposal of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, classes in the 2026/2027 school year. begins on September 7, 2026, and ends on June 15, 2027For high school graduates, classes end earlier, on May 21, 2027.

Winter holidays again in two parts

Unlike the current school year, the winter holidays will once again be divided into two parts. The first part will last from December 24, 2026 to January 5, 2027, while the second part of the winter break will be from February 22 to 26, 2027. Spring break begins on March 25 and lasts until April 2, 2027, and summer break begins on June 16, 2027.

The Ministry explained that one of the reasons for returning to the split winter holiday model is the fact that a large number of public holidays in the next school year fall on weekends, which has opened up the possibility of additional vacation scheduling throughout the year.

For the tourism sector, such a schedule means more potential dates for short family vacations and trips within Croatia.

Domestic guests are important, especially outside the main season

The importance of domestic guests is particularly evident in the pre- and post-season. This is when families with children most often use school holidays for shorter trips, wellness weekends, city break offers or stays in continental destinations.

Data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that in the first quarter of 2026, in commercial accommodation facilities, 1,1 million arrivals and 2,6 million overnight stays tourists, which represents a growth of 9,5% in arrivals and 9% in overnight stays compared to the same period last year.

Domestic tourists achieved 497 thousand arrivals and 994 thousand overnight stays., with growth of almost 10% compared to the first quarter of 2025. Such data confirms that the domestic market plays an important role in the stability of tourist traffic, especially outside the peak summer season.

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Long weekends are an opportunity for short breaks

In addition to school holidays, holidays that allow for extended weekends are also important for the tourism sector. During the 2026/2027 school year, several holidays will reopen the space for shorter trips, especially in continental destinations and the city break segment.

The periods around Christmas and New Year, Easter holidays and spring weekends during May and June stand out as particularly interesting. This is why hotel chains, campsites, tourist boards and destination management companies can already plan promotional activities and packages aimed at domestic guests.

Public holidays during the 2026/2027 school year.

November 1 (Sunday) – All Saints' Day
November 18 (Wednesday) – Remembrance Day for the Victims of the Homeland War and Remembrance Day for the Victims of Vukovar and Škabrnja
December 25 (Friday) – Christmas
December 26 (Saturday) – Saint Stephen
January 1 (Friday) – New Year's Day
January 6 (Wednesday) – Epiphany
March 28 (Sunday) – Easter
March 29 (Monday) – Easter Monday
May 1 (Saturday) – Labor Day
May 30 (Sunday) – National Day
June 4 (Friday) – Corpus Christi

Planning ahead is becoming increasingly important

The trend in domestic tourism bookings in recent years shows that families are planning vacations and short trips earlier. The school calendar is therefore becoming an important tool not only for parents, but also for the tourism sector.

This is especially important in context pre- and post-season strengthening, where the domestic market can play a significant role in filling capacity. The tourism sector is increasingly adapting its offerings to families with children through flexible packages, shorter arrangements and activities adapted to school holidays.

In conditions of increasing competition and changes in travel habits, timely planning and adjustment to the vacation calendar are becoming an important part of tourism strategy.

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