RegioJet will bring 100,000 tourists to Croatia
The famous yellow trains of the Czech railway company RegioJet started running a month earlier this year and they arrive at several destinations. The first recognizable yellow RegioJet train arrived in Rijeka and this year in Split, at the end of May, thus opening another season of connecting the Czech Republic and Slovakia with the Adriatic.
So far this season, about 85,000 tickets for all trains to and from Croatia have been sold, including pre-sales. That’s 20,000 tickets more than the whole of last year. Most of the passengers, about 78% of them are from the Czech Republic, the rest are from Slovakia and Hungary.
Last year, this railway line was introduced for the first time in the year when the pandemic stopped almost all tourist flows and brought about 60,000 passengers to the Adriatic. Last year, RegioJet’s line operated from Prague, via Bratislava and Ljubljana to Rijeka and back.
Profitable
Despite the pandemic, cheap tickets and comfortable train travel proved to be a hit and the line proved profitable. Therefore, the Czech railway company introduced it this year as well, changed the route a bit and added another destination – Split.
The route of arrival has also been changed, so that trains, instead of via Ljubljana, run via Budapest and Zagreb this year. In Ogulin, the train is divided and part of the wagons goes to Rijeka, and part to Split. Also, on the way back, the trains merge into one in Ogulin.
The announcements and expectations from this railway line are high this year. Aleš Ondruj, spokesman for RegioJet, told us about the situation with ticket sales and how many Czechs and Slovaks are arriving in Rijeka and Split by train this year and that almost all trains have been sold out so far.
I can really say that we are 100% satisfied with that fact. By the way, so far we have sold, including pre-sale, about 85,000 tickets for all trains to and from Croatia. That’s more than 20,000 tickets sold more than last year.
Aleš Ondruj
He continues by saying that this year, they expect to carry around 100,000 passengers by the end of the season. When asked how many passengers come from Prague, how many tickets are sold in Bratislava, and how many in Budapest, he said that most passengers are from the Czech Republic, about 78%, and the rest are passengers from Slovakia and Hungary.
This season is certainly better than last year when we introduced the line to Croatia. We have more passengers, trains run to more destinations, and we have higher revenues. As for the reservation for August and later for September, I can say that August is already 85% sold out and more tickets are available for the very end of August and September.
Aleš Ondruj
Affordable tickets
By the way, tickets for RegioJet trains are very affordable this year as well, so for a one-way seat ticket, you have to pay as little as 18.90 euros, while a ticket for a sleeping car starts at 30.90 euros.
These are prices to Rijeka, while those to Split are from 34.90 euros for a seat and from 41.90 euros for a sleeping car. It is also possible to rent an entire wagon for a closed group of passengers which is good as it provides the possibility of physical distance.
Also, RegioJet provided bus connections to other destinations this year, this time not only from Rijeka but also from Split, Gračac and Ogulin. Thus, they enabled their passengers to easily reach as many as 56 destinations on the Adriatic. Connected bus lines go all the way to Dubrovnik, but also to Kotor in Montenegro and Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
So far, about a third of passengers have used the opportunity to reach other destinations by bus other than Rijeka and Split.
Attractive train route
At the Representation of the Croatian National Tourist Board in Prague these days, we learned that RegioJet is considering another line next year, from Poland. So far, RegioJet has not confirmed with certainty that it will start with the new line.
Given that Poland has climbed to the third place of the strongest emitting markets from which tourists come to Croatia, right behind Germany and Slovenia, it is possible that the Poles will not only drive or fly to the Adriatic but also arrive by train.
The railway line to Prague, as announced, will be operational by the end of September. In May, June and September, trains run three times a week in both directions, while in July, and now during August, they arrive in Croatia every day.
Source: Novilist.hr
