Russian Tourists Transform Croatia’s Coastal Restaurant Menus
Balkan Travellers
Last year, according to Croatian newspaper Viestnik, around 150,000 Russian tourists visited the country. Most of them went to the regions of Istria, in the northernmost part of the coast, and the southern region of Dalmatia, and a smaller number went to Kvarner, located next to Istria and centred on the main Croatian port of Rijeka.
While some Russians spend their holidays in hotels, according to the publication, a large number of them have bought houses and flats on Croatia’s Riviera, where they spend a large part of the year.
Upon Russians’ demands, many restaurants have started to offer expensive beverages, such as 50-year old rum and cognac as well as champagne at 400 euro a bottle. Russian dishes are also served increasingly by restaurants.
The publication added that many restaurants in the Kvarner region will soon have menus and wine lists in Russian and an increasing number of hotel and restaurant staff are learning the language.
While Croatia’s case may be more strongly felt, it is not unique to the region. As BalkanTrevellers.com reported in March, virtually all the Balkan countries are enjoying a rapid growth of the number of Russian visitors.
Their influx, while new to some, dates back to communist times for other countries in the region. In Bulgaria, for example, the phenomenon of catering to Russian tourists has been observed for many years – menus in Russian are widespread in restaurants along the Black Sea cost and Russian-speaking employees are commonplace in hotels, restaurants and stores in seaside resorts.
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