Croatia’s idyllic Adriatic coast was an early pioneer of nudism. Its history points to people going nude to swim and enjoy the natural surroundings of the area.

Koversada, a sprawling naturist – another word for nudist – complex is located on an islet off Croatia’s northwestern Istria peninsula. The pine forested camp is nearly 250 acres in size and guests usually stroll around naked, swim and sun naked, play sports naked, and ride bicycles naked. They are, however, requested to dress when dining in a restaurant or in a shop.

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There are normally around 5,000 guests at any given time staying in apartments, camping vans, and tents. Sounds like a lot, but back in the 1980s when going nude was the thing to do, it was typical for 15,000 guests to be booked at the complex.

Croatia’s tourism is booming right now, and Koversada, which mostly attracts tourists over 40 years o age, wants to attract tourists to its complex, but according to a camping manager, the younger generations are not as interested in nudism as their parents seem to be. Or are they?

Last year, nearly 19 million tourists visited Croatia, heading mainly to its shimmering Adriatic coast. Estimates indicate that only around 300,000 of them are nudists – mostly Germans, Slovenes, Austrians and Dutch. But at least 10 percent of all tourists seem to find a way or a place to swim naked – that’s 1.9 million naked tourists every year. There appears to be a market here.