The impact of exchange rate changes in small open economies has been a widely researched topic for decades. According to economic theory and relevant research, depreciation can have a positive impact on the economy through an increase in exports, and a negative effect through decrease in an individual consumption. The aim of this article is to assess the impact of exchange rate depreciation on external debt in Croatia in the long-run. The long-run impact of depreciation on external debt in Croatia is assessed using Johansen cointegration approach. The results point to the existence of one cointegration relation. The long-run impact of exchange rate depreciation on external debt in Croatia is statistically significant and positive, what is in line with previous research and economic theory. The conducted analysis outlines the possible negative impact of depreciation on Croatian economy through the increase of external indebtedness, what could consequently decrease the wealth of all sectors indebted in foreign currency. Since Croatia is a highly euroised small open economy with high external indebtedness in foreign currency, this research provides captivating results for monetary and fiscal policy-making in Croatia. Therefore, as a result of the conducted empirical analysis, the exchange rate depreciation in Croatia is not recommended as the instrument of increasing export competitiveness due to current high external indebtedness in foreign currency.

This study examines the importance of online reviews for price determination in the hotel industry in the pre-pandemic period. The research is conducted for Croatian small open economy with a developed tourism sector. The paper fills the gap in existing literature by using multivariate principal component analysis to group various customer satisfaction categories in the hotel industry and assessing the relationship between customer satisfaction and hotel price. The conducted empirical analysis points to a positive statistically significant relationship of guest satisfaction and hotel prices. Moreover, linear regression modelling is conducted separately for four-star and five-star hotels. The estimated impacts are statistically significant and positive, but the effects are twice as strong in five-star hotels then in four-star hotels. The obtained results indicate that hotel star rating impacts the strength of the relationship between hotel prices and guest satisfaction. Recognizing the link between hotel ratings, online reviews and pricing is essential both for hotel managers and customers. Hence, the paper provides valuable conclusions from the aspect of supply and demand side in the hotel industry.

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