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NEWS 

Jadrolinija: Three new ferries to boost the fleet
Jadrolinija, a national shipping company, will boost its shipping lines with three new ferries during this tourist season. The first one will sail between Vabiska on the Island of Krk and Merag on the Island of Cres, transporting up to 170 vehicles. The second ferry will operate between Split and Supetar on the Island of Brač, transporting up to 196 vehicles, while the third ferry having a capacity of 170 vehicles will sail from Split to Vela Luka on the Island of Korčula, and then to the Island of Lastovo.
The other ferries that have transported passengers and vehicles between these points will be reassigned, so the Cres ferry will now sail between Brestova and Porozina on the Island of Cres, and the Supetar ferry will operate between Prizna and Žigljen on the Island of Pag. The introduction of three new ferries in the ship traffic will enable decommissioning of four old ferries: Božava, Nehaj, Lovrijenac and Borik. This will significantly increase the safety of sailing, as well as the quality of ship transport. It is interesting to know that the domestic national shipping company transported 9.32 million passengers last year, which is four percent more than last year, and 2.41 million vehicles, which is 6.3 percent more as compared to 2006.
In 2008, Jadrolinija plans to achieve a four-percent growth in turnover, and the passengers have been able to buy tickets to coastal and international trips online since March.

Jadrolinija
www.jadrolinija.hr

Pula: Direct flights to Europe
On 1 April, the low cost airline Ryanair established flights between Pula and London again on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while Croatia Airline will provide flights to London once a week. Pula Airport has also started to receive flights from the German cities of Dresden, Leipzig, Rostock, Berlin and Erfurt, and flights to Paris from Pula will be available as of late April. In May, Pula Airport will have direct flights to Cologne, Amsterdam, Moscow, Newcastle, Eindhoven, Bordeaux, Nantes, Manchester and Edinburgh, while flights to Stockholm and Yekaterinburg will be available from early June. At the end of that month, flights for Belgrade, Copenhagen, Göteborg, Kiev, Barcelona and Madrid will be introduced, thus enabling tourists from many European cities to arrive quickly in the middle of the Istrian peninsula.
Pula Airport is only a few minutes by car from the center of the city that has existed for three millennia and represents a treasury of cultural wealth. With its distinctive Arena, which transforms into a stage for culture & entertainment, and its numerous cultural monuments, Pula has obtained the status of a cultural tourism destination. All tourist facilities are situated in the abundant forests along the sea, with magnificent beaches stretching for a hundred kilometers. Modern roads will quickly take you from Pula to any other tourist destination on the coast or in Croatia’s interior.

Pula Airport
www.airport-pula.com 
Pula Tourist Board Istrian County Tourist Board
www.pulainfo.hr  www.istra.hr 


Novi Vinodolski: In a competition of 12 most beautiful places in Europe
In addition to this year’s celebration of the 130th anniversary of tourism and 720th anniversary of the Vinodol Law, Novi Vinodolski was nominated among 12 most beautiful places in Europe, which will compete for the Golden Flower of Europe award. As many as 26,000 cities and towns in Europe competed for the prestigious award presented by the European Association for Flowers and Landscape. In late June, a 12-member jury for the Golden Flower of Europe will stay in this attractive town in Kvarner, which is also popular for its well organized biking tracks. They will collect impressions of the horticultural development of the town and the sustainable development of Novi Vinodolski, distinctive for its abundant Mediterranean vegetation and clean sea.
This entire year is marked by the celebration of a valuable anniversary in Novi Vinodolski, associated with the organization of numerous tourist and cultural events. In mid-May, the luxurious Novi Resort will open in Novi Vinodolski, consisting of a complex of premium facilities and relevant amenities. The entire resort will be classified as 5 stars, with emphasis of congress, corporate and sport tourism. In addition to being one of the biggest investments in Croatian tourism, Novi Resort will soon open one of the largest wellness centers in Europe. Stretching over nine thousand square meters, the entire area is built on three levels and faces the sea, just like the central hotel facility. Novi Resort will be able to receive up to 1500 guests.
On 1 May, the 2008 Summer program started in Novi Vinodolski, offering 90 cultural and entertainment events.

Novi Vinodolski Tourist Board
www.tz-novi-vinodolski.hr

Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Tourist Board
www.kvarner.hr 


Split: The highest growth in the number of tourists in Europe
According to the information provided by the European Cities Marketing, Split is in the first place among 93 cities in the increase of the number of guests between 2001 and 2006. The guest arrival growth rate in the largest city in Dalmatia was 17 percent a year during the period, and Split is also at the very top in the average number of tourist stay days – 2.2 days. Split is also proud of its excellent results in this year’s preseason, as the city received three times more guests than any other destination in Split-Dalmatia County. Last year, most of the guests registered in the Dalmatian metropolis, situated in one of the sunniest parts of Central Mediterranean with an average of 2,700 sunny hours a year, came from the United States, followed by France, Spain and Japan.
As a number of hotels in Split were reconstructed over the past few years, and some other hotel facilities are undergoing reconstruction, an additional 1,000 beds will be available as of next year. As a result of this, a larger number of guests are expected in this unique metropolis of the Croatian south, which has been under UNESCO’s protection for its historical center with the Diocletian Palace. As it happens, the Diocletian Palace with its area of 30,000 square meters is the largest and best preserved late-ancient palace in the world. It was built by Emperor Diocletian who retreated there after leaving his Roman imperial throne. Last year, 260,000 visitors saw the Diocletian’s cellars, while the museums and galleries received 350,000 visitors, whereby Split justified its “Museum City” title it has had for years.

Split Tourist Board
www.visitsplit.com

Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board
www.dalmatia.hr


Croatian Culinary Federation: Split to host the European WACS congress
19-22 March 2009, the Croatian city of Split will host the European congress of the World Association of Chefs’ Societies (WACS), as recently decided at the WACS congress in Prague. Several countries ran as candidates, and the final selection included the Slovenian town of Portorož, in addition to Split.
According to the Croatian Culinary Federation, the holding of this convention in Croatia will be an opportunity for a hundred chefs from across Europe to demonstrate their expert knowledge in Split’s Hotel Le Meridien. In addition, their Croatian colleagues will present Croatia as an attractive tourist destination, as well as a country of rich gastronomical heritage, still insufficiently known in the world.

Croatian Culinary Federation Split Tourist Board
www.kuhar.hr  www.visitsplit.com

Congress offer: Almost 5,700 conventions a year
Croatia is becoming an increasingly popular congress destination with Dubrovnik, Opatija and Zagreb in the lead, followed by Split, Rijeka, Osijek and others.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Croatia had 5,639 business conventions last year that went on for 10,561 days. 416,000 persons participated in the conventions, almost 370,000 of them domestic and a little less than 48,000 foreign.
In the total number of conventions, corporate meetings accounted for 1,783, congresses accounted for 2,860, 149 were public conferences, 10 were government-level conferences, 154 were public gatherings, 82 were incentives, 126 were team building events, 20 were conventions…
It is also interesting to know that the technical organizers of 113 conventions were international organizations, 314 were organized by the Croatian Government or national and local administrations, 259 were organized by travel agencies, 3,082 by business entities, 502 by trade associations, 412 by foreign companies, institutions and organizations, and 731 by banks, insurers, political parties, nongovernmental organizations and the like.
The importance of the congress market for the operation of travel companies is confirmed by the fact that there are no newly built or newly reconstructed hotels without a smaller and larger congress hall and all other facilities relevant to the work and pleasant stay of congress guests. In addition to the Croatian Congress and Incentive Office operating within the Croatian National Tourist Board, there are more and more regional congress offices, engaged in the coordination and stimulation of the congress offer.

Croatian National Tourist Board
www.croatia.hr


2008 statistics: Museums, galleries and natural beauties as a motive for arrivals

According to the information provided by the National Bureau of Statistics, last year the eight Croatian National Parks were visited by 2.136 million tourists, most of them, as many as 1.764, coming from abroad. The largest number of guests by far visited National Park Plitvice Lakes (around 928,000), followed by National Park Krka with over 700,000 guests. They are followed by National Park Brijuni (178,000 visitors), National Park Paklenica (over 110,000 guests), NP Kornati (around 95,000 guests), NP Mljet (88,000 guests), NP Risnjak with 25,000 visitors, while the youngest among them, National Park North Velebit, is in the last place with around 12,000 guests.
Last year, a total of 2.260 million guests visited Croatian museums and galleries, a little over a half of them coming from abroad. Most of the visitors to museums and galleries were registered in Dubrovnik-Neretva County (almost 1.1 million visitors), followed by the City of Zagreb (around 509,000).
5.670 million guests visited tourist landmarks and attractions (nature parks, cultural monuments, old castles and monuments, events…) while staying in Croatia, over 3.8 million of whom were local visitors. Krapina-Zagorje County (northwest of Zagreb) is the leader in the number of visitors – as many as 800,000 guests visited the pilgrimage centers. It is followed by Primorje-Gorski Kotar County with over 586,000 guests, where the events are at the top of the lengthy list of motives for arrival (around 286,000 arrivals).

National Bureau of Statistics Croatian National Tourist Board
www.dzs.hr  www.croatia.hr


PRESENTING

Vukovar-Srijem County: The kingdom of old towns
Vukovar-Srijem County is referred to as the kingdom of old towns, arranged along Danube where more and more cruisers sail. Their sailing season began in mid-March and will go on until mid-November. Until then, 143 tourist boats carrying foreign tourists, mostly from the USA, will stop in Vukovar. Danube River has marked the entire area and made Vukovar a center throughout history. Today, it is the center of the Croatian part of the Working Community of the Danube Countries. Thanks to its numerous small rivers and ponds, it has also been included in the sport fishing tourism map, and its surrounding area contains popular hunting grounds and one of the most beautiful nature parks - Kopački rit – with numerous protected bird species. In addition, the Vukovar area is marked by the five-thousand-year-old Vučedol culture, presented by numerous exhibits in the Vukovar Town Museum, which has recently been supplemented with the Vučedol Boot excavated at an archeological site. The boot made of baked clay is richly adorned by Vučedol ornaments identical to those on the Vučedol Dove, which was found in 1938, representing a symbol of Vukovar and originating from between 2800 and 2400 B.C.
The territory of Vukovar-Srijem County, covering the east part of Croatia, also contains the famous Ilok Cellars having a multi-century tradition in winegrowing. They were built by the ducal family Odescalchi that was presented with Ilok by Emperor Leopold as compensation for their help in the liberation from Turks, where they later built their castle. It was built on the foundations of the former castle of King Nicholas of Ilok from the 15th century, and is now a protected cultural monument. As Ilok’s old town sustained damage during the aggression on Croatia, it is currently undergoing restoration, while the Odescalchi Castle should offer a luxury restaurant seating 300 people and the Ilok Town Museum should reopen by the end of the year.

Vukovar-Srijem County Tourist Board
www.tzvsz.hr 

Krapje: The pearl of Lonja Field
After the reconstruction of the old houses in the traditional fashion, the village of Krapje in Sisak-Moslavina County is becoming an increasingly interesting tourist destination. Many refer to Krapje as the pearl of Lonja Field – in 1995, it was pronounced the Village of Architectural Heritage. The wooden houses were built from common oak, their average age is around a hundred years and they have been fully reconstructed in their original forms. The old houses with roofed stairwells and porches fully demonstrate the former lifestyle in Krapje, which is why more and more guests from abroad can be seen there, especially from France and Japan. In addition to the idyllic rural life and the nearby river abundant with carp (after which the village was named), Krapje đol, the first Croatian ornithological reserve proclaimed in 1963, is in its immediate vicinity. This reserve, belonging to the Lonja Field Nature Park, contains a substantial habitat for spoonbill and many other protected animal species. This is also the largest protected wetland area in the entire Danube region.
Lonja Field Nature Park has also been included in the so-called Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance, particularly as a habitat for wetland birds. It consist of three fields: Lonja Field, Mokro Field and Poganovo Field. In addition to bird watching, the guests in Lonja Field can enjoy many other amenities such as walks, boat rides, horseback riding, take an unforgettable safari or visit Čigoč, the European Stork Village, where storks are greater in number than its human residents.

Sisak-Moslavina County Tourist Board
www.turizam-smz.hr



INVESTMENTS

2008 season: The strong investment cycle continues
Just like the year before, 1.8 billion euros was invested in this year’s season preparation, which continued the multi-year trend of high investments in Croatian tourism. Most of the funds were invested in the renovation and erection of new facilities, while the rest was invested in the reconstruction and construction of infrastructure. In addition to substantial investments planned in all counties, several powerful hotel companies engaged in investments in construction of facilities, the partial completion of which is scheduled for the 2009 season. One of them is Resort Monte Mulini, currently constructed in Rovinj by the Istrian company Maistra, which will invest around 150 million euros in its construction. This year, Maistra plans to open a hotel under the same name, the most luxurious one within the resort, while Hotel Lone should be completed by the beginning of the 2009 season. Having a series of facilities completely new to Croatian tourism and a congress offer, the resort will include the existing 4-star hotels Eden and Park. The same number of stars will be assigned to hotels Galeb and Delfin, operating within Plava Laguna in Poreč, after their reconstruction, while Valamar Group has also undertaken large investments, announcing further expansions of the Valamar brand with two new hotels that will operate under the same label. They are Valamar Luna Activ Resort in Poreč, intended for families with children, and Valamar Koralj Romantic Hotel in Krk that will be marketed as a romantic hotel for couples. Valamar Group is also building the Valamar Lacroma Resort in Dubrovnik, the opening of which is scheduled for next year.
In addition to Istrian County, numerous hotel companies in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County have announced openings of high-category hotels or commencement of works. Hotel Kvarner, a distinctive symbol of Opatija, will be assigned five stars, its reconstruction to begin after the end of the season, as well as Hotel Lišanj in Novi Vinodolski. The construction of the prestigious Novi Resort and Marina has been completed after very demanding works, and a number of hotels have yet to be opened across Kvarner and Gorski Kotar. The five-star Punta Skala Residence & Vacation Club with 460 beds is scheduled for opening in Zadar County, while Split-Dalmatia County will also have additional high-category capacities, including Hotel Marjan and Hotel Split in Split, Hotel Elaphus in Bol on the Island of Brač, Hotel Amfora in Hvar, Hotel Duhanka on the Island of Čiovo near Trogor, etc. The most significant investments in high-category hotel facilities in Dubrovnik-Neretva County pertain to the reconstruction of Hotel Excelsior in Dubrovnik and Hotel Croatia in Cavtat, as well as the recently opened and completely new Hotel Admiral in Slano with 254 rooms. Generally, a large number of investments have been planned in all counties, which will include an number of interesting and very attractive facilities in numerous towns on the coast of the Croatian Adriatic.

Ministry of Tourism
www.mint.hr

Croatian National Tourist Board
www.croatia.hr 

Jadranka hoteli: EBRD – investor in and co-owner of Lošinj’s hotels
Pursuant to a recently singed agreement, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has become an investor in the reconstruction and modernization of the hotels and villas within the renowned hotel company Jadranka hoteli of Mali Lošinj. By this investment, EBRD will acquire around 30 percent of shares in this hotel company operating within its parent company Jadranka d.d., having a 60-year tradition.
The objective of this investment cycle for the Mali Lošinj company is to raise the standard in all facilities to four stars, diversify the tourist product and extend the facility usage time. The total value of the project, the completion of which is scheduled for 2012, is 80 million euros. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development will provide funding in amount of 24.4 million euros.
The capital contribution to Jadranka hoteli also provides for investments in hotels Aurora, Vespera, Helios, Bellevue and Alhambra. Hotel Aurora, which will open on 1 June this year, has been thoroughly reconstructed and supplemented with a wellness area, a congress center and other amenities, and will be classified as four stars. The same number of stars will be assigned to Hotel Vespera, the reconstruction of which will begin in October of this year. Hotel Punat will be reconstructed next autumn, after which Hotel Helios will be built in the place of the former hotel of the same name, which will be demolished. The plan also provides for the reconstruction of Hotel Alhambra.
Interestingly enough, the project also includes a 5 million euros investment in personnel education and training, and scholarships. This investment is a result of this financial institution’s desire to take part in the development of tourism, the key economic sector in Croatia – said the representatives of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development at execution of the agreement.

Jadranka hoteli Mali Lošinj Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Tourist Board
www.jadranka.hr  www.kvarner.hr



EVENTS

Golden Pen: Kvarner to host award presentation to foreign travel journalists
As a traditional token of appreciation for foreign travel journalists, the Croatian National Tourist Board hosts journalists who provided the biggest contribution to the informing about the tourist values of Croatia according to the evaluation of the jury. All nominees in the categories for written (magazines, newspapers and Internet portals) and electronic (TV and radio) media will stay in Kvarner from 5 to 8 June, in the popular tourist destination Opatija. An interesting and attractive program has been arranged for the occasion – a press conference including a presentation of the region’s tourist facilities, a reception at the Mayor of Opatija, and a tour of the destination. The formal presentation of the Golden Pen award will be held on 6 June in the Crystal Hall within Hotel Kvarner.
The winners of the 2007 Grand Prix for the best reports about Croatia in 2006 were: Michael Kraske and Michael Strührenberg of Germany for the best written text; and CNN’s Richard Quest for the best TV report.
What makes this acknowledgement to foreign journalists even more significant is the fact that Croatia is home to the symbol of their profession – ballpoint pen and fountain pen. As it happens, the invention set off to conquer the world from Zagreb, Croatia. Inventor Slavoljub Penkala, author of around eighty inventions, patented the first mechanical pen in the world on 24 January 1906, and the first solid-ink fountain pen on 31 May 1907. Shortly afterwards, the new invention that is now an inevitable part of our everyday lives and the journalist profession, conquered the entire world.

Croatian National Tourist Board
www.croatia.hr 

Via Urbium: A common project of three Central European Cities
The Varaždin Tourist Board has started the implementation of a new tourist product called Via Urbium, combining in a single story three Central European cities – Maribor, Slovenia, Szombathely, Hungary, and Varaždin. The product brings together three cities on the edge of the Panonian Valley, connected by common history and multi-century urban tradition, which can be visited within just three days. However, the order of the visits is up to the visitors as the tour program can start in any of the said partner cities. The Via Urbium project took off thanks to the pre-accession funds of the European Union cooperation with the AZRA Development Agency.
If the visitors choose to visit Maribor first, they will be delighted by its historical core with a labyrinth of squares, streets and passages, and series of bars, restaurants and clubs forming the so-called Maribor Night Triangle, no to mention the woody Pohorje.
Szombathely, Hungary, is another pearl in the series of three partner cities. It is situated in the west part of Hungary, where lowlands and hills combine, and was established way back in the Roman era two thousand years ago.
The largest Northwest Croatian city and the third city in the Via Urbium program is Varaždin, which has a good chance of becoming part of UNESCO-protected world cultural heritage thanks to its preserved baroque legacy. In addition to the Old Town and the City Hall, Varaždin has numerous preserved baroque, rococo and secessionist palaces and villas, and the city is also adorned by exceptional park architecture. Next year, Varaždin marks 800 years of its existence, which will be celebrated by the already popular events and a series of new ones. Varaždin is distinctive on the European travel map for its international festival Varaždin Baroque Evenings and the famous Špancirfest, when the city transforms into a stage for musicians, actors, painters and many other artists from across the world for ten days. This year, Špancirfest will have its 10th anniversary and will be held from 22 to 31 August.

Varaždin Tourist Board
www.tourism-varazdin.hr 

Karlovac: Nobility Fair in Dubovac
This year, 11-30 May, the Nobility Fair in Dubovac, Karlovac’s old town, will be organized by the Brotherhood of St. Michael, the City of Karlovac and Karlovac Tourist Board. This attractive tourist & educational event taking the residents of Karlovac and their guests back to history revives the legends from the 15th and 16th century when Frankopan and Zrinski dukes ruled in old Dubovac. Everyone will find something for themselves at the fair – old crafts, archery, hawk trainers, singers, nobility, medieval ladies, craftsmen and traders … Un unforgettable experience will also be provided by the jugglers, court jesters and historical entertainers, and you will also be able to find out recipes for medieval dishes and attend a true medieval feast. If you are skillful, try making an original stained-glass window, a shield or jewelry according to the medieval fashion. There will also be knight fights, and the knights of Zelengrad will stage a nocturnal attack on the fort. The historical troupe Ragvsevm of Dubrovnik will present fencing, dancing and playing music as it was in the Republic of Dubrovnik in the 15th and 16th century.
The most frequented weekends will be those offering animation programs for families with children, including presentation of old medieval crafts such as honey makers, carpenters, potters, herb collectors, as well as presentations of wine and lavender production, yeast-free bread made of seven cereals and many other interesting features. The English acting troupe Madhouse will put on a play called “The Collected Works of W. Shakespeare – Short Version “, which will be an opportunity to laugh for a little under two hours. Three actors will play all characters conceived by the famous English author. Thanks to the foregoing, Dubovac will be a place providing different aspects of the tourist offer: information, education and interaction.

Karlovac County Tourist Board
www.tzkz.hr 


Winnetou Days: The legend lives on
10-17 May, Starigrad Municipal Tourist Board will organize Winnetou Days to revive the story from the legendary series about the Indian chief. During those days, numerous fans of the cult series from the 1960s based on Karl May’s novels will once again be able to visit the authentic locations where the Winnetou films were made in immediate vicinity of Paklenica Riviera. They will be able to view his riding routes from the most beautiful plains within Paklenica, Krka and Plitvice Lakes national parks and Velebit Nature Park, or visit Tulove grede – the place where he died. The Pueblo Plateau next to Zrmanja River will be the venue for a true Winnetou festival, while the visitors will be able to feel the true spirit of Winnetou in Hotel Alan in Starigrad, which hosted the film crew during the making of the last film - «Winnetou and Old Shatterhand in the Valley of Death». The hotel has been fully reconstructed and offers a high quality of service. In addition to an exhibition of props, you can buy Jadran Film’s book of scripts and relevant literature with interesting stories from the filming about the legendary Indian chief.
Last year, Starigrad – Paklenica was the venue for the first Winnetou Convention, organized by Jadran Film with support of the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism. Jadran Film was a co-producer of the Winnetou series. Although made over forty years ago, this cult series still has numerous fans across Europe. Numerous fans from Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, The Netherlands and many other countries came to the first Winnetou Convention and announced their arrival at Winnetou Days in May this year.
Pierre Brice, the legendary Winnetou, stayed in Paklenica Riviera last year. Movieman of Munich is making a documentary about him that will premiere in December of this year on TV Arte, and then on NDR and France 3.

Paklenica Riviera Tourist Board
www.rivijera-paklenica.hr 


OFFERINGS

Croatian tourism: The year of the camping offer
This year, Croatian tourism is marked by camping because Croatia is a camping destination. Consequently, various promotional and marketing activities are undertaken in this part of the tourist offer, making a substantial segment of Croatian tourism. According to the information provided by the Croatian Camping Association 235 camps receiving up to 214,482 people are available to guests. In addition, there are 279 private camps accommodating 10,033 people. Last year, the camps had over 13 million overnights. Most of them are arranged across three counties – Istrian County, Primorje-Gorski Kotar County and Zadar County. Those in Split-Dalmatia County and Dubrovnik-Neretva County are somewhat fewer in number, while Karlovac County and the City of Zagreb have the smallest number of camps. As the camps are mostly concentrated in the said three counties, they have the largest number of overnights. Interestingly enough, Karlovac County has the highest share of camps in the total number of overnights at county-level, although their capacities are not large. As for arrivals, most guests come from Germany, Slovenia, The Netherlands, Italy and Austria, and if we analyze overnights by county, we should add tourists from France, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and, of course, Croatia.
To enable better promotion of the Croatian camping offer on the European market with faster development of quality tourist products, the national camping association started with the implementation of the Camp Quality project. The project brings together the leading camps that will be promoted under “The Best Croatian Camps” label, and will also be distinctive for the symbol at the entrance to each camp. Very clear criteria have been set for inclusion in the circle of the best camps. After its evaluation, the Croatian Camping Association published a new “The Best Croatian Camps” brochure. The brochure includes 39 camps, and it is published in German, English and Italian, and has already been promoted at tourist fairs abroad. Therefore, the prospective customers can obtain information on where the leading camps are in Croatia very quickly, and then simply choose which camp to spend their holiday in.

Croatian Camping Association Croatian National Tourist Board
www.camping.hr  www.croatia.hr



US IN THE WORLD

USA: Croatia among the most attractive destinations
The fact that Croatia’s tourist offer and natural beauties are still in on the US market is confirmed by two reports recently published in leading professional travel magazines. The first report was published in the Jax Fax Travel Marketing monthly read by around 135 thousand American travel agents, and the second one in the Virtuoso Life magazine, also intended for American tour operators. This magazine is considered to be the best travel magazine in America.
The United States Tour Operators Association joined in the commendations, proclaiming Croatia a “hot destination on the rise “. In addition, the Travel & Leisure magazine ranked the Dalmatian islands number two in the category of the most attractive European islands. They came in 7th in the global competition. In its traditional “53 Places to Go in 2008” list, the esteemed New York Times pronounced the sunniest Central Dalmatian island of Hvar the 11th most interesting destination in the world. Obviously not without reason because J. Hann, a Viennese climatologist from the last century, pronounced Hvar an island of sun, lavender, rosemary, heather and crickets, and referred to it as the “Adriatic Madeira”.

Croatian National Tourist Board
www.croatia.hr