In the last 10 years Croatia has rebuilt its infrastructure on very healthy foundations and nurtured an image to suit the slogan of the destination “Croatia – the Mediterranean as it once was”: quality before quantity, an ecologically clean environment, preservation of the balance between the local slow rhythm of life with the number of tourists, non-commercialisation and not too many built up coastlines and islands, lovely old cities and localities, history, culture, all blended together in perfect harmony.

It is precisely this unique combination of culture, history, gastronomy, accessibility and affordable prices which has caused the rise of Croatia to the top of the list of most desirable tourist countries. Namely, Lonely Planet, the renowned tourist guide, proclaimed Croatia as the most desirable destination in the world for 2005 and one of the surveyed journalists explained his choice of Croatia in these words: “Croatia attracts a wide spectrum of tourists with its rich diversity of attractions, but at the same time is not too crowded with tourists. It has developed an excellent tourist infrastructure which suits both adventurers and those guests looking for a specific level of comfort. This is definitely Croatia’s year”.

Last year, Croatian tourism achieved record numbers and in 2006 it is expected that this trend will continue. The cornerstone for this optimism lies in the signals and even actual reservations received by foreign markets on which Croatia has again this year been proclaimed a hit-destination. In this context, it is a compelling fact is that the well known American magazine National Geographic Adventure declared Croatia as the most desirable world destination for the upcoming year. It is the result of a questionnaire which this magazine carried out for the first time among its journalists and staff, who had to choose from all destinations in the world the one destination which should be visited in the upcoming year.
Of course this in no way means that the tourist industry can relax, on the contrary, it is an additional motive to increase efforts in marketing activities and tasks relating to the raising of the quality of tourist services.

It is expected that in this year actual turnover will increase as compared to last year by 2 percent while revenues of tourist excursions will increase by 5 percent. The objectives of Croatian tourism in 2006 are to maintain its status as a peaceful, attractive and safe tourist destination as it has been declared in earlier years. It is hoped that the encouragement of “green field” investments will create new and quality accommodation and additional offers, and will also encourage renovation and development of existing facilities. As 2006 will be characterised by amendments to and advancement of legislation, tourists may also expect changes for the better in the services offered in tourist localities and facilities which will, without a doubt, contribute to the quality of their stay.

Along with the increase in accommodation units, it is the raising of standards in accommodation facilities and overall quality on offer that are characterising the tourist year which has just begun. An incentive for this are also state loans which specifically stimulate construction of scarce facilities but at the same time also authentic facilities whose reconstruction and adaptation for tourist purposes is being promoted as part of the programme “Pod stoljetnim krovovima” (Under centuries old roofs). As a result of this, but also due to independent initiatives of entrepreneurs as well as regional tourist entities, a very attractive offer of autochthonous facilities on the coast but also in the interior have emerged which thanks to the preserved environment, peace and appropriate tourist offer have become a real hit among nature lovers yearning for nature and peace and quiet. Even in 2005, according to numbers, the greatest number of tourists came from Germany, followed by tourists from Italy, Slovenia, Austria, Czech Republic and France. Aside from these traditional markets, the tourist industry is very satisfied with the increase in the number of tourists arrive from “new” markets which were earlier significantly less represented like the markets of France (55 percent increase in the number of overnight stays as compared to 2004), Great Britain (33 percent increase), Denmark (45 percent), Sweden (49 percent), Japan (16 percent and USA (13 percent).

Croatia’s real treasure lies in the diversity offered by the country itself and it is most obvious insofar as we look through the tourist region and its rich offer. It is precisely for this reason we are representing each region separately, in its richness and diversity – Zagreb and central Croatia, Slavonia, Istra, Kvarner and Dalmatia. Welcome…