Croatian tourism is boosted by Skyscanner figures of flight bookings for the 2011 season, being listed in the top 10 destinations for UK tourists.
With the 2011 summer season almost underway, Croatia was confirmed as one of the top ten tourist destinations for British tourists, according to information released by internet booking engine, Skyscanner, in a report published in Jutarnji Liston May 8 2011.
Increase in British Tourists to Croatia
The survey, based on airline ticket sales, placed Croatia tenth on the list, behind the top five destinations - Spain, Italy, Turkey, France an Greece. According to the report, 214,217 visited Croatia in 2010, a 5% increase on the previous year. While another increase is expected for the coming season, the numbers of UK visitors are still much low than levels before the war in Yugoslavia, when the Yugoslav coast (aka present-day Croatia) was the second most popular destination for British tourists after Spain.
After the devastating war of independence, Croatia has slowly built up a reputation as an affordable tourist destination, offering a combination of stunning coastline, warm hospitality and pristine sea. Marketing itself officially as The Mediterranean as it Once Was, the long Adriatic coastline and 1185 islands have proved an attractive destination for tourists looking for something different.
While Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic, remains the most popular destination, other Croatian resorts are attracting the interest of British tourist, including the island of Hvar, voted one of the ten most beautiful islands in the world by readers of Conde Nast, with a growing reputation as a party island; exclusive on the one hand but still affordable enough to make the Sunday Times list of the Top 100 Affordable Destinations in the Mediterranean.
Flights to Croatia for 2011
The increased interest in Croatia has been helped by the expansion of flight routes from UK airports. Budget airline flights to Croatia is a relatively new phenomenon, but the 2011 season sees an impressive range of flights to Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Pula and Rijeka from various British airports.
Increased Interest in Regional Tourism to the Balkans
The Skyscanner list included some surprising information regarding the popularity of travel to Croatia's neighbours, with Kosovo featuring on the list for the first time (in 67th place). Serbia was up 11 places, while both Macedonia and Bosnia and Hercegovina made the list. The most surprising statistic on the list is perhaps Kosovo, which can be partially explained by the introduction of direct flights to Pristina, as well as visits to British soldiers serving in Kosovo.
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