British tourists to Croatia on the rise

Croatia is extremely popular tourist destination, especially when it comes to British tourists. Here is what British Telegraph says:
"The country received a total of 241,443 Britons between January and August, a 23 per cent rise compared to the same period in 2011. The figure falls short of its record yearly total of 500,000 British visitors in 1990.
The Croatian tourism minister, Veljko Ostojic, predicted last week the country was set for a record-breaking year, based on the figures for the first eight months of 2012.

Croatia had a total of 9.82 million visitors for the year until the end August, a 4.22 per cent increase from 2011 during the same months. Holidaymakers stayed mostly on the Adriatic coast and the nation’s islands.
The tour operator Prestige Holidays also saw a 200 per cent increase in bookings to Croatia this year, with Dubrovnik being the most popular destination.
The country will also soon have new air routes: Jet2 flights to Pula in Istria from Leeds-Bradford will begin in May next year, while BA flights to Zagreb from London Heathrow re-start in December."

Text from telegraph.co.uk.

New Tourist Attraction - Croatian Lighthouses

Although Croatian lighthouses are the most important facilities of safety at sea, they have become a sort of tourist attraction. Of 45 lighthouses built on the cliffs and headlands of our coast, Plovput edited 12 of them that were built in the period of 1818 to 1899, and turned them into unique places to stay.

Accommodation in one of 21 apartments whose capacities range from four to 14 beds is offered to those who are interested in rentals of the lighthouse. All of lighthouses can only be booked during the season, or from May 1st to October 31st, while Struga, Savudrija, Veli Rat and Sveti Peter near Makarska offer accommodation in winter, too.
Top tourist results, last year, had lighthouse Prisnjak which is located on the southeast side of the island in the eastern part of the Murter Sea. It is followed by the oldest Croatian lighthouse Savudrija in Istria, which had occupancy of 92 percent. Sveti Ivan at sea has achieved occupancy of 72 percent, and Veli Rat, on the northwest tip of the island, of 68 percent. Lighthouse Lanterna on this beautiful island was turned into a five-star hotel. It features a sauna, jacuzzi and luxury apartments for eight people, and the price of the weekly rent is 2500 Euros.

British journalist impressed by Croatia

If you still have doubts where to go on vacation, the next article may convince you to visit Croatia. Read what the Daily Mail’s reporter, Caroline Hendrie, wrote about Croatia.

"The exquisite voices of the soprano and counter-tenor accompanied only by a harpsichord filled the cool Baroque church. The pews were packed, captivated by the emotion of Pergolesi's Stabat Mater.

I was one of those who'd been led to St Euphemia's at the top of the tiny old town of Rovinj through narrow, crooked streets at the end of a walking tour by a local guide. Others had taken a ten-minute stroll from our ship. The hot, steep walk was rewarded with this special pre-lunch recital on the last day of our cruise aboard French ship L'Austral, sailing the Adriatic Sea.

An added air of sophistication to our chic ship was the presence of a small opera company, performing works by composers such as Pergolesi and Massenet as well as popular pieces by Mozart, Rossini and Puccini. Likewise, our itinerary mixed the well-known ports of Dubrovnik and Venice with off-the-beaten-track Parga in Greece and Split and Rovinj in Croatia.

L'Austral, launched just last year, is one of five ships in the French line Compagnie du Ponant, with a Gallic super-yacht atmosphere. L'Austral is incredibly smart. The eye-catching matt grey hull with an orange stripe is topped in white with lots of teak decking. Inside, almost all the 132 cabins have a balcony. I loved the sea view from the bathroom thanks to a glass wall (though you can draw a screen across it, and don't worry, the loo is in a separate cubicle).

There are just two restaurants, the main one and the casual indoor-outdoor self-service one, both with no set seating, and house red, white and rose wines generously topped up during lunch and dinner.

Although the charming captain, Remi Genevaz and his officers were French, the stewards and restaurant staff were all English-speaking Indonesians and Filipinos, making life very easy for the small minority of non-French speakers on board. All the announcements were in both languages and we Anglophones also benefited from our own guides and smaller groups on excursions.

Instead of a walking tour of Dubrovnik, I opted for an afternoon on Lokrum, a green and tranquil island just a few minutes by boat from the small harbour, where, legend has it, Richard the Lionheart ran aground returning from the third Crusade.

Returning to Dubrovnik, we paid our Ł8 and walked the 2km around the city walls in the cool of the early evening then joined the locals strolling in the square below, before an aperitif in an open-air cafe. We had spent the early morning cruising the long and winding bay of Kotor in Montenegro, Europe's southernmost fjord, with churches, mosques and forts dotted on the mountainsides, to see the little walled city of Kotor, at its head.

As we left the bay, I was tempted to try a Zumba class, but headed to the spa instead. Using purely organic products, Karen from Chartres gave me a soothing facial. At Ł52, I thought it was excellent value compared to many other cruise lines. I'd never been to Split before, so a guided walking tour of the old town, built around the 4th Century palace of Roman Emperor Diocletian, turned out to be a worthwhile investment, or I would surely have missed some gems in its labyrinthine alleys. Back on board in time for a glass of rose and a barbeque lunch on deck, we had a leisurely afternoon at sea. Yes, cruising a la Francaise suits me very well."


Text from: dailymail.co.uk