Number of Brits visiting Croatia up

British holidaymakers searching for sun, sea and culture are turning to Croatia in increasing numbers, new figures reveal. The EU's newest member welcomed around 400,000 UK visitors in 2013, a 25% increase on the previous year.

Brits are being tempted to Croatia by a mixture of warm summer beaches, breath-taking coastlines, the unspoilt natural attractions of eight national parks and medieval harbour towns. Food and drink lovers will want to explore Istria. The peninsula has close cultural ties to northern Italy and is well known for its ports that date back to the Venetian era. Vineyards producing the rich red Teran wine are scattered throughout its inland hills while the local woodland is home to pungent truffles.

Istria's top seaside destinations include Porec and Rovinj while Fort Punta Christo near Pula hosts open-air electronic music festivals. Dalmatia to the south offers holidaymakers a warm Mediterranean climate and pine-scented islands as well as a plethora of historic buildings in Dubrovnik and Split, which are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The region's coastline is backed by the spectacular mountains of the Dinaric Alps.

The islands off the Dalmatian coast attracting the largest number of tourists include Hvar, Korcula and Pag. Visitors to Hvar should enjoy dining out at its chic seafood restaurants while quieter Korcula's medieval walled old town is free of cars. Zrce beach near Novalje on Pag, meanwhile, hosts a series of open-air music festival every summer.

The Dalmatian coast also has a lot to offer tourists. The Makarska Rivijera is backed by Mount Biokovo, boasting turquoise-coloured waters and fine pebble beaches. Meanwhile, wine lovers may choose to head for the Peljesac peninsula, whose hillside vineyards produce the red Dingac. Croatia's most visited inland attraction, meanwhile, are the lakes and spectacular waterfalls of the Plitvice National Park. As with other destinations travel insurance is a must for holidaymakers travelling to Croatia.

Text: world-first.co.uk

Croatia Airlines to reduce Dubrovnik operations this summer

Croatia Airlines will continue downsizing its operations from Dubrovnik Airport this summer season as it looks to cut costs and maintain profitability. The Croatian national carrier will suspend several seasonal flights and reduce frequencies to other destinations from the city. The airline will no longer operate flights from Dubrovnik to Osijek and will suspend services to Vienna this summer. It comes after Croatia Airlines cancelled most of its operations out of Dubrovnik this winter, maintaining only flights to Zagreb and a two weekly service to Rome. In addition, frequencies on the Rome service itself will also be cut this coming summer. In order to compensate for the reductions, the airline will introduce an additional weekly flight from Dubrovnik to Paris and Zurich compared to last summer, to be operated four and five times per week respectively.

The CEO of Dubrovnik Airport, Roko Tolić, recently said, “We have a great challenge ahead of us as we can no longer rely on our partner. We understand that Croatia Airlines must undergo restructuring but we will not sit with our hands crossed. We will look for partners elsewhere”. However, last week, the Dubrovnik city council said it will purchase up to 50.000 tickets from Croatia Airlines for travel next summer, which it will then sell at reduced prices through travel agents.
In 2013 Dubrovnik Airport saw its busiest year on record. The airline handled 1.522.629 passengers, an increase of 2.9% compared to 2012. However, Croatia Airlines’ network reductions had a severe impact on the airport over the winter months. In November passenger figures tumbled 14% while in December the airport saw a 12% decline in numbers. In 2014, Dubrovnik Airport estimates it will see a 1.7% increase in the number of travellers using its facilities. “We base our estimate primarily on foreign carriers”, the airport says. It adds domestic travel from the airport should stay the same as last year. Dubrovnik Airport was the fifth busiest in the former Yugoslavia in 2013, down from its fourth position last year as it has been overtaken by Split.

Text: balkans.com