It has been reported in the Croatian Times this week that the country has seen a rise of 8% in tourism for the first 7 months of this year when compared with 2010 with 33 million overnight stays reported during this time.

Some of the countries most popular destinations have seen the largest numbers with Split up 7.8%, Dubrovnik up 5.7%, Lika-Senj up 6.3%, Kvarner up 2.5% and Istria up 3.4%.

Dubrovnik in Croatia

The countrys’ capital, Zagreb, has also seen an increase in numbers as well as many other adriatic destinations and according to the Tourist Minister (Damir Bjas) this number is expected to continue to increase during August when many Italians are expected to visit during their holiday period.

Most of the UK’s major airports offer direct flights to various regions of Croatia today and being home to 7 national parks, a roman amphitheatre and some of the worlds most stunning coastline it is no wonder people are flocking there in their droves!

The country saw a peak in visitor number back in 2008 of around 11 million, but this number dropped at the time of the economic downturn with both 2009 and 2010 tourist numbers only just passing 10 million.

Of course the tourism industry worldwide has been expecting a dip in numbers, but this increase in Europe is being seen in other countries as well and is a promising prospect for many travellers and business owners.