Popular Tourist Destination
Croatia is a
Popular Holiday and Travel Destination
in the Mediterranean
Croatia is a small Mediterranean country, stretching
alongside Adriatic Sea. With one of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, Croatia has long been a popular
holiday destination for Europeans. Many wars and battles were fought throughout centuries over this Mediterranean
paradise. The longest part of Croatia coastline is Dalmatia, while Istria
occupies the northern part of Croatian coastline.
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The resort town of Cavtat is located around 20
kms from the city of Dubrovnik and close to border with Montenegro, home to 5
hotels. (Image by
Pixabay.com) |
But despite that, Croatia has remained relatively unknown
outside Europe. As recently as early to mid 90s, the name Croatia was associated with the bloody war
in former
Yugoslavia, as far as the wider world audience
was concerned.
Mediterranean travel destination
But for the Europeans, many of whom spent numerous summer
holidays in Croatia, the name ‘Hrvatska’ (as it is named in
Croatian language) was well known. Even while it was part of the former Yugoslavia, Croatia was one of the most
popular tourist destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean.
On the Mediterranean sea map below, you can see countries
that border the Mediterranean, which includes Croatia nesting alongside Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic
Sea is "sandwiched" between Croatia and
Italy.
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Map of the Mediterranean
Sea, with Croatia, the surrounding countries, and
Adriatic Sea nested between Croatia and Italy. This is an
older map, still showing "Yugoslavia", combining Serbia and Montenegro, both of which are now
independent countries - click on image to enlarge - opens in new
window.
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Hot travel destination
After gaining its independence and becoming a republic in
1991, Croatia has since steadily built its reputation as one of the most desirable travel destinations in the
world! While the tourism was naturally affected during the early 90s war, since the country was mostly liberated in
1995, the number of annual visitors has been steadily growing and getting close to the pre-war levels. It is
expected that during 2006 and beyond Croatia will continue to be one of the hottest travel destinations in the
world.
Croatia was the No. 1 destination for 2005, according to an
annual poll taken by the Lonely Planet guidebooks. The popular guidebooks company has also put out its first travel
guide to Croatia in 2005.
Medical tourism in Croatia
Croatia has also joined the list of countries offering
medical tourism. This is in particular a favourite destination for those looking for dental services, as Croatia
has highly trained dental surgeons, technicians and orthodontists. Many of these dental specialists acquired their
skills abroad, in EU or North America. Now they provide first-class dental services at developing-country
prices.
A growing number of foreigners come to Croatia, not only for
dental surgery, but also other medical services, such as cosmetic surgery. Some of the local medical tourism
professionals advertise their services in European newspapers. Their foreign clients usually come from Italy,
Germany, Norway, Sweden and Great Britain.
It's an excellent way to make the most of your holiday - get
your teeth done and improve your tan on one of the local beaches. Or combine your cheap medical treatment with a
great holiday in Croatia, exploring the country's beauty and old architecture.
Croatia - the popular destination
Croatia's coastline of a thousand islands has been a popular
destination for German, Austrian, Italian, Hungarian and other visitors, many of whom holiday in Istra peninsula in
the north part of the Croatian coast, as well as Dalmatia region in Split, Makarska, Trogir, etc. However the
walled city
of Dubrovnik is a popular
destination for British visitors in particular, who are visiting that area in the increasing numbers, owing also to
regular flights from London to
Dubrovnik.
Back in August 2005, when the popular Tara Reid visited
Croatia as part of her European Summer Vacation tour, it became a known destination for American visitors, too. She
partied in Split and Dubrovnik, filming segments for her E! Entertainment show "Taradise". She's just one of
many celebrities that visit
Croatia every year.
In early November 2005, NBC Today breakfast show in was done
from Dubrovnik, with its host Matt Lauer and Goran Visnjic, a Croatian actor well known for his role of Dr Luka
Kovac in the ER. The recent news from America shows an increasing interest by Americans in Croatia as one of the
most desirable destinations. The CNN has named Croatia as one of the '2006 hot spots'.
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The city of Dubrovnik is one of the most recognized
holiday and travel destinations
in Croatia, whose popularity continues to grow. (Image by
Freeimages.com) |
Croatia has been also becoming increasingly popular with
French travellers, as well as Scandinavian visitors. During 2005 they have been visiting the country in increasing
numbers. Even greater numbers are expected in 2006.
This is also becoming a popular destination for the Russian
travellers, often known locally as big spenders.
In early 2006, the shipbuilder
yard Heliyachts, in the
coastal city of Pula, has started building a 50-metre mega yacht for a young Russian multi-millioner, Kiril
Minovalov. Mr Minovalov is a 35-year old banker, who owns the Moscow bank Avangard, after which the new yacht will
be named. He already owns another yacht, Moira 25 type, which has been sitting in the Split marina for the past 3
years. The yacht is being used for cruising in Adriatic, where Mr Minovalov tends to
spend most of his summer holidays. The estimated cost of the new yacht is 25 million dollars. The 227th on the list
of Russias richest, Mr Minovalov's current worth is estimated to be 95 million dollars.
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