According to the choice of the specialised portal for cruising ‘Cruise Critic’, Dubrovnik has been declared the best cruising destination in the Eastern Mediterranean category for the second year in a row. The significance of the ‘Cruisers’ Choice Destination Awards’ award is even greater if we take into account that the choice was made by the users of this popular web portal themselves and cruising fans who with their numerous positive comments describe Dubrovnik as a desired cruising destination of an extremely rich cultural-historical heritage. After Dubrovnik, in the mentioned category, came Kotor, Venice, Santorini and Rhodes.
“Looking at the realised overnight stays over the whole year, Dubrovnik is the most popular Croatian tourist destination which last year alone saw more than 4 million tourist overnight stays, and it has also been the most sought-after destination to the present part of the year with more than 2 million overnight stays registered. This acknowledgement confirms the exceptional international popularity of Dubrovnik which to a great extent contributes to the overall recognisability of Croatia as a tourist destination in international contexts”, said Kristjan Staničić, the director of the Croatian National Tourist Board, adding his sincere congratulations to all the tourist employees in Dubrovnik who with their work have contributed to the reputation which today Dubrovnik enjoys in global contexts.
The specialised web portal for cruise travel, “Cruise Critic, represents a key place for the exchange of information and knowledge about cruise travel. It is the most famous world cruise portal, established in 1995 by The Independent Traveler, a branch of TripAdvisor.
The portal is dedicated to all the lovers of this type of tourism, contains more than 350,000 cruise reviews and is hosting the world’s largest online cruise community where travellers exchange information and share their experiences and opinions about cruise travel.
“After Dubrovnik was declared the best congress destination, the title for the best cruise destination in the Eastern Mediterranean is another confirmation of the diversity of quality offer that Dubrovnik and Croatia have. I believe that this award will additionally open the doors of Dubrovnik, and of all our country, to visitors from all over the world who will return in their own private arrangement and stay in the city even longer. This is at the same time an award to all Dubrovnik tourist operators who position Dubrovnik from year to year as an unavoidable destination, and I congratulate them sincerely”, stated the Minister of Tourism, Mr. Gari Cappelli.
Dubrovnik has become one of the most desirable cruise destinations in Europe, offering a very diverse tourist offer, recognised also by UNESCO, beautiful and untouched landscapes, and a high-quality wine and culinary offer. Dubrovnik’s status of a desirable cruise destination is additionally confirmed by the fact that it is hosting the Festival of Tourism and Strategy for the fourth time in a row, which will be held in November, and which main topic will be cruise tourism, that is the challenges and opportunities that famous cruise destinations are facing.
“Dubrovnik as a globally recognised Croatian tourist brand from year to year manages to be the best in several segments within a large number of regional competitors, from the cruise sector to sailing, congress and incentive offers. Special attention is directed towards the joint participation of numerous operators in the tourist offer, as well as respective municipal and other services, therefore this recognition for Dubrovnik as the best cruise destination is a recognition for all those who are responsible and diligent in making the overall picture of the city”, stated the Director of the Tourist Board of the City of Dubrovnik, Romana Vlašić, and added that due to the unique experience in this city which inspires them, many visitors from cruise ships are willing to visit Dubrovnik again.
In addition, from the beginning of this year Croatia reached 9.8 million arrivals and 47 million overnight stays, which in comparison to the same period of last year represents an increase of 6 per cent in arrivals and overnight stays, while Dubrovnik reached more than 650 thousand arrivals (+7%) and 2.2 million overnight stays (+5%).