Visits of tourist cruise ships to both sea and river ports in Croatia are expected to increase this year compared to 2017, said the Ministry for Maritime Affairs on Monday.

The majority of dockings is expected in the Adriatic ports of Dubrovnik and Split, which continue to be the most popular destinations. A total of 963 ships have announced their arrival this year, up from 911 in 2017.

“Dubrovnik Port Authority expects to repeat last year’s business results, with a reduced number of dockings and a slight increase in the number of passengers on cruises,” the Ministry said.

They added that the Dubrovnik port opened this year’s cruise season on Sunday, March 18, with the arrival of the Viking Star cruise ship, carrying 929 passengers on board.

In all the other sea ports combined, a 20 percent increase is expected in both dockings and passengers. Split will be the second most visited Croatian port with 275 dockings announced.

River ports will also receive more tourist ships than last year. The eastern Croatian town of Vukovar will be visited by more than 300 ships this year, or almost 50 percent up from last year, while the city of Osijek expects to host 70, or 15 more than in 2017, the Ministry said.

River cruise ships visiting river ports of Vukovar and Osijek usually come from the Danube cities of Vienna, Bratislava, or Budapest, before proceeding towards the Black Sea.