Croatia is the number one tourist destination in the world for Austrians, according to the Austrian National Automobile, Motorcycle, and Touring Club, the Croatian Tourist Board (HTZ) reported on Thursday.

Italy ranks second, and Spain third in the survey taken in spring 2018, which included more than 800 respondents.
Some 18 percent Austrians prefer to holiday in their own country.

So far in 2018, a total of 440,000 Austrians have visited Croatia, generating 1.8 million overnight stays, which is some 6 percent more than in the same period last year, HTZ director Kristjan Stanicic said.

The most popular destinations in Croatia for Austrians are the Istria peninsula and the northern Adriatic island of Losinj.

There are 31 regular and charter flight services connecting Croatian cities of Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Rijeka, and Zadar with Vienna.

“At the beginning of the height of the tourist year this is great news for Croatian tourism,” Stanicic said.

Austrian tourists generate around 8 percent of Croatia’s annual tourist traffic, coming in third after tourists from Germany and Slovenia.

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