According to reports on bookings for the Christmas and New Year season in Croatia, tourist arrivals and overnight stays are likely to increase by 10 percent compared to the same period in 2017, the Croatian tourist board (HTZ) said in a press release on Wednesday.

During the winter tourism season from December 22, 2017 to January 2, 2018, a total of 154,000 tourist arrivals and 419,000 overnight stays were recorded.

This year, the HTZ expects the figures to rise to 170,000 arrivals and 460,000 overnight stays.

Aside from the Advent in Zagreb, which was voted the best Christmas market in Europe three years in a row (2015-2017), many other destinations throughout Croatia have prepared diverse programmes and I am sure that we will wrap up this year in the best possible way, Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said.

HTZ director Kristjan Stanicic said that all the indicators and statistics showed that Croatia was successful in promoting its tourist programmes outside the summer season.

The most sought-after destinations for the Christmas and New Year holidays are the capital city of Zagreb, followed by the coastal areas of Istria and Kvarner, the cities of Split and Zadar, and the eastern city of Osijek, HTZ said.

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