Spain will replace the United States as the second most popular tourist destination in the world this year, while France retains first place, according to UN World Tourism Organization's (UNWTO) data.
The organization's report shows that the total number of international tourist arrivals rose last year by 7 percent to 1.3 billion. This strong momentum is expected to continue in 2018, with a growth rate of 4 to 5 percent.
Europe is “in” for 2018 with all the Mediterranean destinations, including Croatia, looking forward to a successful year. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that the country recorded a record of more than 82 million visitors in 2017, an increase of 8 percent compared to previous year. In the preliminary analysis of tourist data for 2017, UNWTO said: "Guided by Mediterranean destinations, Europe is remarkably impressive for such a large and quite mature region." Last year, Europe saw an increase of 8 percent in international arrivals.
The Croatian National Tourist Boars have announced that this year there will be a 25 percent increase in international flights to the country and as well as strong connections expected in the post season.