New Website
Team Croatia Times Travel announce the launch of their new website. Designed to be both attractive and user friendly to agents and customers alike, the site features latest offers and special promotions and many items of interest. Visitors to the site are invited to make themselves familiar with the website and its content, which offers valuable information with comprehensive coverage of the Adriatic and Continental regions of Croatia and Slovenia, as well as many more European destinations promoted by Croatia Times Travel.
Popular highlights include Designer Self-Drive Tours and Island Hopping Holidays, as well as the more traditional touring packages with English Speaking Tour Escort and local guides at the many stopover points. Travellers have ample opportunity to see and experience more, gaining greater value for money spent. There is much more to choose from, with tours varying in duration and content to give the traveller more options.
Not to forget, the best but least kept secret of Croatia is its beautiful Adriatic Sea – home to over 1,100 islands and this is why sailing and cruising on the Mediterranean continues to be amongst the first choice in Europe to many holidaymakers. We welcome the increase in numbers of booking this year and recommends cruising either on a private vessel (bareboat or skippered), or enjoying a cruise with other guests as an excellent opportunity to experience the magic of the Adriatic Sea up close and personal.
Croatia Times Travel are proud in being a loyal partner to the New Zealand Travel Industry; offering support to those who want that special holiday with a difference – the Mediterranean as it once was. If you’re not convinced yet, come and see what all the fuss is about!
Hvar among the top ten regions
In a special edition of the most famous world travel guide Lonely Planet with an overview of the best world destinations and trends that should be visited in 2012, the island of Hvar came in 5th among the top 10 towns and regions, instead of Istria which came in second last year.
One of the most popular Croatian islands and the town that bears the same name are described as a top summer destination intended, before all, for those who are in search of some super fun during the season. Hvar is the «coolest place in Croatia», where during the summer one can enjoy crazy fun 24 hours a day. Apres beach parties, tanned bodies, great DJ`s, the sun and the beautiful sea is Hvar for those in search of entertainment.
Lonely planet is the most popular printed travel guide in the world, which has been published since 1973. In the beginning it recommended the cheapest forms of travel and today it recommends destinations, restaurants, hotels, hostels, large places as well as small villages, form the cheapest to the most expensive. Along with the guides, Lonely Planet has in the past seven years been publishing a special guide, on the last day of October, with the best world destinations, trends and entertainment that should not be missed in the following year. The Lonely Planet Best Destinations & Experiences guide has become somewhat of a reference and inspiration for those planning to travel somewhere.
Croatia Coast and Islands
The Croatian coastline together with its islands ranks among the most intricately indented coastlines in the world. Of 1244 islands, islets, cliffs and reefs that have remained following the dramatic rise in the level of the Adriatic Sea around 13000 years B.C., today only 50 are inhabited.
This wealth of islands and islets attracts adventurous travellers from all over the world. Kayakers and yachtsmen never fail to be delighted by the smaller isles and their romantic atmosphere, and by the relaxed way of life amid such tranquillity and beauty.
Many island towns please the senses with their beautiful architecture and atmosphere, by their monuments dating from Antiquity, works of art in stone, wood, on canvas and on ancient parchments.
Superb quality stone and highly skilled stonemasonry is a tradition on a number of the islands. Stone from the Island of Brač has been incorporated into towns, summer residences and many splendid works throughout Croatia, Italy and indeed the world.
The Adriatic lighthouses – those signposts of stone and guardians of the sea – are mostly automated, only about 15 of them still being manned.
Some have been fitted out as residences and can be rented for a Robinson-like adventure on a deserted island.
The islands are best seen by undertaking a hiking or cycling tour, which should certainly include at least some of the largest islands: Lošinj and Cres, Krk, Rab, Brač, Hvar, Vis, Korčula, Mljet.
Cities and towns along the coast have grown from nuclei dating back to the times of Antiquity, or have been built anew on those ground-plans. Many urban entities still stand well preserved and are easily identified by their churches and bell-towers, their palaces, plazas and fortifications. They will offer you many reasons for a visit to museums, to collections of Croatia’s natural wealth and works of art, monuments of secular and sacral architecture from times both distant and recent.
The largest urban centres along the coast – Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Šibenik, Split and Dubrovnik – are all located in the vicinity of airfields. They also have ports that ensure their mutual links, as well as linking them to the islands; they also operate regular bus lines, and some also have railway links to the interior of the country.
Dubrovnik among 45 places to go in 2012
The New York Times has recommended the southern Croatian Adriatic walled city of Dubrovnik among the 45 places to visit in 2012, describing it as “the St. Tropez of the Balkans, equal parts classic and modern.”
The recommendation was made in an article entitled “The 45 Places to Go in 2012″, published this past weekend. Panama, Helsinki and Myanmar topped the list, while Dubrovnik was listed in 36th place.
“The last five years have been good to Dubrovnik: as it has opened to Western tourists, its number of visitors has climbed steadily — around 10 percent a year — since the global recession hit in 2008. Often called the Jewel of the Adriatic, this seaside city features marble streets, Renaissance fountains and white sand beaches. It has also recently completed an expansion of its airport and a sleek renovation of its cable car system, offering improved city access and views.”
“Meanwhile, local hoteliers compete to capture the growing stream of high-end tourists, with the 17th-century Pucic Palace, the upscale Excelsior Hotel & Spa and the gorgeous cliff top Villa Dubrovnik all seeing extensive renovations in the last few years. Newer culinary draws include the French-fusion spot Gil’s, the two-year-old Panorama and Lucin Kantun, a Croatian tapas restaurant that opened last year in the Old Town,” the article said. (Hina)
U.S. Travel agents choose Croatia
Croatia has been picked as the top up-and-coming European destination in 2012, according to a survey covering 640 travel agents in the United States, the Croatian National Tourist Board.
The findings of the survey, conducted by “Travel Leaders”, the largest travel agency franchisor in North America with over 1,250 franchised locations, show that Croatia is the top up-and-coming destination in Europe for over a third of the agents, Reuters reported recently in its “Business Traveler” section.
“Asked to pick the top up-and-coming international destinations, over a third of the agents chose Croatia for Europe, and one-half said Vietnam led in Asia. Panama edged out Ecuador and Brazil among destinations within Central/South America,” Reuters reported.
“Shaky economy notwithstanding, Americans intend to travel farther and spend more in 2012, according to a nationwide poll,” the agency said. The HTZ has said that several American magazines have listed Croatia among top recommendations for this year. For instance, Lonely Planet declared Croatia the top destination in 2012, with the island of Hvar being added to its “Best in Travel 2012″ list.
Conde Nast Traveler too has put Hvar among the top 10 European islands, while National Geographic has added Istria to the best journeys in 2012. (Hina)
