Spain’s specialized “Cruises News Media Group” has declared Croatia and Turkey the best cruise destinations in 2009, consequently awarding them the Group’s “Excellence Cruise Awards,” reported the Main Office of the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ).
On behalf of Croatia, the award was accepted last night in Malaga by the director of the HTZ office in Spain, Sanja Jelić, and representatives from the port authorities of Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Šibenik were also present. The awards were given in several categories, including for the best international port, which for 2009 were Venice and Malta, while at the same ceremony last year, Dubrovnik shared the 2008 award with Venice. Among other awards from HTZ, those for the best onboard entertainment, which for 2009 was awarded to "Quail Travel Group," for the best luxury cruise company was selected "Silversea Cruises," while the best ship in the Mediterranean for 2009 was declared the MSC Splendid.
HTZ notes that this award demonstrates not only that Croatia is an important destination for cruises but also that this segment of tourism is growing. This is also evidenced by data from the State Bureau of Statistics, which shows that the number of passengers who visited Croatia by cruise has doubled in the last four years, reaching nearly one million passengers in 2009. According to the latest data from the State Bureau, last year there were 754 cruise trips by foreign ships in the Croatian Adriatic, which is 8.3 percent or 68 trips fewer than the previous year. However, these ships brought 5.3 percent more passengers, totaling 989.2 thousand.
