Croatia Keeps Cruise Holidays Investment High

The Croatian National Tourist Board has revealed plans to invest and expand the port and marina capacity of the popular destination for cheap holidays in order to maximise the opportunities for visitors to take cruises and sailing trips in the Adriatic Sea.

The tourist board’s director, Nico Bulic, said that the aim of the project is to double the capacity of the marinas in the next eight years, meaning that twice the current number of vessels will be able to dock.

New facilities are already being planned and built, along with enhanced infrastructure designed to accommodate everything from sailing boats to yachts and full-blown ships. Mr Bulic said that “all ports will be converted, partly for locals and partly for foreigners. The strategy is there.”

One of the premier summer destinations for cheap holidays in Croatia is the Adriatic coastal port city of Dubrovnik, and the tourist board director said that plans are afoot to improve capacity here for larger ships, thus drawing more holidaymakers to the city, which offers a wealth of historical and cultural experiences.

Dubrovnik hopes to be able to rival the likes of fellow Croatian cities Split and Zadar – which can already berth larger ships. Its Old Town became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979 and decades before that, writer George Bernard Shaw fell in love with the city, saying: “Those who seek paradise on Earth should come to Dubrovnik and see Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Adriatic.”

Visitors flock to the beautiful Old Town to see the well-preserved city walls, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque churches, monasteries, palaces and fountains. In the summer months, tourists can enjoy the arts and culture at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival, with its many theatrical, musical and dance extravaganzas, including a performance of Shakespeare’s Hamlet on Lovrijenac Tower.