Krk Declared Croatian Champion of Tourism

The northern Adriatic town of Krk was declared the Croatian champion of tourism at the 10th annual event "Tourist Flower - Quality for Croatia", organized by Croatian Radio Television (HRT) and the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) on the island of Brač on Wednesday.

This year's best hotels, marinas, campsites and tourist destinations were declared at the event.

Tourism Minister Božidar Kalmeta presented the Krk Mayor Dario Vasilić with an award declaring Krk the national champion of tourism. Minister Kalmeta said he was extremely satisfied with this year's tourist season and the fact that nine million tourists had visited Croatia this year.

"All hotels are full, even now at the end of September, which means that we have prolonged the tourist season and that more and more tourists are visiting Croatia. Until recently the season lasted only two months, but those times are gone now," the minister said.

Krk was also declared the best tourist destination in the category of destinations with up to 10,000 beds. The towns of Hvar and Rab were ranked second and third respectively. In the category of up to 5,000 beds, the southern Adriatic resort of Cavtat was ranked first, and Cres and Lovran were ranked second and third respectively.

The best destinations with more than 10,000 beds are Poreč, ranked first, and Dubrovnik and Pula, ranked second and third. The best inland destination is Varaždin, followed by Karlovac and the Plitvice Lakes national park.

The best three-star Adriatic hotel is the Berulija Hotel in Brela. The best five-star hotel is the Dubrovnik Palace in Dubrovnik, owned by Goran Štrok, followed by the Grand Villa in Dubrovnik and the Eden in Rovinj.

The best inland five-star hotel is the Hotel Sheraton in Zagreb, followed by the Hotel Osijek in Osijek and the Hotel Turist in Varaždin. The best family-run hotel is the Korana Hotel in Karlovac, followed by the Hotel Park in Split and the Hotel Laurentum in Tučepi.

The best of 27 competing marinas is the Punat marina in Punat on island Krk, followed by the ACI marinas in Dubrovnik and Umag. The best beach is Dubrovnik's Banja, and the best camp the Park camp in Umag.