October 6, 2021 - After being snubbed by The Guardian as one of the 10 of the best half-term holidays in Europe, Croatia's loyal American tourists came through once again, as the country found its place on Condé Nast Traveler's 2021 Top 20 Countries in the World.

Croatia is recognized as one of the world's top destinations, taking an excellent 9th place on the list of 20 best destinations chosen by readers of the popular American travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler.  The list is part of the prestigious Condé Nast Traveler's 2021 Readers' Choice Award, reports HRTurizam.

The list is led by Portugal, New Zealand, Japan, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Italy, Iceland, and Greece, followed by Croatia and Turkey, Norway, Maldives, Kenya, Ireland, Israel, Australia, Switzerland, Indonesia, Botswana, and the Philippines.

"We are extremely pleased to hear that the readers of Condé Nast Traveler have recognized Croatia as one of the most popular countries in the world. This is a confirmation of the exceptional reputation of our country among American travel enthusiasts who perceive Croatia as a quality, attractive and safe destination," said Ina Rodin, director of the Croatian National Tourist Board Representation in the US, adding that this recognition is a great motivation to further position Croatia as one of the most popular destinations for Americans.

Let’s add that the Readers ’Choice Awards represent the longest-running and most prestigious recognition of excellence in the travel industry and are awarded based on the votes of more than 800,000 Condé Nast Traveler readers who submitted responses and ratings based on experience gained while traveling around the world.

So far this year, U.S. travelers have recorded a growth of 454 percent in arrivals and 304 percent in overnight stays over the same period last year.

It was recently officially announced that visas would no longer be needed for Croatians to travel to the USA, which was welcomed with open arms. However, the United States CDC announced on October 4 that they do not recommend traveling to Croatia. If this will slow down the arrival of American tourists, it is challenging to say, but if we take the European ECDC, for example, it will have little or no effect.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.