ZAGREB, 11 June 2021 - As of Sunday the majority of Croatia will no longer be considered as epidemiologically risky for Germany, the Robert Koch Institute announced on Friday, while the German foreign ministry plans to lift a general travel warning as of the start of July.

After it had removed Dubrovnik-Neretva, Istria, Karlovac, Krapina-Zagorje, Požega-Slavonia and Split-Dalmatia counties from its list of risky areas, Germany's epidemiological institute had taken the remaining counties in Croatia off the list of risky areas with the exception of Međimurje and Varaždin counties.

The decision enters into force on Sunday, which means that anyone returning to Germany will not be required to present a negative COVID test or to digitally register their return. Anyone travelling to Germany by air will still need to have a negative test.

The Robert Koch Institute has removed many European countries from the list of risky areas such as Austria, Bosnia and  Herzegovina, Serbia and the USA. Slovenia is still considered to be a risk area.

Germany's foreign minister Heiko Maas also announced lifting a general travel warning for areas with a 7-day incidence rate of less than 200.

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

April 12, 2021 - Croatia has been named the most popular destination for Germans this year, according to the research of the world's largest search engine for renting holiday homes - HomeToGo.

Namely, Croatia took first place on the German market in the list of top 100 most popular tourist destinations in 2021, said the head of the Croatian Tourist Board in Munich Nera Miličić on Morski.hr.

"This year, more than ever, we are looking forward to seeing Croatia at the top of the list of the most popular destinations in Germany. Research from the HomeToGo platform shows how we are recognized as a destination with a top offer of holiday homes, especially those secluded and in nature, currently in high demand. Turning to nature is certainly a trend that will remain after the pandemic," said Nera Miličić.

Croatia is at the top of several lists of the mentioned research and took an excellent second place on the list of most wanted countries for a summer vacation in 2021 and on the list of most wanted countries for the whole of 2021. Germany holds first place on these lists, while countries such as Italy, Spain, France, Austria are behind Croatia. As part of the research, a list of the top 100 destinations for Pentecost was made, in which Croatia took a very good fourth place, just behind the leading Germany and the regions on the shores of the Baltic and North Seas.

The research is based on 16 million search terms in the HomeToGo search engine, and interestingly, the application of flexible travel date filters has increased by 600 percent compared to last year. Also, the survey results show that 63 percent of respondents prefer staying in a vacation home, and 71 percent of respondents want to travel by car. As a motive for travel, 63 percent of respondents singled out the beach, and 60 percent of them national parks and nature.

"The research results are optimistic when we talk about trends from the German market, otherwise the most important tourist market for Croatian tourism. However, compliance with all prescribed measures and a good epidemiological situation in the country will be a basic prerequisite for the realization of tourist traffic, both from the German market and from other markets," concluded the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Staničić.

Follow the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

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