October 5, 2021 - The CDC (United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has warned against US travel to Croatia. 

On Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned against travel to Croatia, Armenia, Austria, Barbados, and Latvia due to rising COVID-19 cases.

The CDC raised its travel recommendations to “level 4, very high” and told Americans that they should avoid traveling to those five countries.

"Avoid travel to Croatia. If you must travel to Croatia, make sure you are fully vaccinated before travel," the CDC said. The CDC encourages travelers to be fully vaccinated before travel, though even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants. 

On Monday, Croatia registered 219 new coronavirus cases and 7 COVID-19-related deaths over the past 24 hours with the number of active cases at 8,073.

There were 810 infected patients receiving hospital treatment, and 98 of them on ventilators.

"Since 25 February 2020, when the first case was confirmed in Croatia, 408,918 people have been registered as having contracted the novel coronavirus, and 8,685 of them have died, while 392,160 have recovered, including 1,208 in the last 24 hours. Currently, there are 18,521 people in self-isolation.

To date, 2,855,076 people have been tested, 3,032 of whom over the past 24 hours," the Croatian Civil Protection Headquarters reported on Monday. 

We await the new numbers for today, which will undoubtedly be higher. 

The CDC has also reduced travel recommendations to “level 3” for Morocco, Argentina, France, Iceland, Lesotho, Nepal, Portugal, and South Africa but advises its citizens to get fully vaccinated before taking a trip.

The CDC uses World Health Organization data along with other official sources to determine the risk levels. 

You can read more about the CDC's travel recommendations for Croatia and other countries HERE.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

April 27, 2021 - After more than a year of uncertainty and restrictions for American tourists, the first European Trip for US Travel Agents is taking place in Croatia.

As the Croatian National Tourist Board reports, the first organized trip of travel agents from America to Europe since the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic is taking place in Croatia. Eight American travel agents are participating in the travel program, whose agencies are closely specialized in travel in the luxury tourism segment, and which will visit Croatian destinations such as Zagreb, Plitvice Lakes, Zadar, Trogir, Split, Hvar, Peljesac, and Dubrovnik until April 30. The trip was organized by the RealCroatia agency and the Representation of the Croatian Tourist Board in the USA.

"The fact that the first European trip of American travel agents was organized in Croatia shows how Americans eagerly await new trips to our country and confirms the position of our country as a sought-after, safe, and well-prepared destination. This was helped by the fact that last year we were one of the few destinations that were open to American guests, and we expect even better trends this year in which we are connected to the American market by a direct airline on the route New York - Dubrovnik. I am sure that this study trip will further contribute to the recognition of our country in the US market, our most important distant market", said CNTB Director Kristjan Stanicic, adding that luxury tourism is one of the most sought after products during the pandemic.

Credit: Croatian National Tourist Board

As part of their first European trip during the pandemic, travel agents from the US will focus, in addition to luxury tourism, on tourism products such as national parks and nature parks, cultural and historical heritage and gastronomy, and products that are in high demand in the US market and which they will be able to find in the Croatian cities and parks they will visit this week. The agents will also be introduced to all health and safety protocols implemented in Croatia, with special emphasis on the Safe Stay in Croatia campaign.

"This visit will work synergistically with the CNTB's efforts to extend the tourist season to 365 days a year, and it is the American market that can help us achieve this goal because it is about rich and demanding tourists who are not as seasonal as in Europe," said the director of the CNTB Representation in the USA Ina Rodin, emphasizing that the agents are also members of the prestigious Virtuoso, a network of the best American luxury travel agencies with more than 20,000 advisors worldwide and more than 1,800 partners, including top hotels, resorts, tour operators, airlines and agencies.

"The United States is a key tourism market with enormous economic strength. I believe that together we will use this crisis as a catalyst to break into a higher tourist segment", said the director of the RealCroatia agency Petra Gracin.

Let us add that the agents, accompanied by Ina Rodin, are staying in Split today, and then they are heading to Hvar and Pelješac to end their visit to Croatia on April 30 in Dubrovnik.

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

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

July 8, 2020 - The New York Times published a list of countries US citizens can travel to, with or without COVID-19 restrictions. Croatia is on it.

In a piece titled 'I'm a U.S. Citizen. Where in the World Can I Go?', NY Times writer Karen Schwartz has listed the countries that were open to citizens as of early July, or are expected to open soon.

"Even as many countries remain off-limits to American visitors because of the high rate of coronavirus within the United States, about two dozen others have started to welcome, and in some cases woo, U.S. citizens to come spend their tourist dollars. Still, would-be vacationers generally face a host of conditions and a lot of travelers beware.

The U.S. State Department continues its Global Level 4 Health Advisory, which cautions against international travel because of the pandemic. However, it is also posting country-specific information as restrictions loosen.

Getting there is only part of the equation. Countries have their own Covid-19 mitigation measures that might include curfews or curtailed activities and services; most standard travel insurance policies won’t cover medical or travel expenses related to the coronavirus; and borders can close and flights be canceled with little warning, stranding people in foreign countries," Schwartz writes before listing the counties in alphabetical order. 

Croatia is among the countries currently allowing US citizens to enter.