Abstract
Croatia received 10,000,000 tourists in 2006, and is ranked 18th among the most popular tourist destinations in the world. It is significant to know that domestic tourism represents only 15% of this figure. Croatian people are still too poor to enjoy holidays in their home country and still have to go abroad to visit cheaper destinations such as Romania or Bulgaria. Croatia's tourism sector contributed to 20% of GDP in 2005 and growth in tourism receipts has outpaced growth of GDP in 8 of the past 12 years. Tourism in Croatia represents 74% of the services sector and employs more than 300,000 people (2005), representing around 20% of the active population. Croatia has a rich architectural heritage. A lot of attractions are ranked by the UNESCO, such as the old city of the XIV century of Dubrovnik, the St Jacques cathedral at Sibenik, a mixture of baroque style and renaissance art. There are also the palace of the popes at Porec and the ruins of the Diocletian palace in Split. The capital Zagreb also has numerous medieval and baroque castles and churches. Croatia also has a fabulous natural heritage. 1,185 islands and only 66 of them are inhabited. A transparent sea, creeks, beaches of sand or rocks, and 8 national parks.
