Zagreb Defends Title of Best European Christmas Destination for Third Consecutive Year. December 12, 2017 – New York, NY – The people have voted and it is official, European Best Destinations has crowned Zagreb the best destination for Christmas holidays in Europe. Croatia’s beautiful capital city competed against 20 other European cities to win the 2018 title, the only city to secure this honor for three years in a row.
More than 200,500 people, from 131 countries voted for the best Christmas destination in 2018 on the European Best Destinations website. Zagreb secured 38,830 votes, while Colmar won second-place with 24,625 votes, and Vienna rounding out the third spot at 16,354 votes.
Zagreb’s title as the best European Christmas destination validates its emergence as notable European destination with strong tourism offerings full of rich culture, history, gastronomy, and events – as confirmed in its high growth rates in arrivals and guest nights. During the first nine days of Advent, which began on December 2 and runs until January 7, 2018, already 37,685 guest arrivals were recorded, which is 28 percent more than in the same period recorded last year, and there were 68,480 overnights, which is also a 23 percent increase. Of these, domestic guests realized 20,158 overnight stays (22 percent increase), while foreign nights were registered at 48,322 (24 percent increase).
In addition to the traditional Advent programs and locations, this year Zagreb will be welcoming visitors with new sites, such as the Croatian Railway Museum, Advent in Prekrižje, Caffe de Matoš and Advent in Marić Passage. Visitors can also expect many exhibitions, including a fascinating new expo on the life of Nikola Tesla, which they will be able to view in the iconic Meštrović Pavilion.
Photo: Julien Duval Photography
About European Best Destinations (EBD)
European Best Destinations (EBD) is a European association based in Brussels, with the aim of promoting culture and tourism in Europe, and in cooperation with tourist offices and EDEN, at European and world level, promotes greater understanding of the richness, diversity and quality of European destinations. Since 2009, the organization has cooperated with the majority of tourism boards in Europe and has awarded and highlighted the most visited destinations on its web page and through social media. The portal counts more than 4.2 million visitors with thousands of companions on various social networks.