According to the explanation Lonely Planet gave on its web page, "Croatia soared to the top of this year's poll after a fourth-place finish last year. Croatia's appeal was its unique combination of culture, history, cuisine, accessibility and affordability. As one staffer wrote, "This is Croatia's year. It appeals to a wide range of travellers with its rich diversity of attractions. And it has not yet been over-touristed, but it has developed an excellent tourism infrastructure -- so that it suits both adventurous travellers and those who need a degree of comfort in their planning."
The text read further that another staffer wrote, "Croatia's combination of easy accessibility (it's within driving distance of a large chunk of Europe), relative affordability (especially compared to the beach countries like Spain and Italy), and high quality will mean that it will be a 'hot' destination again this year." Other staffers lauded its "stunning beaches and islands," "magnificent food" and "wonderfully preserved towns such as Dubrovnik."
According to this year's selection, Croatia is followed by China and Argentina. The United States is the fourth while Italy and Costa Rica have finished as fifth (tie).