The US website Food, Wine & Travel Magazine has included Losinj among the 11 best travel destinations for 2018, putting it in second place on its list, behind Tokyo and ahead of Abruzzo, Italy; Fredericton, Canada; Bordeaux, France; Capri, Italy; Sri Lanka; Lake Constance, Germany; Budapest, Hungary; Jordan; and the Solomon Islands.
"Losinj Island in Croatia is, after all, known as the Island of Vitality where wealthy Europeans came to get away from the hard, cold winters for centuries. They came to this tiny island to cleanse their bodies and minds. Literally, before medical tourism was even a thing. It is said the island has special health benefits because of the fresh air mixed with sea salt and pine trees. But not only that, it is a gorgeous seaside village of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants with a simple way of life. You will absolutely be delighted to spend some time here along the coast of the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean Sea," FWT Magazine says.
"We are glad about this and similar articles in foreign media and we believe they will contribute to our tourism industry this year," the Mali Losinj Town Tourist Board said, adding that this year's promotional campaign would focus on cultural programmes, health care and recreation.
This year Losinj will play host to a number of sporting events, including the Mercedes-Benz UCI Mountain Bike World Cup which will take place on April 19-22. The event will involve about 300 competitors from around the world and is expected to attract about 10,000 visitors and over a million television viewers worldwide.
In 2017, Losinj recorded 307,300 tourists and 2.33 million overnight stays, which were increases of 7% and 6% respectively over 2016. This put it among the top 10 travel destinations in Croatia.