Zagreb, Sep 9 (IANS): Croatia reported 16.9 million tourist arrivals and 89.4 million overnight stays in the first eight months of this year, representing increases of four per cent and one per cent respectively compared to the previous year, a tourism official said on Monday.

Germany, Slovenia, and Austria are the top three sources of tourists to Croatia, contributing 2.5 million, 1.4 million, and 1.26 million arrivals, respectively, during the January-August period, Croatia's Minister of Tourism and Sports Tonci Glavina said at a press conference.

He said Croatia's most popular destinations include Rovinj, Dubrovnik, Porec, Split and Umag.

Glavina said the figures align with the country's strategic tourism goals, which emphasize growth during the pre-season and post-season while aiming to maintain the same or even lower numbers of visitors during peak tourism months.

According to the Croatian National Bank, the country's tourism revenues are expected to increase by four per cent to reach a new record of 15.2 billion euros (16.78 billion US dollars) this year.