Croatia has welcomed a record number of British visitors this year, bucking the trend that has seen summer package holiday sales to Mediterranean resorts drop by 10%. By the end of September, Croatia had received 107,000 British visitors - a rise of 27% on last year.

Joze Lozic, the UK director for the Croatian national tourist board, said: "We are an old-fashioned destination, like the Mediterranean used to be - without the hamburgers. We recognise the danger of overbuilding. Our policy is to help local people start up small, family-run pension-type hotels."

Jonathan Oakes, chairman of Holiday Options, which in three years has become the biggest operator to Croatia, said: "This growth is linked to the resurgence of the country after the war."

Two new operators will feature Croatia next year: Cosmos and Simply Travel.