ZAGREB, 25 Aug, 2021 - In the past 24 hours, 677 coronavirus cases and four COVID-related deaths have been registered in Croatia, the national COVID-19 crisis management team said on Wednesday.

The number of active cases is 2,951 and there are 356 hospitalised patients, including 46 on ventilators, while 6,858 persons are self-isolating.

To date, 2,490,899 tests for the virus have been conducted, including 10,453 in the last 24 hours when the share of positive tests was 6.5%.

To date, 3,227,814 vaccine doses have been administered, with 41.99% of the population having been vaccinated, including 50.45% of adults.

One dose has been administered to 1,703,929 persons while 1,589,077 persons have been fully vaccinated -- 1,523,885 have received both doses and 65,192 have received the single-dose Janssen vaccine -- which is 47.1% of the adult population.

To date, Croatia has registered 370,985 coronavirus cases and 8,310 deaths, while 359,724 persons have recovered from COVID-19, including 282 in the past 24 hours.

For more about COVID-19 in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

August 25, 2021 - Next week will see a Croatian invasion of Poland as some the nation’s top fighters will be in action at KSW 63 on September 4th in Warsaw.

Welterweight king Roberto Soldić (18-3) returns for the first time since KSW 56 last November and will defend his title in the main event of the evening against top Czech fighter Patrik Kincl (24-9). The champion is aiming for his second successful title defense and a sixth straight win in the promotion.

Sebastian Rudnicki/KSW

Soldić will be joined on the card by teammate and former KSW bantamweight champion Antun Račić (25-9-1) as he begins his quest to recapture gold starting with exciting Polish prospect Jakub Wikłacz (11-3-1).

Sebastian Rudnicki/KSW

CroCop Team’s Aleksandar Rakas (16-8) will be aiming to get his first win in KSW as he faces popular KSW reality TV show winner Tomasz Romanowski (13-8) and rising star Sara Luzar Smajic (2-1) makes her promotional debut taking on Spain’s Aitana Alvarez (1-0).

Serbia's Darko Stošić (15-4) will also compete on the card. The heavyweight juggernaut is aiming to become a KSW champion himself but first he must get past a monstrous Michał Andryszak (22-9).

KSW 63 takes place September 4th and will be available to watch worldwide on www.KSWTV.com and the KSW App available now on iOS & Android. Please visit www.KSWMMA.com for more info.

KSW 63 Fight Card

Main Event
Welterweight
Champion Roberto Soldic (18-3) vs. Patrik Kincl (24-9)

Heavyweight
Michal Andryszak (22-9) vs. Darko Stosic (15-4)

Bantamweight
Antun Racic (25-9-1) vs. Jakub Wiklacz (11-3-1)

80kg Catchweight
Tomasz Romanowski (13-8) vs. Aleksandar Rakas (16-8)

Female Flyweight
Emilia Czerwinska (0-0) vs. Weronika Eszer (0-0)

Light Heavyweight
Damian Piwowarczyk (3-0) vs. Marcin Trzcinski (1-0)

Female Flyweight
Sara Luzar Smajic (2-1) vs. Aitana Alvarez (1-0)

Featherweight
Armen Stepanyan (7-4) vs. Michal Domin (3-2)

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

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August 25, 2021 - Is hydropower tourism in Lika the next big thing for the region? A closer look. 

In my article about the Lika region, I mentioned that a large hydropower plant is under construction in Kosinj. Total Croatia News has also reported about the project. As a matter of fact, the existing Senj Hydropower System (HES) will be upgraded. The project includes the construction of two new hydropower plants, one in Kosinj and one in Senj. As of August 2021, the estimated worth of the project is 3.4 billion KN. At the end of July 2021, the government declared the Kosinj Hydropower System (HES Kosinj) a strategic investment project.

Visualization of the hydropower plant in Kosinj

Author: Croatian National Power Company (Hrvatska Elektroprivreda, HEP)

Kosinj is a village located on the inland side of the Velebit, the mountain range that separates the inland from the Adriatic coast. The landscape is dominated by the fertile plains of the Lika river and the Bakovac stream. Kosinj lies within the Perušić municipality, which is located north of Gospić, the largest town in Lika. The travel distance to Gospić is around 15 minutes. As of 2021, the travel distance from Kosinj to Perušić is around 22 minutes. The existing roads are not in a very good condition. However, a new road will be built from Studenci, north of Perušić, to Sklope via Kosinj. Once completed, it will be much easier to travel through the Kosinj area. For those who are interested and who understand Croatian, there is a local YouTuber who covers all major projects and events in the Lika region. He uploads his material on his YouTube channel, TV Loki.

Currently, there are two hydropower plants within the HES. The first one opened in 1965, and is located outside Senj, on the Adriatic coast. The other one opened in 1970, and is located in Sklope, south of Kosinj. As a part of the project, the river was dammed. A nearby valley was filled with water and turned into an artificial lake, Kruščica (Kruščičko jezero). The Kosinj valley will also be turned into an artificial lake by the way. 

With its crystal clear water and surrounded by forest-clad mountains, the Kruščica lake has the potential to become a popular tourist attraction. 

The Kruščica lake 

Author: Croatian Tourist Board (Hrvatska Turistička Zajednica, HTZ)

In the Croatian media, the upgrade of the HES is described as a ‘megaproject’. Indeed, the project is of utmost importance for this part of Croatia, for many reasons. As of 2021, the HES has a capacity of 238.5 MW and an annual generation of 1.15 TWh. Once upgraded, the capacity will increase to 656 MW and 1.5 TMw per year. There is also the water flow. Before the HES was built in the 1960s, severe floods were a recurring phenomenon in western Lika. In order to regulate the water flow, underground tunnels were built through the Velebit. Also, the Lika river was connected with the Bakovac stream. Thereby, excess water could be led away from the area. With the upgrade of the HES, the regulation of the water flow will become even more efficient. Moreover, the project will benefit the agricultural industry, which is on the rise in the Lika region. 

Hydropower energy is not only a renewable energy source, it’s also cost-effective in comparison with other energy sources. In recent years, green ideas have become mainstream in Europe. The political elites have realized that eco-friendly is the future. Therefore, it’s very positive that the government declared the upgrade of the HES a strategic investment project. For, the upgrade of the HES is a major green investment. In addition to being an infrastructure project, it will also put Croatia on the eco-friendly map. 

Sources

https://www.hep.hr/projects/hydropower-system-senj-2/2543

https://www.vecernji.hr/vijesti/pocela-realizacija-dva-megaprojekta-u-lici-investicija-vrijedna-cak-34-milijarde-kuna-1439280

https://www.24sata.hr/energetska-tranzicija/investicija-od-34-milijarde-kn-hep-ov-novi-megaprojekt-u-lici-722742

https://balkangreenenergynews.com/hep-invests-eur-450mn-in-mega-hydropower-projects-kosinj-senj/

https://visit-lika.com/en/page/the-lika-river-and-kruscica-lake

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

ZAGREB, 25 Aug, 2021 - Overnight stay numbers so far this year show that they have reached 74% of tourist nights in the corresponding period of 2019, whereas the value of the fiscalised receipts indicates even a better performance of the tourist sector, Minister Nikolina Brnjac has told Hina.

The year-to-date value of the fiscalised receipts in tourism-related economic activities has reached 79% of those receipts in 2019.

The minister admits that it is still too early to forecast the fiscal effects of this year's tourism season.

The comprehensive report on the revenues from the tourist trade can be expected upon the release of the relevant report by the Croatian National Bank on the spending of foreign holiday-makers in the third quarter of 2021, and the central bank provides the general public with those numbers at the end of the year.

The data collected by e-visitor system show that so far this year, there have been 9.8 million guests who have generated 61.3 million overnight stays, thus reaching 64% and 74% of the visitor numbers and tourist night numbers in 2019.

So far in August alone, there have been 3.4 million visitors and 24.1 million overnight stays, 87% and 92% of the results in the corresponding period in 2019.

Concerning the value of fiscalised receipts in the tourism-related activities, it stands at 14.9 billion kuna, or 79% of the value registered in the corresponding period of 2019 when Croatia's tourism sets new records.

In August, fiscalised receipts' value overtakes 2019

For instance, from 1 to 17 August  the value of fiscalised receipts reached nearly four billion kuna, or 20% more than in the same period of 2019, Brnjac said.

The value of the fiscalised receipts from 1 July to 17 August outperformed the corresponding period in 2019 by 9%, the minister said.

She said that the bookings for the remainder of the year also gave rise to optimism.

"We are striving for keeping Croatia's status of the Mediterranean country with the most favourable epidemiological situation," she said, among other things.

For more about business in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 24 Aug, 2021 - Prime Minister and Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) leader Andrej Plenković said on Tuesday that the Ustasha salute "For the Homeland Ready" was already now illicit and that police filed reports with courts when such things happened, while it was up to the courts to decide on the matter.

"The salute is already now illicit. This is something that no one questions," Plenković told reporters in Zagreb after a meeting of the HDZ leadership.

He went on to say that on Monday, when  Black Ribbon Day, the Europe-wide Day of Remembrance for the victims of all totalitarian and authoritarian regimes was observed, some protagonists from left parties had tried to politicise that issue.

In this context he recalled a recent "semi-incident" in Knin when that salute was shouted and said that the police had reported the case to the court which should now have a say.

Asked by the press whether the penal code should outlaw that salute, Plenković said that initially, this had been suggested by a Croatian Jewish leader, Ognjen Kraus, while representatives of other ethnic minorities in the parliamentary majority did not insist on that to such extent.

"We will discuss the issue, however, such things are already treated as illicit," Plenković told reporters.

He condemned hate speech on social networks aimed at a reporter of the commercial RTL broadcaster, Danka Derifaj, and announced that draft amendments to the Electronic Media Act would soon receive a second reading. He admitted that hate speech on social networks could be successfully halted only when a global solution was found for that problem.

For more about politics in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

August 25, 2021 - Aurea Fest Požega returns from August 27 to 29, 2021! 

The traditional Požega festival is unthinkable without top-quality wine, so it's a good thing that long-term cooperation between Aurea Fest Požega and winery Kutjevo d.d. continued this year as well, with the bottling of festival wine in the Kutjevo podrum.

Slobodan Kadic

"This festival is by far the biggest promoter of the whole region. For this year's festival wine, we have prepared a top-quality Graševina from the 2020 vintage, the champion of the Graševina Festival, and the best-selling top-quality bottle of Croatian winemaking. The second wine is Maximo nero vintage 2016, a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. These are wines that have won great prizes from numerous competitions. Congratulations to my colleagues from Aurea Fest Požega for managing to organize the festival at a high level, and I hope that from next year we will return in true glory without restrictions," said Dino Galić, member of the Kutjevo d.d. management board. 

Slobodan Kadic

"I am honored to be in this place again and to start the festival as we have been doing for years. We are glad that this year, in a slightly better environment than last year, the festival will be held and that the tradition will continue. See you from Friday to Sunday in Požega," said the Aurea Fest Požega director Ivan Bunjevac.

Slobodan Kadic

"The Požega Music Festival of Tamburitza Music is truly a Požega brand, paired with the brand of this whole region, viticulture and cellaring, in which the oldest institution in the area Kutjevo d.d. is in the lead. Congratulations to the Požega Tourist Board and the Aurea Fest Association for managing to organize the festival in these unusual circumstances so that the tradition is not interrupted," said the Mayor of Požega, Ph.D. Zeljko Glavic.

Slobodan Kadic

"I am really looking forward to the beginning of a beautiful event that has lasted for fifty-two years in the city of Požega, a city rich in historical and cultural heritage, but also a city known for songs, tambourines, and the festival that spreads the name of Požega throughout our country and beyond. We invite all people of goodwill to come to Požega after these difficult circumstances to find content for themselves and make beautiful memories. It is an opportunity for the whole county because only in synergy and togetherness can we create new values," said Požega-Slavonia County Prefect Antonija Jozić.

The organizers also presented to the media the program of Aurea Fest Požega 2021, which can be found on the festival's official website www.aurea-fest.com.

On Sunday, HRT will broadcast live the "Golden Strings of Slavonia," while the Big Band and Berda Band concert will be recorded and broadcast later. It should also be noted that the festival will take place following all epidemiological measures. This specifically means that visitors will be able to enter the Holy Trinity Square parking lot next to the stage on Friday and Saturday but will have to present a Covid passport or a negative test or proof of Covid-19 recovery. The number of visitors is limited to 300 people. On Sunday, only invited guests will be able to sit in this space. In the square outside the parking lot, visitors will be able to move freely.

For more on lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page. 

August 25, 2021 - After defeating Hungary on Tuesday, Croatia has secured at least 2nd place in Group C at the EuroVolley 2021 in Zadar! 

In the 4th round of the European Championship's Group C in Zadar, the Croatia women's volleyball team achieved its fourth victory, winning 3-1 in sets (25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 25-21) against Hungary.

Although they lost the first set, Croatia achieved their goal and secured one of the first two spots in Group C. On Wednesday at 9 pm, they will play against Italy for the winner of the group.

Like against Slovakia on Sunday, Croatia fell asleep at the start of the match, and Hungary took a 6-3 lead.  In the middle of the first set, Hungary had a four-point advantage (14-10). However, Croatia's captain Samanta Fabris soon served and brought her team to a 16-15 advantage with five points in a row. In that wave, Croatia soon reached an advantage of 2-3 points, and in the end, convincingly won the first set 25-19.

After entering the second set equal, Hungary scored four points in a row for 12-8 on Pekarik's serve for the first time, and after Croatia's return to 14-14, Hungary's 4-0 series followed, this time on Gyimes' serve. Unfortunately, Croatia could not catch up, thus losing their first set at the European Championship.

In the third set, Croatia played more engaged in the block and defense, which gave the result. However, the key was a large series of eight consecutive points won on Fabris' serve, which increased their advantage from 14-12 to an unattainable 22-12.

Croatia controlled the 4th set from the very beginning and was up with a convincing 20-14 before Hungary reduced it to 20-17 with three consecutive points and threatened to turn it around. Fortunately, that did not happen, and Croatia took the final set. 

Croatia leads the standings with four victories, Italy is second with three victories and no defeats, Hungary follows in 3rd with 1-3, Belarus and Switzerland have 1-2, and Slovakia is in last with 0-3.

Source: HRT

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August the 25th, 2021 - Will the coming of autumn be of significance for Zagreb tourism, which is usually the case? As the fierce summer heat finally dies down for another year and with the capital boasting significantly more hotel rooms than it did this time last year, things could be on the up.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, the months of September and October are traditionally important months for Zagreb tourism, which in good years carried a fifth of the annual turnover, in terms of business and private events as well as in terms of growth of holiday guests who want to avoid the summer heat and crowds.

Although the Croatian capital is experiencing a weaker recovery in tourist traffic when compared to Adriatic destinations, and with fears of new epidemiological measures still firm, the sector wants to be optimistic about autumn and the rest of the year and expects significant improvements next year.

The vaccination programme and covid certificates should bring some calmer days, especially for Zagreb tourism business events, which should start returning in live in part this autumn, according to numerous organisers. A very important segment, which includes weddings and other private events for hotels could finally come back to life, perhaps regardless of the epidemiological situation, if the practice of covid certificates is properly established. There are also announcements of new flights to Zagreb, boosting Zagreb tourism's overall picture.

"The summer went well enough for us so far to hope that the same scenario as last year won't be waiting for us in autumn. Vaccinated people no longer want to go back to how things were, they no longer care about the red zones, because they want to return to normal life, which means freedom of movement and travel,'' stated Josipa Jutt Ferlan, president of the Hotel Association at the Croatian Chamber of Commerce and director of the Hilton hotels cluster for Zagreb.

As has since been found out from the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ), which extracted statistics on traffic and the accommodation structure in the capital city from eVisitor, from the beginning of the year to the end of this weekend, Zagreb had 327 thousand visits and 523 thousand overnight stays, which is about 38 percent more overnight stays than last summer, and about 44 percent of the realisation from the same period in 2019. As it is known, Zagreb realised less than a third of the turnover from the year before, when there were a total of 2.6 million overnight stays.

Although tourist traffic in July and August this year was twice as high as last year, in August that still meant 64 percent of turnover from the record 2019 was realised. August is also the best month so far this year for Zagreb tourism, and since Zagreb hasn't yet "reddened" on the ECDC map.

The events that attracted visitors this summer also contributed to more people visiting the capital, which is often somewhat empty during the hot summer months as residents flock to the coast.

A big loss for Zagreb tourism is still the absence of its traditionally important markets on the distant markets of Korea and China, and this summer, the British were also somewhat more absent than usual. Most of the overnight stays this summer were realised by Croatian guests and Germans, while the Americans doubled their numbers compared to last year, but American arrivals are still much weaker than before the pandemic struck.

With a total of 290 thousand overnight stays, August was also the strongest month back in record 2019, when a total of 2.6 million overnight stays were realised in Zagreb. September and October in 2019 saw about half a million overnight stays in Zagreb, which was about 20 percent of the annual turnover for Zagreb tourism. Last September, the city had only 77,000 overnight stays, barely more than a quarter of the turnover from the year before.

Zagreb is, as mentioned above, entering autumn with slightly more hotel rooms than it had last autumn, which isn't the case with private accommodation, which is weaker by about 1000 beds than it was back during 2019, as it now has about 6.2 thousand beds to offer in private apartments.

For more, follow our travel section.