Flights to Croatia: Air Serbia Reduces Weekly Flights between Belgrade and Zagreb
November 5, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Air Serbia reduces weekly flights between Belgrade and Zagreb in November.
Croatian Aviation reports that in November this year, Air Serbia operates only three times a week on the Belgrade-Zagreb route. The airline normally operated on this route up to 10 times a week in the winter flight schedule.
Due to the global pandemic's impact, Air Serbia has further reduced the number of weekly flights between the capitals of Serbia and Croatia. Although the company's original plan was to operate up to 5 times a week on this route, low demand forced Air Serbia to reduce weekly flights further.
Until the end of November, Air Serbia will operate on this route only three times a week, on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays, in the afternoon and evening.
ATR72 aircraft with a capacity of 70 seats have been announced on all flights to and from Zagreb Airport.
The second year-round Air Serbia flight to Croatia, between Belgrade and Rijeka, did not operate this summer season, nor will it this winter, so a direct flight to Belgrade is only available at Zagreb Airport.
This summer, Air Serbia operated to Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik, to a lesser extent than in the summer of 2019, while direct flights from Belgrade to Zadar, Pula, and Rijeka did not operate.
If the situation normalizes by the beginning of the next summer season, Air Serbia again plans to operate to all 6 destinations in Croatia.
Furthermore, Ex Yu Aviation reports that KLM is the busiest foreign airline maintaining flights to Zagreb this November, accounting for 5.3% of all traffic from the capital. KLM operates between Amsterdam and Zagreb daily, using the Boeing 737-700 aircraft or two Embraer 190 jets.
Thus, KLM leads in front of Lufthansa, Air France, Eurowings, and Turkish Airlines as Zagreb's busiest foreign airline.
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Global Entrepreneurship Week to be Held in Split this Month
November 5, 2020 - From November 16-22, 2020, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) will be held in Split for the fifth year in a row.
From November 16-22, 2020, Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) is held in over 160 countries worldwide. It is an event held once a year to celebrate entrepreneurship, innovation, and business creators who drive startups and turn ideas into reality, foster economic growth, and improve their community's wider well-being.
This year, the event will be held in Split for the fifth year in a row, organized by the Student Entrepreneurship Incubator, the Entrepreneurship Center Split, and the Faculty of Economics in Split.
Through various activities, from big competitions and events to networking gatherings, GEW encourages participants to explore their potential as entrepreneurs and innovators and connects them with potential associates, mentors, and potential investors, introducing them to new opportunities and opportunities.
GEW is, therefore, more than an entrepreneurship awareness campaign; it is a platform for networking and collaboration - involving all players across the entrepreneurial spectrum in strengthening ecosystems around the world.
Given that the pandemic is still in force in Croatia, this year's edition will be held in an online format using the Zoom platform and live broadcasts via social networks of the Student Entrepreneurship Incubator and will consist of educational lectures, workshops and panel discussions and 24- an hourly Hackathon competition called the Smart City Challenge to be held by domestic and foreign external experts, this time also in the online format.
During the Smart City Challenge hackathon, the registered competitors will solve the challenges set following the European Union's program "Digital Europe 2020." The emphasis is on building smart homes and buildings, smart transportation, smart manufacturing, smart environment, and smart health. The competition will last 24 hours without a break, and competitors will have the task of developing a completely new solution according to the competition rules.
Everyone can participate, regardless of their education or occupation. Teams will have an additional 5 minutes after the competition to present their project to an expert jury. To enable the competitors to develop an idea to prototype, they will be provided with full mentoring support, which will further guide them with its economic and technological knowledge and qualities. The best competitors will share a prize fund of HRK 20,000.00, which the City of Split provided as a sponsor this year.
Also, the best are ensured entry into the Student Entrepreneurship Incubator program where, with the support of mentors from the Faculty of Economics, they will continue to develop a business model of their solution. Applications for the Smart City Challenge hackathon last until November 15 and are made via http://spi.efst.hr/smart-city-challenge/
As for the program's educational part, there is a wide range of entrepreneur lecturers who will intrigue all participants. Thematically, it covers a wide area, from marketing, social entrepreneurship, rural development, digitalization of business processes, innovation development to student entrepreneurship.
Some of the interesting entrepreneurs and experts you will be able to listen to during the event include Ivana Čuljak from Invento Capital Partners, Ana Šunjić from Infobip, Anja Šerc from BB consulting, Oracle, Michael Freer from Ensoco, investment consultant Vanja Perić, Fran Poštenjak from ArboSMART Technologies, Peter Hopwood from Hopwood Speaker Coaching and guests of the panel on student entrepreneurship Ivana Perić (OPG Spara), Slaven Damjanović (eAgrar) and Lea Kosović (LOL agency).
The event and program were developed in cooperation with the project UIP - 2017 - 05 -7625: User-oriented (re) design of processes and modeling of information systems on the example of smart city services led by Assoc. dr. sc. Maja Ćukušić from the Faculty of Economics, which was financed by the Croatian Science Foundation.
You can view the entire program and the exact schedule of lectures and panels at http://spi.efst.hr/gew/. Participants need to register for each lecture by clicking on the selected lecture or panel in the program located at the link.
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Tele2 Becomes Telemach Croatia as United Invests Massive 230 Million Euros
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Lucija Spiljak writes on the 4th of November, as of the 3rd of this month, the popular mobile network Tele2 has been operating under the name Telemach Croatia/Hrvatska, as was announced by the United Group, the parent company of the otherwise very well known Croatian telecom.
The United Group purchased Telemach Croatia back in May 2019, and in the year 2021 it plans to invest as much as 130 million euros in the modernisation of this particular mobile network in order to provide a full 5G experience, as well as an additional 100 million euros in the construction of a state-of-the-art optical network that will enable ultrafast broadband internet at speeds of up to 10 gigabits.
"We're going to continue to provide our customers with the best quality mobile network and new mobile services, with the best fixed network available in the Republic of Croatia," assured Viktor Pavlinic, the CEO of Telemach Croatia. This company will continue to offer its customers products and services under the Tele2 brand, and will present its brand new visual identity only in the first half of 2021. As Victoria Boklag, President of the Management Board of United, added, their investments show commitment to the Croatian market.
"In the telecommunications and media sector, as well as in e-commerce, our platform unites the leading operators and the best producers of media content in Southeastern Europe," she said. Here in the Republic of Croatia currently, the United Group employs about 950 employees with the aim of further growth, and in as many as seven countries by the end of the year it will have about 10 million users and an impressive 11,000 employees.
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Varazdin Public Open University Launches Unique Programme in Croatia
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Sergej Novosel Vuckovic writes on the 4th of November, 2020, the Varazdin Public Open University has a new educational programme in its arsenal. The encouragement of new initiatives, ideas, the introduction of students to knowledge and skills, the provision of a useful package of tools for application in business and last but not least - networking students with each other, creating and encouraging new business collaborations and involving them over time as lecturers are just some of the goals of the Academy of Entrepreneurship.
In terms of form and content, this programme delivered by the Varazdin Public Open University is totally unique here in Croatia.
"I wanted to launch something in Varazdin that doesn't yet exist, and which would be complementary to other programmes on the market. Yes, you're right, this is a unique programme that offers a package of knowledge for entrepreneurs from various target groups: from beginners to experienced entrepreneurs. The programme changes every year, which is why we insist on an informal form of performance so that we can be as flexible as possible and ensure the so-called tailor made lectures for each module,'' explained the university's director, Lana Velimirovic Vukalovic.
The Varazdin Public Open University has just started with its third generation of students who will spend 160 hours in 11 modules, twice a week for the next six months, going through everything an entrepreneur needs, from basics of economics and entrepreneurship, learning about business models, entrepreneurship development, finances and accounting, through to business communication skills, marketing and sales, all the way to human resource management, sources of financing and project management, and personal data protection policies. The internationalisation of business is the final step to be taken.
The participants, 11 of them, were selected through a public call, and they're primarily entrepreneurs, beginners or those who are somewhat more experienced. The lecturers are also all entrepreneurs, mostly local ones, who share their experiences with the participants and encourage them to stay ''at home'' in Varazdin where they can go on to succeed.
This year, they started preparing the academy before the pandemic took Croatia in its firm grasp and they refused to give up even during a very difficult lockdown, thanks to the persistence of the director herself, who, she says, has the goal and desire to help local entrepreneurs. "They're one of the important pillars of our society and our local community, and most of our students have made a significant step forward in business, they stayed in Varazdin and they operate successfully," said the head of the Varazdin Public Open University.
"Entrepreneurs need to know that when this crisis ends, a new one will emerge. These lectures will give them the tools to know how to adapt. I was impressed by some who recognised in time that the coronavirus pandemic was going to disrupt their business and they didn’t wait, but immediately adjusted and made new business plans. This curriculum, and our lecturers, will take them a step further - the goal is to transform the business in innovative ways,'' explained Velimirovic Vukalovic.
"Some wanted to shut down their companies or trades, but we ''enlightened'' them and today they're successful and sustainable on the market, and they're also planning employment," she added.
Just in case things go sour once again with the spread of the virus, the Varazdin Public Open University has developed a plan B and even a plan C for the transition to the online model. However, the principal rightly warned: ''The Academy of Entrepreneurship isn't designed to be online, because it must be practical, it contains exercises, group work, etc. If it will be necessary to close live classes, we have ideas on how to organise things online. But I, as a professor by profession and a lecturer, guarantee that nothing can compensate for live teaching and that the difference in the quality of online and live teaching is huge. We don’t want to leave holes in the knowledge of our attendees. We want them to grow, develop and be sustainable entrepreneurs with us. We'll go week by week and that’s how we're going to make decisions. We're adapt to the situation and we'll innovate,''
Some of the types of education offered by the Varazdin Public Open University, primarily the basic Basic programme, are free, as Varazdin finances them, but some are market-based and are paid for.
"Everything can't and must not be free, because our lecturers are also entrepreneurs and we have to pay for their knowledge. In other words, both the Varazdin Public Open University and the Academy for Entrepreneurship encourage entrepreneurship among their own external associates, and we're on the market ourselves, so we're cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset,'' concluded Lana Velimirovic Vukalovic.
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VIDEO: Skipjack Tuna Not Seen in Croatia Since 1945 Caught Near Prevlaka
As Morski/Jurica Gaspar writes on the 4th of November, 2020, a passionate fisherman from Grude in Croatia's southernmost county of Konavle recently caught an unusual species of tuna near Prevlaka, close to the Montenegrin border.
''I caught a skipjack tuna! I thought it was an Atlantic bonito before we hooked it. The cleaned one weighs 6.9 kg,'' Denis Markovic told Morski, and the experts were then asked to reveal a little more about this species, which lead to the realisation that this is an unusual discovery indeed in Croatian Adriatic. Namely, this type of tuna in has not been documented in Croatian waters since 1945!
''There was a whole school of them. One fell off,'' Denis Markovic said when detailing his experience, which he recorded on video.
''You can see the fight it put up and her behaviour. It was extremely strong. It was caught with the shore jigging technique. It is rough to the touch, so it surprised me at first,'' he said.
''First I called my friend Ivan Radovac to ask what kind of tuna this is, at first I thought it was an Atlantic bonito, to which he replied that no, it was indeed a tuna. After an interview for Morski, I was contacted by the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split, they confirmed the species to me, told that it isn't protected and that it's the only one recorded here since the 40s, which is now a museum specimen,'' explained Markovic, who is ready to give the fish he caught near Prevlaka to science.
Pero Ugarkovic is the editor of the Podvodni.hr portal and one of Croatia's greatest experts on underwater flora and fauna, he decided to explain more about this unusual catch down in Prevlaka.
''According to the description, I suspected that it could be skipjack tuna. After seeing photo, there was no doubt, it's the species I've been waiting for a long time to appear in the Croatian Adriatic.
Is this an Adriatic species?
''This species was officially discovered for the first time in the Adriatic by Dr. Soljan back in 1945 close to Trogir. He kept that fish in the Natural History Museum in Zagreb. Together with Dr. Dragicevic from the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, I tried to find out if there were any other finds like that in the Adriatic, and apart from that specimen, which is still in the museum, we were unable to obtain any other information.
This means that there is no other documented finding of skipjack tuna to date. It's possible that someone once caught one, but that they kept that information to themselves or among a close circle of people. I've heard of some alleged catches down in Montenegro, but without seeing an avtual specimen, a clear image or video, such a finding can only be considered indicative, or potential, but not official. It should also be noted that it isn't possible to know how many times skipjack tuna have entered the Croatian Adriatic without anyone ever seeing them.
Where does this species otherwise inhabit?
''This species lives all over the world, in tropical and subtropical conditions, it's one of the most important commercial and traditional fish species. Maybe more people in Croatia ate this type of tuna than, say, our own tuna, because if you look at the composition of canned tuna, you'll see that it contains it.
As for the Mediterranean, it appears exclusively in the western part of the sea, seasonally, mostly along the coast of Spain and sometimes on the western side of Italy. I've been following these topics on social media in all Mediterranean countries for a long time and I don't remember seeing this species more than 10 times. Just like in this case, they also appear in the western Mediterranean in the autumn period because the sea temperature is the most suitable for them then,'' Ugarkovic added.
Skipjack tuna are also commonly referred to as the ''tuna for the poor'' and it remains to be seen if any more of them will show up in Prevlaka or indeed anywhere else along the Croatian coast.
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Two Popular Croatian Hotels Introduce "Work from Hotel" Offers
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Tina Lakic writes on the 4th of November, 2020, two popular Croatian hotels have introduced a new "Work from Hotel" offer at the Valamar Diamant Hotel 4 * in Porec, Istria, which will be valid for the period from November the 1st, 2020 to March the 20th, 2021. The offer includes a 15 percent discount on accommodation for a minimum of three nights.
The pleasant and peaceful environment offered by the hotel is ideal for guests who want to move their office to the coast and for all those who want to extend their holidays and spend the upcoming period in a hotel atmosphere with many facilities at their fingertips.
As part of the ''Work from Hotel'' offer, guests will be able to choose from comfortable suites overlooking the sea or the park and enjoy the many benefits of the "Workation Deal", which has become a popular global trend since the pandemic took hold. As part of this new Valamar offer, a hotel room in one of the most famous hotels in Porec will become an ideal workplace for maximum work performance because it offers the comfort of a spacious living room and work space, high-speed internet, direct dial telephone, a coffee maker and of course - room service. Guests can also book a meeting room equipped with projectors, a conference call system and a printer, should they so wish.
In order to adapt to the new situation in the tourism sector caused by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Plava Laguna also decided to introduce new offers at the Hotel Bonavia Plava Laguna in Rijeka. This is a "home office in a hotel" service in which customers are offered packages for the use of hotel rooms for the office during working days. The package includes a quality Wi-Fi connection, a welcome breakfast in the room and the use of the gym, and after a hard day's work, guests get the opportunity to use the wellness oasis within the hotel.
The ''Work from Hotel'' concept offers those who have needs for meetings one of the conference rooms, and the use of the room is free for a hotel guest for two hours a day.
"Given the current situation with the pandemic, it's up to us in the hotel sector to adjust our existing offers, especially for the post-season period. Thinking about everyday needs, we came to the conclusion that this is exactly the offer that Rijeka, and many other cities lack, and we decided to offer the market something between "an office outside" and the comfort of home. So, we combined the need for people to work outside of their homes, with all the benefits offered by a hotel - from food and beverage services to the use of meeting rooms to relaxing in wellness or fitness at the end of a hard day,'' said the hotel's director, Vlatka Stanic.
In addition to the classic sales channels, the innovative new ''Work from Hotel'' offer will also be available on specialised online channels, and there is also a classic daily package, a five-day package, as well as their premium versions that include the use of wellness centre, sauna and 30 minutes of relaxing massage, as well as a lunch package and a discount on drinks and desserts at Cafe Dante within the hotel itself.
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Capak: Lockdown and Curfew in Neighbouring Countries without Effect
ZAGREB, Nov 4, 2020 - Head of the Croatian Institute of Public Health Krunoslav Capak on Wednesday said that more stringent epidemiological measures, like a lockdown or a curfew that have been introduced in neighbouring countries, have proved to be ineffective and that the current measures in Croatia are good.
"We think that our measures are good. We appeal to citizens to adhere to them and if they do, we are certain that we will curb these numbers," Capak told reporters.
Despite doctors calling for more stringent measures, Capak claimed that the curfews and lockdowns that have been introduced in other EU countries are not bringing any results one week after they were introduced as the numbers in those countries are continuing to grow.
"We think that those measures are not effective," he underlined.
Six doctors' associations today called on the government to urgently introduce more stringent epidemiological measures, otherwise the health system could collapse, seeing that hospitals are already at the "breaking point."
Capak claimed that the problem of a possible lack of equipment or shortage of staff can be resolved with redistribution to those areas where they are more needed.
"We have a sufficient number of ventilators, there are more than 70,000 people working in the health system. I am certain that we will protect the health of our citizens," said Capak.
Navy Provided with Two High-Speed Boats to Monitor Fishing
ZAGREB, Nov 4, 2020 - The Croatian Navy on Wednesday received two high-speed interceptor VHB M-46 boats to be used to monitor fishing activities in the Adriatic.
The boats were procured based on an agreement concluded in July between the defence and agriculture ministries.
As much as 70% of the value was covered by EU funds while the remainder was secured by the Agriculture Ministry. The Defence Ministry has provided crews and logistic support.
The VHB M-46 speed boats will be used for monitoring the fishing activities and will be also available for search and rescue missions on the sea. They are equipped with secure navigation, contact systems, infra-red and tv-cameras to monitor and record situations by day and night.
The boats enable a four-member crew to spend several days out at sea whereas the boats overall capacity is for 12 people.
One boat will be given to the Pula Coast Guard while the other will be allocated to the Coast Guard unit in Split.
Boro Primorac Named New Hajduk Coach as Hari Vukas Sacked
November 4, 2020 - The Hajduk transformation continues as Hari Vukas is sacked as the first-team coach. The Split club announced today that Boro Primorac would takeover.
Vukas is leaving the bench of the Split club after three consecutive defeats, and after Mario Stanic and Ivan Kepcija left Poljud this week.
Vukas took over the Hajduk coaching role after Igor Tudor's departure on August 21, 2020. In that period, he led 10 official matches, achieving four victories, five defeats, and one draw. In the last five rounds, he won only three points, and Hajduk is in sixth place.
"I wish all the best to my Hajduk and a lot of success to the new coach. Unfortunately, the results were not what we all expected together; I hope and believe that Hajduk will rise in the next period and get where it belongs," said Vukas. His assistant Jurica Vucko also left the club.
In his coaching career, Vukas was Tudor's assistant at Hajduk, Karabukspor, Galatasaray, and Udinese, and last year he took over Zrinjski and was fired after five months.
Hajduk then named the new coach of Hajduk - Boro Primorac.
The head of the HNK Hajduk Academy, Luka Kaliterna, Primorac accepted this role after talks with the President of the Management Board, Luksa Jakobusic.
Boro Primorac's professional staff consists of his first assistant Toni Golem, the goalkeeper coach remains Hrvoje Sunara, and fitness coaches are still Toni Modric and Sime Versic. Coach Primorac will have his first game leading Hajduk on Saturday at 5:05 pm.
Boro Primorac is a legendary Hajduk player and coach who spent most of his career in England at Arsenal, where he was Arsène Wenger's first assistant (21 years in total). As head coach, he led Cannes and Valenciennes, the Guinea-Bissau national team, and as an assistant coach to Wenger, he also worked for Naoya Grampus in Japan.
In his playing career, he played for Velež, Hajduk, Lille, and Cannes. He scored the first official goal for Hajduk at Poljud stadium. He played a total of 283 games for Hajduk and scored 53 goals.
Source: Hajduk.hr
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No Traditional Format of Advent in Zagreb Event this December
ZAGREB, Nov 4, 2020 - During the Advent season, Zagreb will be decorated and illuminated for Christmas and the New Year, however, there will be no traditional format of the Advent in Zagreb event due to the epidemiological circumstances.
Mayor Milan Bandic said on Wednesday that some cultural events would be scheduled, Advent and Christmas decorations would be set up and several stands would also be installed for local service businesses in the city center.
However, there would be no traditional format of the Advent in Zagreb, he told local radio.
The epidemic of coronavirus also forced the city authorities to cancel the Interliber book fair. The fair will be organized online, and the mayor promised financial support to the publishers and bookshops.
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