Sunday, 11 October 2020

Flights to Croatia: Croatia Airlines Announces 15 Active International Routes for November

October 11, 2020 - The latest news for flights to Croatia as Croatia Airlines announces 15 active international routes for November.

Croatian Aviation reports that Croatia Airlines has announced its network of destinations for November this year. In the first month of the winter flight schedule, the company will operate on 12 international routes from Zagreb and 3 from Split.

In November this year, when the winter flight schedule is in force, Croatia Airlines continues to connect Croatia with European capitals and transport hubs, while air connections within Croatia will continue to be provided to passengers by domestic scheduled flights.

We bring you the planned flight schedule on Croatia Airlines until November 15 this year.

International lines from Zagreb

Zagreb - Amsterdam, daily,

Zagreb - Brussels, twice a week, on Fridays and Sundays,

Zagreb - Copenhagen, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays,

Zagreb - Frankfurt, two to three flights a day,

Zagreb - London, once a week, on Mondays,

Zagreb - Munich, Lufthansa flights are available in the first 15 days of November,

Zagreb - Paris, twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays,

Zagreb - Split - Rome, twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays,

Zagreb - Sarajevo, three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays,

Zagreb - Skopje, twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays,

Zagreb - Vienna, once a week, Wednesdays,

Zagreb - Zurich, twice a week, on Wednesdays and Sundays.

International lines from Split

Split - Frankfurt, once a week, on Saturdays,

Split - Munich, twice a week, Mondays and Fridays,

Split - Rome, twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.

Due to the impact of the global pandemic, the company has significantly reduced the number of departures on its international routes. Also, there will be no international flights from Dubrovnik Airport (Frankfurt) and Rijeka Airport (Munich) in the winter flight schedule, which were in regular operation in last year's winter flight schedule.

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Sinkovic Brothers Win Silver at European Rowing Championships in Poznan

October 11, 2020 - The Sinkovic Brothers win silver (6.29.46) in the coxless pair final at the European Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland.

The Romanian team won the gold medal (6: 26.52), while the Italians came in third.

Brothers Valent and Martin Sinkovic, better known as the Sinkovic Brothers, were after another medal at the European Rowing Championships in Poznan, Poland. 

The Sinkovic brothers won first place in their semifinal group on Saturday (6:31.220) with a three-second advantage over the Italian crew. They were first in all passing times (500, 1,000 and 1,500 meters), and convincingly reached the finals.

In their rowing career so far, the Sinkovic brothers have won, in all disciplines, six world gold medals, one silver and one bronze. At the Olympics, they have a gold medal from Rio and silver from the quadruple sculls in London. At the European Championships, they have four gold and one silver medal.

After leaving double sculls and starting rowing in a new discipline - coxless pairs, they won the world silver in 2017 in Sarasota and the gold in Plovdiv (2018) and Ottensheim (2019). At the European Championships in this discipline, they celebrated in Glasgow 2018 and Lucerne last year.

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Croatia Captain Luka Modric Talks About Time Left on National Team

October 11, 2020 - Croatia captain Luka Modric held an online press conference with Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic ahead of the Nations League match against Sweden in Zagreb tonight at 6 pm.

The Croatia captain returned to the national team after missing the cycle in September because he wanted to prepare with Real Madrid to be as ready as possible for the start of the season.

"Thanks to the coach for allowing me to do that because, at my age, it's challenging to get into a good rhythm if you don't do the preparations. I feel terrific, I think I play well at Real, and I'm satisfied," said Modric, who played only the last 25 minutes of a friendly match in St. Gallen against Switzerland.

Modric also described the situation with Ivan Rakitic, who recently said goodbye to the national team. Thus, the Croatia captain is one of the few who remained in the team from the famous 2018 World Cup generation.

"I spoke to Ivan before he announced his decision. Of course, I'm sad he's gone, but we have to respect his decision. All those cycles end sooner or later. No one is eternal, and no one will play for the national team for a hundred years. Thank you for everything once again," said Modric and looked back on his future in the national team jersey:

"I wouldn't put any limits on myself or announce that I will play in the next World Cup, and then in the meantime, change my mind. That would not be right. I am going from game to game, and I will see how I will feel both physically and mentally, and then decide."

Modric has a contract with Real until next summer, and it is not yet known what his future will be in Madrid.

"Of course I would like to stay at Real, who wouldn't? But I'm aware that I'm at a certain age. I have a pretty good relationship with the club, and I don't want to burden anyone. While I feel I can be an important part of Real Madrid, I would like to stay, but if I feel that it is no longer that, we may look for some other challenges. But that topic is not on the agenda yet, and when the time comes, we will sit down and together make the best decision for all of us," he said.

Modric will surely be in the starting lineup against Sweden, who also recorded two defeats at the start of the Nations League against France and Portugal, just like Croatia. After Sweden, Croatia will face a difficult match against France on Wednesday, also at Maksimir.

"We will need everyone to be at a high level during these two games. It's hard to say how many points we will win. We play at home, we will have fans, in small numbers, but they are there, and we always go home to win. Sweden is still a very tough team, although Zlatan is no more. I don’t need to say how important he was to them. It is still a tough team. Always maximally motivated, they have a great mentality, like all Scandinavian countries. They never give up. Against Portugal and France, they showed high quality in the game and compactness," said Modric.

He looked back at both the debutants and the new players on the team.

"It can be seen that Domagoj is a great guy and a very talented player with a bright future. I believe he will continue at the same pace. Apart from football qualities, he showed his positive character in the first game. All praise for his performance, but also Ante Budimir. Melnjak is getting better, and Uremovic is showing that he fits well in the national team. The new guys will continue to do so and will bring us additional quality in the national team. The seniors are here to help them adapt to the national team as soon as possible."

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Croatian Book Month 2020 Begins October 15

October 11, 2020 - Croatian Book Month 2020 will be held from October 15 to November 15.

This year’s Croatian Book Month is dedicated to our planet Earth for the reason that this year the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day is celebrated. The motto of Croatian Book Month 2020 is “Razlistaj se!” which, when translated, means “Put forth leaves!”.  This national manifestation, dedicated not only to books but also to libraries, has been held from October 15 to November 15 for 25 years now. The opening ceremony will be held in the newly renovated library of the city Ivanić-Grad.

In these difficult times, it was hard to organize a national manifestation due to epidemiological measures, but despite all the challenges, 1700 live programmes have successfully been organized and prepared. There will also be many virtual programmes available. One of the virtual activities will be a reading marathon “Minuta za čitanje” organized by the Croatian Reading Association (CroRa). Besides the reading marathon, a National quiz intended for children under the name “Istraživači planeta Z” will be held from October 15 to 23 with the goal of promoting books and reading. For this year’s quiz, the contestants will not have to read 3 books as they had to so far. Instead, the contestants will have to explore links that will be hidden in every question. 

As additional motivation for the quiz, the best contestants will be awarded certain prizes. The main prize will be the Lenovo Tab E8 courtesy of the Microline company. Other prizes include a scholarship at the School of fast and wise reading and illustrated books with topics about the protection of the environment.

The closing ceremony is planned to be held at the National and University Library in Zagreb. 

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

World Rally Championship is Coming to Croatia in 2021!

October 11, 2020 - Big news in the auto-racing world, as the World Rally Championship is coming to Croatia at the end of April next year!

Goran Rihelj of HRTuirzam reports that the World Motorsport Council, the FIA ​​World Automobile Federation council, confirmed that the Croatia Rally is included in the calendar of the World Rally Championship (WRC) for 2021. Croatia will host one of the world's most attractive sports events from April 22 to 25, 2021.

The start and finish of the race will be in Zagreb, and it will be driven on the local roads of Zagreb, Karlovac and Krapina-Zagorje counties. How attractive these races are is best illustrated by the 836 million spectators who watched the WRC last year. The clubs holding the Croatia Rally are D.T. from Poreč and Cro Dakar Team from Zagreb, with the support of the Croatian Auto and Karting Association.

"This was literally a fight of 11 rounds, and now the most important one awaits us, the organizational and logistical one. Still, the feeling is great because the WRC is, along with Formula 1, the most prestigious octane competition in the world and only selected countries have the opportunity to host this spectacle. In addition to the sports part, we are planning many side events, such as a large economic and investment forum, because sports are first and foremost big business. I am proud and grateful to everyone involved in this complex process! We will show Croatia in the best light and mark 115 years of motoring in Croatia in the best possible way!" concluded the president of the Croatian Auto and Karting Association Davorin Štetner.

It has taken many years of struggle, lobbying and positioning Croatia as an ideal destination for the WRC. 

Back in 2017, after Croatia Rally, as a successor to the INA Delta Rally, moved to Istria in 2013 as a European Rally Championship, the team around Auto Club D.T. from Porec, A.K. Cro Dakar Team from Zagreb and A.K. Delta Sport from Zagreb, with the support of the then president of the Croatian Auto and Karting Association (HAKS) Matko Bolanča, vice president of HAKS Domagoj Kamenski and secretary of HAKS Zrinko Gregurek, started working more concretely on the idea of ​​bringing the WRC to Croatia. Thanks to Zrinko Gregurek, secretary of HAKS, the Croatian beauties, tourist infrastructure and winding, hilly and narrow Istrian and Kvarner roads, with the persistence of project managers Daniel Šaškin, Marin Frček and their team, the WRC was at their door. Then in September, the most important people of the WRC and the FIA ​​visited Croatia to present the ideas and possibilities.

A meeting was held at the highest level, with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, the project had the support of MINT and CNTB, and things were more than promising. In fact, Croatia was granted the WRC in 2018, but Turkey was faster, so in almost a week it obtained all the necessary permits and state guarantees and signed a contract with the WRC promoter for the end of September, which Croatian organizers had hoped for. After that, the term offered to Croatia was in July 2018, which was not acceptable given the seasonal crowds and the peak tourist season, and the organizers wanted the WRC in Croatia to be organized in April, May, early June, late September or October.

Without thinking about surrendering, the struggle for the arrival of the WRC in Croatia continued. Thus, at the 103rd session in 2018, the Government of the Republic of Croatia gave its consent to submit a candidacy for the organization of the World Rally Championship (WRC) in the Republic of Croatia in 2019 and 2020. This was the first precondition for the globally popular WRC to be held for the first time in Croatia, as the FIA ​​and WRC Promoters condition the bringing of one WRC station only by the active participation of state institutions in the project on several levels, of course, to ensure quality performance and an organization at the level required by the whole event.

Then all the prerequisites for the day's agreement were on the table, and the organizers wanted the WRC in Croatia to be organized in April, May, early June, late September, or October 2019 or 2020. But then the story came to a halt and there was no news about the progress of the negotiations.

However, in March 2019, Davorin Štetner, former assistant president and longtime member of the Board of the Croatian Auto and Karting Association, was elected the new president of the association. Without any multiplication of the success and effort of the entire team that worked from the beginning, the arrival of Stetner at the forefront was a game-changer and a change of direction through a new narrator. Because Davorin Štetner, entrepreneur and investor, was written in capital letters in the history of Formula 1 in 2011 as the youngest private owner of Formula 1 TV rights in the world. An achievement that enabled him to have direct contacts with the leading people of Formula 1, as well as the position of special guest of all F1 events around the world.

Also, in the same year, the Kreator Group successfully obtained media rights for the most prestigious sailing race around the world - Volvo Ocean Race ™ and the rights to broadcast the World Motorcycle Championship - MotoGP ™ and other premium sports rights.

In 2013, he launched a specialized sports channel - Kreator TV, which broadcasts in almost all cable operators in the country. In parallel with the launch of the channel, Štetner also invests in a satellite and television center in Jastrebarsko. In 2014, he signed agreements on exclusive cooperation with Eurosport and other major television companies. At the beginning of 2012, he founded the KREATOR RACING TEAM with the aim of racing in karting and foreign Formula One categories. Also, Štetner is a member of the FIA group for digital motorsport and participated in the creation of rules at the global level, and no less important, the president of the Croatian network of business angels - CRANE.

Finally, in July 2020, Jean Todt, President of the World Automobile Federation (FIA) visited Croatia, and the main topic of meetings with Croatian officials was the possibility of holding the World Rally Championship race in Croatia. Under the leadership of Jean Todt from 1993 to 2008 - Ferrari won 14 Formula 1 titles, a name that does not need to be specifically represented anywhere in the world.

All of the above led to this video address by Jean Todt on the pages of the Croatian Auto and Karting Association - HAKS.

Interestingly, Jean Todt especially referred to the successful organization and holding of the 46th INA Delta Rally in Zagreb, which took place at the end of September this year, especially in the context of restrictions and epidemiological measures related to the coronavirus epidemic.

In 2019, the WRC was watched by 836 million spectators, and 13 races attracted more than 4 million spectators, while the races achieved 1.4 billion online views. About 1,500 accredited journalists report on the competition, and almost 9,860 hours of TV programs have been produced, which are broadcast in more than 150 countries around the world.

In the last seven years, the WRC has recorded a significant trend of growing popularity. This was helped by the implementation of new television technologies with the creative use of footage from helicopters and drones.

Feasibility studies prepared in 2017 by the Faculty of Economics and Tourism from Pula, headed by prof. dr. sc. Robert Zenzerović, Cooperative for Ethical Financing from Zagreb and an abbreviated study by the Department of Economics and Sports Management of the Faculty of Kinesiology in Zagreb, headed by dr. sc. Sanela Škorić et al. sc. Mato Bartolucie from the Faculty of Economics in Zagreb, and based on data from other WRC races in the world, proves that this is a project of great benefit to the Republic of Croatia.

In the most conservative calculations, the generated consumption would amount to 22 million euros. The direct profit for the state, only through VAT, is at least four million euros, while the indirect profit of the project through media effects is 41 million euros.

It is clear that one such global attraction is a magnet for extending the tourist season and promoting and branding Croatia on a global level. We could clearly see this in the example of the Tour of Croatia race, which was unfortunately killed due to private interests. This can only be achieved with new attractive content and strong entertainment and sports events in the pre- and post-season, such as the WRC.

The arrival of the WRC in Croatia is an opportunity to promote and brand Croatia, because no matter what we think, the Croatia brand is still insufficiently recognized throughout the world. After all, the best ambassadors of Croatia so far have been its sporting successes.

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Man Who Announced First Croatian Car Has Company Account Blocked

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 10th of October, 2020, Boris Smrecko, the businessman who once announced that he'd produce the very first Croatian car, was forbidden to dispose in any sense of his property by the Zagreb Transport Institute. Such an entry in the Court Register is a consequence of the decision of the Zagreb County Court which was passed recently, more precisely on September the 29th, 2020, according to a report from Lider.

Boris Smrecki is otherwise the sole owner and director of ZPT, and through his Slovenian company Kozmo Teh, which is registered in Brezice, he also owns Mac-mobile (formerly Matral), of which he is also the director. That company, among other things, sells used cars and new Russian UAZ and GAZ vehicles.

A pre-bankruptcy agreement, which was initially opened four long years ago, was finally confirmed for that company back in June last year. The company's creditors have waived 70 percent of the nearly seven million kuna claim, and the rest of the ample sum should be received within the next three years following a one-year grace period. Pre-bankruptcy proceedings would not have been chosen without the consent of the largest creditor, the well known Addiko Bank, which, with its 3.3 million kuna in receivables, found itself rather unusually listed among the unsecured creditors.

It's worth recalling that in addition to once announcing that he would be the one to produce the very first Croatian car, Boris Smrecki was also the assistant minister of transport in Racan's former government.

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Serengeti: One of Biggest Croatian Developer Companies to Develop AI

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 9th of October, 2020, Serengeti, a Croatian consulting company that provides enterprise solution development services and is one of the largest such developer companies in Croatia, and Besplay Adria, a Zagreb-based startup that developed the RedAI application, recently signed a contract by which Serengeti becomes a co-owner of RedAI application. In addition, a collaboration with Tricentis, which has been recognised as a leader in automated testing by Gartner, Forrester and IDC, has been announced.

"By partnering with Besplay Adria, ie the co-ownership in the RedAI application, which is based on the application of advanced machine learning technologies and artificial intelligence, we've made a step forward into a new, attractive area. In addition, by including the RedAI application in our portfolio, we've entered the retail industry, which is recording its latest boom thanks to the application of innovative software solutions that allow both small and large players on this competitive market to be as agile as possible,'' commented Serengeti's CEO Goran Kalanj. He added "Serengeti has long been present on the market as a reliable partner for automated software testing, and cooperation with the world leader in this field, Tricentris, further confirms this and gives us the opportunity to apply our knowledge and best practices in this area in terms of further development and functionality of the software testing solution,''

"We're extremely pleased to be able to start a business synergy with Serengeti, which is established here on the Croatian market as one of the leading IT companies. Considering that the RedAI solution is also 100% made in Croatia, we're glad that in the future two Croatian companies will try to position RedAI commercially outside of our own borders, as well as continuously technologically improve the solution in the years ahead. FMCG/CPG is the primary industry where RedAI has proven to be a "must have" product for leading companies within the industry, but our goal is to offer complementary digital solutions in other industry niches and improve their business,'' said Domagoj Borsic, CEO of Besplay Adria.

''RedAI is an application that delivers current results on your device in correlation with your predefined KPIs. The user photographs the shelf or refrigerator with a mobile device or tablet with simple guidelines built into the app. AI software detects, processes and classifies each SKU previously defined by the client and delivers results to the user on site, as well as the management team, and compares compliance with established KPIs or contract terms with individual retailers,'' the director of Besplay Adria explained.

2020, although marked by the ongoing coronavirus crisis, is the year in which Croatia's Serengeti started a number of new projects on both the Croatian and foreign markets. In the retail industry it accelerated the implementation of advanced solutions. Numerous clients on foreign markets are the best proof of Serengeti's domain knowledge and the name of the company is known in the countries of Western Europe.

By taking over part of the ownership in the RedAI application, Serengeti has become an exclusive partner of Besplay Adria and will support this startup company in the further development of the application as well as its presentation in foreign markets. It is an application that uses artificial intelligence technology and is used by sales representatives to improve the sale of consumer goods. Thanks to this innovative solution, sales representatives can analyse a shelf in a shopping centre as well as products in refrigerators in the HoReCa sector in just a few seconds. The next step in the development of the application is 3D mapping of products within the application, which requires the further application of advanced and modern technologies.

Smart software testing is the next step in the field of automated testing where Serengeti will work with Tricentris in a way that their consultants will strengthen the existing team and develop new functionalities towards smart software testing solutions. Tricentris is a globally recognised company that has been at the very top of the software testing industry for several years in a row now, according to independent research. Their solution encompasses the entire process of testing software functionality from an end-user perspective.

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

Pompeo in Dubrovnik Warns Croatia Against Close Ties With China

October the 11th, 2020 - Mike Pompeo in Dubrovnik attracted a lot of media attention, and the former head of the CIA had a clear message to Croatia when it comes to doing business with the Chinese - Be careful.

As Novac/David Lekaj writes, "Open your eyes when doing business with China," was the message of the former head of the Central Intelligence Agency, who received his military training at the prestigious West Point and his doctorate in law from Harvard.

Mike Pompeo in Dubrovnik explained the geopolitical dangers and pitfalls of cooperation with China in great detail as part of the "17 + 1" initiative. His statement that "the Chinese just want to take money from Croatia" surprised the Croatian public, considering that newspaper columns have been filled with articles about Chinese investments in various projects within the country for several years. However, what was happening far from the radar of the Croatian public was the presentation of Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma to Chinese businessmen at the "Green Forum" on Tuesday (September the 29th) when he uttered almost the same words as Pompeo in Dubrovnik. All in all, we should encourage our government to seriously consider Croatia's further role in the "17 + 1" initiative.

What has been achieved from the announced Chinese investments in Croatia? Well almost nothing. In the absence of the realisation of the promised investments, Peljesac Bridge often gets referred to as a Chinese investment, although it isn't. Peljesac Bridge is an investment by the Croatian Government, mostly financed by European Union (EU) funds. The Chinese simply picked up money to carry out the work. The then Chinese ambassador in Zagreb, Hu Zhaoming, in the midst of some strong media lobbying for Chinese companies, publicly promised that the money that the Chinese state-owned company would receive for doing the work on Peljesac Bridge would be invested in Croatia. As soon as the transfer was made, the Chinese directed all the money to the Italian Port of Trieste, and Ambassador Hu Zhaoming left Croatia for half a term, and was promoted to the high position of Director of the Information and Communication Office of the Central Liaison Department at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Such a modus operandi was pointed out by Pompeo in Dubrovnik. As were China's combinatorics through the "17 + 1" initiative, whereby China has networked the transition countries of Europe in order for Chinese companies to gain initial business experience that they currently lack to enter the ''game'' with developed EU countries. In fact, the "17 + 1" initiative brings together the "b" and "c" leagues of European countries according to Chinese criteria. In all this, Croatia hasn't achieved any economic interest and this quite legitimately calls into question the further membership of Croatia in such an organisation from which only China benefits.

Alibaba Group founder Jack Ma appealed to Chinese corporations at the Green Forum on Tuesday (September the 29th) to strive to be at the service of the world to restore China's degraded image, rather than trying to conquer the global market. In addition, Ma told Chinese businessmen that they should stop considering globalisation a mere effort to conquer the global market and nothing more. Instead, they should properly develop their ability to provide quality products and services, the tycoon noted.

In other words, China’s image is currently and expectedly dismal, as Chinese companies are the world’s biggest plagiarists, unscrupulously using other people’s patents and intellectual property. But you don't have to go to China to understand what Jack Ma is talking about, just visit the Smederevo steel plant or the Bor mine in neighbouring Serbia, which taken over by the Chinese, and after talking to the locals there it will be clear what environmental issues are at stake in that part of Serbia. If China doesn't finally make a real turnaround, if it doesn't become a reliable country that instills confidence in others, that doesn't "mask" things that can endanger human lives around the world (as it did at the beginning of the current coronavirus pandemic), then such a China quite simply cannot expect the rest of the world to harbour decent relations with it, instead, the world will continue to experience China as it did before - the global cradle of cheap copies.

The harsh criticism of the Chinese Embassy in Zagreb on the statements of the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Dubrovnik was obviously wrongly addressed, as Pompeo spoke in Dubrovnik almost in the same tone as Jack Ma did just a few days ago in China.

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Sunday, 11 October 2020

New Award for Lino Lada Ice Cream from Podravka and Ledo

As Novac writes on the 10th of October, 2020 - Lino Lada ice cream, created in collaboration with Podravka and Ledo, won the Golden Basket (Zlatna Kosarica) for the best product in the year 2019, a prestigious annual award given by the magazine I TRGOVAC.

In the category in which there are traditionally the largest number of applicants and strong competition of top Croatian products, Lino Lada ice cream won the expert jury over with its unique taste and innovation. The Golden Basket is a new big recognition for Lino Lada ice cream, which was declared the best in the world at the International Ice Cream Consortium in Sweden last year.

''The Golden Basket for Product of the Year confirmed that, together with our partner Ledo, we've recognised the potential of expanding the range of Lino Lada cream spreads into new innovative categories such as impulse ice creams. In the past period, Lino Lada ice cream has achieved exceptional results and delighted consumers on both the domestic and global markets. The Lino Lada brand is once again proving to be a favourite cream spread, and winning the Golden Basket for the product of the year for the second year in a row is an additional confirmation of the quality and innovation of Podravka's products,'' said Vesna Visnic, Podravka's Director of Kids' Food, Sweets and Snacks.

''We're extremely honoured to have received this award as another proof of the quality of what we do, for Lino Lada ice cream, which we made in collaboration with Podravka, which is truly the perfect partner for such an attractive and innovative product. In addition, it is a confirmation dedicated to the hard work of our employees, and especially the development team that successfully turns their creative ideas into the finest ice creams and frozen products. So, congratulations to them too! Every year we try to develop some new flavours and combinations and take a step further in the desire to innovate and enhance our creativity to meet the most diverse requirements of our customers and consumers, because they're our number one priority. This shows that we're succeeding in that,'' said Stela Ilijas, Assistant Director of Marketing and Development.

Lino Lada ice cream was first launched on the market in April 2019. In just a few days since the launch, the first stocks were sold out, making it the most sought-after dessert in all of the Republic of Croatia, and a total of 2.8 million pieces of Lino Lada ice cream were sold on the Croatian and foreign markets last year.

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Saturday, 10 October 2020

Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads: Tax Advice, Keynote Speakers, Early Bird Last Call

October 10, 2020 - Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads next week, as more details on the speaker line up are revealed, as well as a last call for Early Bird tickets. 

One of the things I really enjoy at TCN is taking a topic I believe in, pushing it forward, and then watching things develop through other like-minded people with better skill sets than my own. 

And nowhere is this more exciting currently than the buzz which is developing about the potential of digital nomad tourism and the imminent digital nomad visa. 

I have been writing about the digital nomad potential for Croatia for some time now with articles such as How Croatia is Becoming Increasingly Attractive for the Digital Nomad Lifestyle, but it was Dutch TCN reader Jan de Jong who really moved things forward after I sent him some articles on the subject to help him prepare for a tourism conference back in May. The rest is history, with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic tweeting his response to Jan's open letter asking for a digital nomad visa for Croatia. As things stand, things look set for Croatia to become only the second country in Europe after Estonia to introduce the visa next year. 

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You can read Jan's latest LinkedIn update on the subject on LinkedIn, although if you want to get the real scoop of what is happening with the visa and digital nomad movement in Croatia in general, I advise you to tune in to Jan next week at the Dubrovnik for Digital Nomads European Freelancer Week conference, which is taking place from October 16 - 25.

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One of the other early pioneers of the digital nomad scene in Croatia is Tanja Polegubic, whose Croatia-based remote work and lifestyle business Saltwater is quickly become known as a go-to resource for remote workers coming to Croatia, especially those looking for a touch of Bali on a beach in Split. While others (including myself) talk about the potential in more general terms, Tanja has put more thought into the realities of where the digital nomad revolution could take Croatia, and I heartily recommend interested parties to read her excellent piece - 10 Ways Croatia Will Be At The Forefront of Countries with a Digital Nomad Visa (DNV).

Sometimes Tanja and Jan come together to brainstorm about Croatia's digital nomad future. And next week, you can join them!

Together with the City of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Tourist Board and TCN, Tanja and Saltwater are hosting a series of events as part of European Freelancer Week from October 16-25, which you can attend in person or online. Tanja has done an incredible job arranging speakers for the event, a combination of Croatian experts and global names from the world of remote work. 

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What I particularly like about the lineup is how full it is with practical information and real-life experiences, in addition to the chance to hear from and engage with the pioneers such as Jan and Tanja. One such example is taxation and digital nomads in the Croatian context. We are very grateful to Kristina Grbavac, Director of Taxation Services at KMPG Croatia, whose tax thoughts on the subject are sure to be of great interest. 

Having dealt with many local authorities over the years, I have to say that I have been very impressed by the engagement of the Dubrovnik authorities since we first approached them with our digital nomad concepts for the city back in July. Both Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic and Dubrovnik Tourist Board director Ana Hrnic will be speaking at the conference, and - together with Deputy Mayor Jelka Tepsic - the city is very focused on promoting this new opportunity. I look forward to our bigger initiative for Dubrovnik for digital nomads in April. 

The sessions will be a mixture of live presentations, as well as speakers tuning in from Istanbul, Baltimore and New York. The event will also be streamed at other EF Week events in other cities, further promoting Dubrovnik as a digital nomad destination. 

In addition to Jan, the other two keynote speakers are fabulous additions to the programme. Dr. Wallace J. Nichols, a marine biologist and author of the NY Times bestseller 'Blue Mind' will be discussing Wellbeing and Productivity, especially as it relates to digital nomad life. You can learn more and support the work of Dr Wallace J. Nichols over on Patreon. We are also thrilled to be joined by Kashlee Kucheran of the successful travel blog TravelOffPath.com. Kashlee will be talking about how Croatia can stand out, trends, digital nomad demographics, and how the tourism sector is pivoting to cater to digital nomads.

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  • Tickets are available here, including details of early bird tickets. There are also a limited number of tickets available free for residents of Dubrovnik if you would like to learn more about the digital nomad lifestyle and opportunity. Regarding ticket purchase, please note that once you buy a ticket, you will be emailed your receipt and then a link and instructions on how to attend within. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE FOR EARLY BIRD TICKETS IS MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
  • Event program and speaker information is on saltwaternomads.com/events
  • Speaker Bios: https://saltwaternomads.com/speakers/
  • If you would like to ATTEND IN PERSON - there are some remaining spots for digital nomads who are in or get to Dubrovnik for EFWeek. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

See you in Dubrovnik! It promises to be an exciting meeting of minds, exploring new opportunities for tourism in Dubrovnik. 

For the latest on the Croatian digital nomad scene, follow the new TCN dedicated section

 

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