Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac: Croatia is a Safe Destination for Tourists from Slovenia
August 20, 2020 - The coronavirus spokesman of the Slovenian government, Jelko Kacin, confirmed on Wednesday what was speculated - Slovenia will put Croatia on the red list Thursday night. However, he said that in reality, Croatia is already on the Slovenian red list. Croatian Tourism Minister Nikolina Brnjac responded.
Index.hr reports that Slovenian tourists will most likely have until the end of the week to return to Slovenia to avoid a two-week self-isolation.
"In reality, Croatia is already on the red list today, and formally it will be tomorrow," Kacin said, adding that the situation in Croatia is dramatic.
He went a step further and said that Croatia no longer controls the situation with the coronavirus.
"We have to be realistic and understand that they are no longer in control of their situation; their epidemiologists can no longer do that. There will be big problems in the health system. The situation requires sober heads and decisive moves," Kacin said.
"The situation in Croatia is so bad that we have no choice but to call on our citizens to return to Slovenia as soon as possible. Things are getting worse quickly and it will be much worse," Kacin added.
The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, answered him.
The press release received from the Ministry of Tourism and Sports is transmitted in its entirety:
"Following the latest statements by the coronavirus spokesman of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia, Jelko Kacin, we reject his allegations that the situation in Croatia is dramatic.
We remind you that Slovenia is continuously at the very top of the market crucial for the overall result of Croatian tourism, which is illustrated by eVisitor indicators according to which in June 2020, we recorded approximately 207 thousand arrivals and 1.1 million overnight stays from the Slovenian market. July reached a level of approximately 382 thousand arrivals and 3.4 million overnight stays.
According to preliminary indicators for August (as of August 18), we are currently at the level of approximately 238 thousand arrivals and 2.2 million overnight stays of Slovenes, of which 71.4 percent are realized in Istria, Kvarner and Lika. We want to point out that in these three counties, a total of 10 cases of newly infected with COVID-19 were recorded in the past 24 hours.
The perception of Croatia is extremely good for most Slovenian tourists; in Croatia, they feel safe since they know it well and are the owners of numerous properties (more than 100,000).
Minister of Tourism and Sports Nikolina Brnjac is in constant contact with representatives of associations in the tourism system, to ensure full compliance with epidemiological measures in tourist facilities, as well as the possibility of introducing testing for foreign tourists in tourist facilities.
Croatia will continue to do everything in its power to ensure that the relevant foreign institutions have all the accurate and precise information on the basis of which they make decisions on the inclusion of countries on risk lists, i.e., on the lists of safe countries," the Ministry said.
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German Television: Croatian Tourism Needs Radical Changes
August 20, 2020 - German television WDR published a 45-minute report on Croatian tourism this year, which it called "Paradise for a vacation without tourists".
Index.hr reports that it is a continuation of a report from two years ago, which dealt with the problems of Croatian tourism, such as the overcrowding in Dubrovnik. However, the coronavirus pandemic has changed everything.
"For tourists, this is an ideal situation because they have almost the entire coast to themselves, while the locals worry about whether they will survive financially and how to survive," the beginning of the WDR report states.
The impact of the pandemic on Croatian tourism
A Croatian waiter tells them: "Of course I am afraid of the future, I don't know who I could work for at all. Everyone here lives from tourism." Shots of Dubrovnik's rather empty streets follow, incomparable to the hustle and bustle filmed by German journalists two years ago at the same time.
"How hard has the corona crisis hit Croatia? How does it affect tourism? And how do people deal with it?" are questions that WDR is trying to answer.
Dubrovnik without tourists
They say that Dubrovnik is almost empty, so it is not difficult to keep a distance because there are simply no people. On the other hand, one Dubrovnik resident says that before the pandemic, Dubrovnik was so crowded that it was no longer possible to live in the city. "Everything was focused on profit," says the Dubrovnik resident, who recalls that there were days when six cruisers came to Dubrovnik, so the locals knew that there was simply no point in going out on the street that day because of the crowds. This year, however, no cruiser will come to Dubrovnik. One is in the harbor, but it is empty, and will spend the winter there.
It is stated that Dubrovnik is full of ads with discounts, but also that more and more business premises are offered for sale. They point out that the gastronomic sector in Dubrovnik was particularly affected, which last year served more than five thousand people a day, while now there are simply no guests. It is predicted that many restaurants and cafes will close this year, that they will not survive the crisis.
No crowds at Plitvice
The next location covered by the WDR report is Plitvice Lakes. A team of journalists film a camp near Plitvice, whose 2,500 spots are always filled. This year, there are only about 200 tents and caravans in the camp, and most of those who came did not reserve their place in advance because they concluded that there was no need for it.
Footage from 2018 shows a long line before entering Plitvice Lakes National Park, and this year there is no line at all. Now, due to the pandemic, a maximum of 300 people are allowed into the National Park per hour at each of the two entrances, but there are fewer guests than that. There were thousands of them before. The management of the National Park points out that they regularly disinfect everything and adhere to other epidemiological measures. Still, visitors wear masks, which are optional.
"For those who live from tourism, the situation is completely different, and they are already feeling the crisis," the report said. They point out that the area around Plitvice is poor, that there is no industry, and that many in tourism have tried to earn some extra money and taken out loans to build apartments for rent. But this year there are hardly any guests.
WDR reminds us that the tourist boom in Plitvice was created without the necessary infrastructure and that it has its dark side, especially when it comes to sewage and wastewater.
The journalists again visited the so-called 'seventeenth lake', i.e., 'the lake of crap' on Plitvice, which was created there a couple of years ago. “There was a bestial stench in the middle of the National Park,” recalls a WDR reporter. This year there is none of it, because there are no tourists, so the existing infrastructure is sufficient for those who live in Plitvice. There is also a treatment plant, a project of the National Park and the Ministry of Environmental Protection, which helped with the remediation. The mayor of Plitvice, Ante Kovac, explains that the problem was solved thanks to the protests of the local population, but also "because of the journalists, who pushed the politicians against the wall".
On the other hand, the residents of Plitvice experienced a "financial shock" due to the pandemic and hope to recover next year. One landlord says the financial pandemic is “worse than war”.
They want year-round, sustainable tourism on Hvar
The third destination visited by the WDR team was Hvar. They remind viewers that two years ago, it was a "party island", which created problems even then, so the local government introduced stricter rules of conduct for tourists and started threatening fines for inappropriate behavior.
"Now this problem has been solved on its own," the report states, along with footage of empty Hvar streets.
The owner of a Hvar hostel says that he no longer wants to do that business because the pandemic has shown that the whole model of Croatian tourism is wrong. “A new approach is needed, new projects,” he tells WDR. "Hvar can offer more than nightclubs, cafes and loud music," he said, adding that he wanted to implement "radical changes in tourism on Hvar" with local like-minded people. The goal is to achieve "year-round, sustainable tourism".
You can watch the video in its entirety HERE
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Cross-Border Drama: Austrian Decision Implies Complications for Business
The application of special measures made by the Austrian decision in regard to Croatia will certainly affect the economic relations between the two countries as well as mere travel plans. Cross-border drama is set to erupt as government decisions muddy the waters.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Brnic writes on the 19th of August, 2020, the new, stricter entry regime that the Austrian decision has seen that country apply to Croatia since Monday, after listing it among the countries at increased risk of spreading coronavirus, will further weaken economic relations between the two countries, warn businessmen on both sides. Not only are Croatian hoteliers and hospitality workers now under attack, who have already felt the withdrawal of Austrian guests, but other business is set to be strained, too.
This time, with an anti-coronavirus decree, the Austrian authorities also eliminated the exceptions that were valid in the Croatian case in the business segment during the first wave of the pandemic and lockdown. Until the 30th of September, which is currently the length of time for which this new regime enforced by the Austrian decision is in force, the exemption from mandatory testing or quarantine remains in force only for freight traffic, but not for coming to do business.
The exception doesn't apply even to cross-border workers, including those who go to Austria on quite literally a daily basis. All of them must have a medical certificate in either German or English proving the negative result of a COVID-PCR test, not older than 72 hours, or they must quarantine for ten days at their own expense. The details of the new Austrian decision were also reported by the Trade Department of the Austrian Embassy in Croatia, with a published list of laboratories for the testing of private individuals in Croatia. At the moment, Austrian businessmen are also interested in whether Croatia will now retaliate with the same measures, but a unilateral stricter regime of entry control for business life inevitably means complications and costs, which will certainly be felt in the business world on both sides.
The President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK), Luka Burilovic, is convinced that the application of these special measures will certainly affect the economic relations between the two countries, especially since Austria is one of Croatia's most important foreign trade partners.
"The consequences will undoubtedly affect tourism, and at this moment in time, the issue of cross-border provision of services is opening up. Namely, only from July the 1st this year have our companies had free access to the Austrian market without restrictions for, for example, the construction sector and related activities, so the application of these restrictions to many companies doing business with Austria or in the negotiation process has hindered one of the four fundamental freedoms of the EU,'' Burilovic pointed out.
He particularly welcomes the initiative of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce, with which the Croatian Chamber of Commerce has long-standing excellent cooperation, to adapt the measures to the needs of the economy and exempt cross-border workers from such restrictions, as is now the case for transport and transit. According to him, restrictive measures should not affect the flow of goods, because they don't apply to supply chains and transport companies.
"However, the requirement for testing for people crossing the border on a daily basis greatly hinders the free flow of people for business activities, and thus affects the economic situation, which is not only unfavourable for Croatia, but also for Austrian partners of Croatian companies and employers too," concluded the President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce.
On the eve of July the 1st, when the need for Croatian nationals to obtain a work permit in order to work legally in Austria finally ceased, it was expected that the already present daily migrations of workers from two northwestern Croatian counties, Medjimurje and Varazdin, would increase. The big wave that was expected didn't occur due to the coronavirus outbreak, and citing Austrian estimates, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs says that about four thousand cross-border workers are currently employed. So far, they add, there have been no requests for help from the Croatian embassy in Vienna, and the embassy is in contact with the competent Federal Ministry of Labour regarding cross-border workers.
Austrian businessmen, on the other hand, are concerned that they will also have to test their "control" people employed companies they have in Croatia. Unlike Austria, cross-border workers don't have to undergo such treatment in the case of Italy, which also put Croatia on the so-called red list. So far, there are no indications that this would happen in the case of workers who travel across the Croatian-Slovenian border every day if, as expected, Slovenia decides to declare Croatia "dangerous" at the end of the week.
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Alemka Markotic Discusses Measures, Vaccines, Communication With Public
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 19th of August, 2020, a recent guest of Dnevnik N1 television was Alemka Markotic, the director of the ''Dr. Fran Mihaljevic'' Clinic for Infectious Diseases in Zagreb. The current situation, measures for the beginning of the school year and the race for the vaccine are some of the topics she discussed.
"Slightly higher numbers are the result of more activity over the summer in this part of the Earth's hemisphere where everyone relaxed and are travelling, it was obviously easier for the virus to penetrate. It all happens in the open, more or less among the younger population, so for now, at least in Croatia, there are no serious consequences, almost 90 percent of those infected didn't need to be hospitalised, but that doesn't mean we should relax and think that everything is solved,'' she stated.
''The virus accelerates when we reduce precautions. There has been talk for months about mutations, and research by Professor Cicin-Sain, in which this same clinic for infectious diseases also participated, shows that the virus has point mutations that allow it to be transmitted more easily from person to person,'' said Alemka Markotic.
"We're not in closed spaces, so the dose of the virus people receive is lower, which can also affect their clinical picture, but we should be careful and the disease shouldn't be transmitted to the elderly, into facilities used by the health system and into nursing homes, that's what we're trying to stop from happening all the time," she explained.
On the question of schools and some of the confusing information that has been circulating, she said: ''We may be late with information to the public, but sometimes it is better to refine everything to make sure it's all clearer than to run around giving out unfinished information, it's best that we can do everything two months before, but we saw that cooronavirus is also preparing surprises and that the situation is changing, so when it comes to the instructions, we will have to change and adapt to the situation as it comes. ”
At the moment, the US, China, the UK and Germany are working intensively to find a vaccine. Alemka Markotic analysed how far they had come.
“The advantages for now are that all four vaccines are quite close to coming to the results of the third clinical study, some are at the very beginning, some have a significant number of subjects, all four vaccines haven't had serious side effects and there is good information on the vaccine's efficacy, and which can offer efficacy with lower doses,'' she explained
As for the Russian vaccine, she says the rules must be followed, but that she cannot say that the vaccine won't be any good, but all stages of testing, whether for vaccines or for medicine, must absolutely be followed.
Alemka Markotic also pointed out that the policies of these countries will try to take advantage of the invention of vaccines, but as for the scientists and pharmaceutical companies, she said that the competition is great because over 200 companies and scientific institutions want to create a vaccine and it is then "maybe a matter of scientific prestige the first to be able to help people. ”
She doesn't anticipate higher profits from such moves, except in the case of the mass vaccination of people.
What about anti-vaxxers?
Alemka Markotic also commented on people who doubt the effectiveness of the vaccine. She doesn’t think that a large percentage of people are in question. "There is a percentage of people who think differently, they need to be talked to and I have often talked to them and when arguments are approached and in good faith, people accept it," she said.
She added that she can see from the data that more and more people are being vaccinated, for example against the flu. She also recalled that after the outbreak of measles, people rushed to get vaccinated against the disease. In addition, she also believes that experts should make an effort to make people understand and contribute further to this, for example, by issuing more clear information on how vaccines are produced to remove conspiracy theories.
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Fate of Zagreb Fair (Zagrebacki Velesajam) Remains in Question
As Darko Bicak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of August, 2020, Autumn is the traditional time of large fair exhibitions at the Zagreb Fair (Zagrebacki Velesajam), and when it comes to just what will happen with the numerous planned events due to the situation with the coronavirus pandemic, no one knows, not even those in charge.
Poslovni Dnevnik didn't receive a concrete answer to their inquiry about the Zagreb Fair's business plans due to the coronavirus drama, which could worsen in the autumn. Unofficially, it has been learned that something more precise will be known at the beginning of September, but that everything will depend on the epidemiological situation. For now, the Zagreb Fsir is obviously continuing according to plan.
For this year, as many as eleven fair events are planned. While most of them are intended for a small circle of people, some of them are mega-popular fair exhibitions that are also a kind of 'tradition' for the Zagreb Fair. Although the Zagreb Auto Show took first place for a long time, its one-time revival a few years ago, after a ong break, fell somewhat flat in comparison to past glory.
However, for years now, the Interliber book fair has been a regular and well-attended book fair, which has become a kind of social and cultural event of the year in Zagreb and in Croatia as a whole. As tickets aren't sold for this fair, it is difficult to estimate just exactly how many visitors there typically are, but the numbers go up to 150 thousand.
Specifically, last year, 300 exhibitors were presented during the six days of the book sales exhibition, and the Zagreb Fair estimates that more than 130,000 people visited Interliber. Interliber should take place from November the 10th to the 15th, and there is no information about its fate, and it seems that everything will depend on the epidemiological situation and the measures and recommendations of the National Civil Protection Headquarters.
Last year, 481 exhibitors from 28 countries exhibited at Ambienta, and the Zagreb Fair placed particular emphasis on the growth of business visitors by 15 percent when compared to 2018.
The first announced fair is the International Dental Fair Dentax which is announced for September the 24th. As this is a specialised fair which brings together a very narrow circle of professional visitors, its holding in accordance with very strict epidemiological measures might even be conceivable. For a slightly wider audience, the next beauty and hairstyles fair is “Beauty & Hair Expo Zagreb” which should last from the 25th to the 27th of September.
What follows is a popular exhibition of furniture, interior design and its accompanying industry, Ambienta, from the 14th to the 18th of October. Last year, 481 exhibitors from 28 countries exhibited at Ambienta, and it was visited by 21,259 visitors. Last year, the Zagreb Fair especially pointed out that they were happy with the growth of business visitors by 15 percent when compared to the year before. The Art Fair Zagreb art fair is also planned this year.
There should be several more fairs held at the Zagreb Fair before 2020 draws to a close. Additionally, three fairs for 2021 have already been announced.
Back in June, the Global Framework for the reopening of trade fairs and B2B events after the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic was presented, prepared by the Global Fair Industry Association (UFI), which states that after the blockade due to the crisis, trade fairs must only open under tightly controlled conditions.
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Croatian Hospitals Prepare for Autumn: 250 Respirators On Way
The situation with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic is expected to worsen as autumn and winter approach and bring with them much colder weather. During the summer season, the entire Croatian health system worked at about fifty percent of its usual capacity, as it does every summer, because at that time there were few patients, nor were there doctors available for full-time work, so Croatian hospitals were not crowded.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 18th of August, 2020, the preparations being undertaken by Croatian hospitals for the autumn ''meeting'' with a potentially more difficult situation with the new coronavirus were discussed at a recent meeting between Health Minister Vili Beros with the directors of numerous hospital institutions.
The summer season when the vast majority head to the Croatian coast en masse is always a more quiet time for hospitals and other health facilities across the country. However, the situation will soon change significantly, so a reminder of caution is necessary, Jutarnji list writes.
At the centre of the discussion yesterday were visits to children in hospital and parental dissatisfaction by limiting the meeting to just fifteen minutes, which has been a topic of heated debate and heightened emotions ever since the move was put into practice in an attempt to slow the rate of the spread of infection. The conclusion is that the health and safety of children being treated in hospitals must come first. The organisation of parental visits will depend on the capabilities of each individual hospital or health institution.
The Minister informed his colleagues that according to the European Commission's programme, another 250 respirators will arrive in Croatian hospitals soon, which means that the country would then have a total of 1,050 of them for those who have a dire clinical picture and require oxygen. Experts claim that this is a sufficient number if the situation with coronavirus in Croatia worsens.
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Bozinovic Says Restriction On Work Of Nightclubs To Be Extended
ZAGREB, Aug 19, 2020 - The head of the national COVID-19 response team, Davor Bozinovic, said on Wednesday that the regulation banning the work of night clubs after midnight would definitely be extended considering that most new cases of infection are young people who have visited night clubs, notably in central Dalmatia.
"The ban will definitely be extended, we'll see if there is room for some modifications because there have been attempts to bypass the ban through restaurants and bars, which are allowed to work after midnight," he said, noting that inspectors would continue checking up on those establishments.
Croatia is not an unsafe country
"Of course Croatia is not an unsafe country in any segment of security," he said in a comment on Slovenian government spokesman Jelko Kacin's claim that Croatia is an unsafe country due to a surge in the number of new COVID-19 cases.
He said that it was a fact that the number of new infections in Croatia was growing but that Croatia was also one of the few countries whose tourism did exist in the current pandemic, with figures for July and August equalling up to 70 and 80% of last year's results.
"There is greater movement of people, people tend to relax when on holidays so the increase in new infections is not unexpected," he said.
He said that most of some 100,000 visiting Slovenians were staying in Istria, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, and Lika-Senj counties, which together had ten new infections in the last 24 hours.
He said that those guests felt safe in Croatia. "In order to convince them to return home, as soon as possible, one is possibly fomenting tension but we are confident that tourism trade will continue and that visitors will continue coming from all the countries that have now started to call on their nationals to come back home."
Bozinovic noted that the epidemiological situation was good in regions where tourists were staying, except for a few counties in central Dalmatia.
Germany could put us on the red list as well
Asked if he believed it was a matter of days when Germany, too, would put Croatia on a list of unsafe countries, he said that it was possible.
"That is possible but I would like to say that they all know very well the situation in our counties, in tourist destinations, and I'm confident every country will have to make effort to explain its decision to its nationals because less than 1% of tourists staying here have become infected," said Bozinovic.
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Beros: Health System Can Cope With Higher Number Of Cases
ZAGREB, Aug 19, 2020 - Health Minister Vili Beros said on Wednesday that Croatia's health system would be able to cope with a higher number of COVID-19 patients unless there was a "complete disaster" and that the number of tests carried out would increase in the coming period.
Commenting on today's daily high of 219 new COVID-19 cases, Beros said in an interview with N1 television that Croatia was increasing the number of tests because that was a good way to protect the health and social care systems.
We will definitely expand testing
"We will definitely increase the number of tests carried out in the coming period. Our strategy adapts to the moment. We are now slightly changing the strategy and it is definite that we will expand testing come autumn, which we are ready for," he said.
Health system needs to be more efficient
Beros noted that Croatia's health system needed to be more efficient and organised in a more rational way but that there would not be cuts in health care provision or testing.
Commenting on statements by Slovenian government spokesman Jelko Kacin that the situation in Croatia was dramatic, Beros said that Kacin was not familiar with the situation in Croatia's health system.
"It suffices to look at the total number of tourists who have been to Croatia this year and the number of infected persons and realise that the situation is far from alarming or dramatic," he said, adding that even now 80,000 Slovenian tourists feel safe in Croatia.
It is not good to portray the situation in Croatia as more dramatic than it is
It is legitimate to prevent the infection from spreading to your country, especially ahead of the start of the school year, but it is not good to portray the situation in Croatia as more dramatic than it really is, Beros underscored.
Up to Croatia to keep the situation under control, warn of high-risk situations
Asked whether it was possible that Germany would also put Croatia on its red list, he said that it was possible, but that it was up to Croatia to continue taking care of the number of cases of the infection, to warn about high-risk situations and detect hotspots.
It is important to stress that over a third of new cases are contacts of infected persons, the situation is under control, but it is not possible to say what will happen in the autumn, Beros said.
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Doug Lansky at 3rd EPIC Webinar - The Patient Journey & Innovation
August 19, 2020 - The 3rd EPIC webinar of the European Patient Experience and Innovation Congress features acclaimed travel guru, Doug Lansky.
The European Patient experience and Innovation Congress, in its adaptation around the world pandemic, is organizing the third EPIC Webinar, “The Patient Journey & Innovation”.
Thanks to the organizers, Bagatin Clinic with collaborative international presenter Cleveland Clinic, co-organizers Global Clinic Rating and Stackpole & Associates Inc., partner Elda Pharm, technological partner CISCO and accreditation partner Temos, we can enjoy quality webinars every month.
We often look to other industries for clues to improve our own practices.
This is why the EPIC committee invited tourism expert Doug Lansky to provide some insight into customer service and how it can positively affect the patient experience. There’s perhaps no better source than the world’s top hotels, restaurants and tours when it comes to highlighting great customer service.
Doug will not only explain how aspects of these services can be directly adopted by the healthcare industry but that it can actually be done on a minimal budget and positively impact patients’ health by reducing stress at key points along the patient journey.
Doug Lansky is a tourism development thought leader who advises destinations and tourism companies and hotel associations around the world – from Singapore to Aruba, Google Travel to Amadeus – on strategy, management, and visitor experience. He spotted a clear customer-service connection between tourism and healthcare and has found a way to transfer best-practice examples from hospitality to hospitals.
Doug has given acclaimed lectures at nearly 100 universities, spoken to a sold-out audience at National Geographic Headquarters, for the United Nations World’s Tourism Organization, as an after-dinner speaker at corporate events and at both public and industry travel/tourism conferences, at TEDx Stockholm and set the attendance record for keynote lectures at the 2012 and 2013 ITB Berlin conferences.
The webinar will be presented by one of the members of the EPIC committee, Irving Stackpole, the President of Stackpole & Associates, Inc., a marketing, research, training, and organizational development firm.
Founded in 1991, Stackpole & Associates applies scientific marketing principles to develop practical solutions to clients’ challenges. Using the most rigorous psychological and behavioral science research, Stackpole & Associates develops methods and designs that produce unimpeachable data yielding reliable, actionable recommendations.
Stackpole & Associates works collaboratively with clients to create innovative and practical solutions to the challenges facing organizations in rapidly changing markets, including health travel.
Join us on August 27th for this new EPIC webinar and learn about the Patient Journey and Innovation.
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From Dublin To Split With Ryanair: an August 2020 Corona Experience
August 19, 2020 - What is it like flying with Ryanair from Dublin to Split in the corona ear? TCN's Lidija Ivanek SiLa returns to her homeland and shares her experiences.
After the first half of a very weary and odd year where we were stuck in the circle of 2km initially on the island of Ireland during the lockdown, grateful for our jobs and ability to work from home, to be able to think about traveling at the end of May was a light at the end of the tunnel.
At the beginning of the madness called COVID19, my thoughts were with my elderly parents and fear what will happen with them. Ireland closed the borders, stopped nonessential flights, and a phased roadmap was introduced. Chilling awareness that you are on an island in the middle of Atlantic and there is no easy way to get to Croatia at this point crept up and the first panic attack came with the thought – What if… what if something happens to them and I am not there to help them?
When Phase 2 and 3 of the relaxing of measures became valid, a lot of Croatians took the option to drive all the way, some 2500km with either overnight ferry to France, or 4 hours to the UK and then drive. We waited for the first possible flights. With the closing down the Ryanair base in Zadar and with the announcement that Aer Lingus will close their bases in Cork, we decided to book a flight with Ryanair from Dublin to Split. So, when the day of the journey came, everything was packed and ready, even the sky was occasionally blue and the drive from Cork to Dublin was a breeze. After leaving our car at the airport carpark, we put our face masks on with the intention not to take them off until we arrived in Split.
The airport bus was half empty, with every second seat marked with a yellow warning sign “The seat is unavailable – maintain social distance”. Yellow continued to be the main colour at the airport. Yellow warning signs and yellow hand sanitizer containers. If we add to this a half-empty usually packed airport, this was an eerie sight.
From the tannoy, a recorded message was played every 5 minutes about COVID and the special situation that we are in and how important is to keep face masks and social distancing. While this new reality was slowly sinking in, I felt strangely safe at the airport. It was a sad sight to see only Ryanair and Aer Lingus planes parked outside the window. I couldn’t spot any other company present, though on the Departures board there were some, like Finnair or AirBaltic. The terminal for Croatia is at the end of everything. After walking what felt like 5 km with our baggage, faces sweating under masks, finally, we arrived. A few people were already sitting on every second chair. After a few minutes of recuperating and recovering, I started to observe people around me closely, curious to see who are the passengers on this flight. Mainly the Croatian language was heard, as well as some English, Polish that I could recognise.
The plane was half full, I was actually expecting lower numbers. Boarding was coordinated with the crew and like good school children, we marched in one by one for our passport and boarding pass control. It went quickly and efficiently. We were seated with empty seats next to us.
Human nature is a funny thing. The minute one of the crew members announced that we have to remain seated the whole flight, with a seatbelt on and in case of bathroom emergencies, we should press the overhead buzzer for a crew member to assist so there will be no queuing, well, should I say that suddenly few passengers felt the urge to jump out of their seats, and rushed to the toilets causing a true traffic jam. It was the same as with face masks, the minute you put them on, you feel the itch and inevitable you must, just must, immediately scratch it, sticking fingers under it joggling to keep the mask on and still satisfy that excruciating desire to scratch.
While fluffy white clouds were passing beneath the plane, the crew inside was going with their regular duties, first a “safety-dance” with soon after time for “eat and drink and be merry”. Airlines are in deep problems because of the coronavirus pandemic and it is hard to find a good balance. I guess I am a bit cynical as I do find that eating and drinking with face masks on and then off and on again, a bit ridiculous. Ventilation on board was working full blast and I do hope that filters were able to stop the virus, but still why risk it at all. Keep that mask on your nose, it’s not that hard, for a 3-hour flight! Every penny counts for the airlines, every penny counts for the tourism too. After drinks were served, a jolly group of Irish youngsters, some ten of them started to show symptoms of mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The crew was trying to keep them in their seats, with masks on, giving over tannoy advice, urging to keep everyone safe on board, but it became really difficult. They started to walk on the toilets every 5 minutes, masks off, even singing like normal holidaymakers. The trouble is, it is not a normal holiday, is it? I don’t know how and why or even when it happened that Croatia became famous as a party destination. There is that balance again on how to have income from tourism, how to survive a pandemic, but still even now what type of tourism Croatia really wants?
Sitting in my chair, flying on clouds in the sunset, writing this article on my Mac in my lap, my hubby is just showing me that we are over Germany, I finally started to relax. Not a bad day for flying as we just avoided first serious seasonal storm that is due tomorrow. We landed in Split, Divulje airport. Air-filled with scents of wild plants. It was warm with essential oils of lavender and rosemary mixed with pine trees and salt from the Adriatic.
But the journey was not over yet. A land crew lady was pointing with her hand that we all need to approach the entrance door. We were not the only plane landing at the same time, at least passengers from one or two more were there, French, Czech language was heard. The amount of people that was one next to each other was far, far away of safe social distance. Unorganised, unprepared.
I was utterly disappointed with what we experienced there. Queueing for the passport control went on for at least half an hour. We were staying behind, waiting for as long as we can to be the last one. Yes, all passengers and staff did have masks, and there were few signs printed on plain inkjet paper warning everyone to keep the distance at least 1,5 meters, but there was none to actually coordinate mass of people. All in all, for a country that has tourism going for two centuries, it was a huge disappointment. Finishing my article today on a lovely terrace next to the sea, with blue sky above me and a cold drink in my hand, while the air temperature rises quickly to peak 32C, I feel that all the ordeal from yesterday is long gone and I am in the mood of forgiving them all. Everything fades on the Adriatic, disappears in the cricket song, like a mighty meditation mantra.
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