ACI's Kristijan Pavic: "Fear of Poor Nautical Tourism Season Was Unfounded"
As Novac writes on the 6th of August, 2020, on Tuesday, the President of the Management Board of ACI, Kristijan Pavic, expressed his satisfaction with the revenue generated in the first half of the year, which stood at 72 million kuna, which is 23 million kuna less than in 2019.
Adriatic Croatia International Club (ACI), which manages 22 marinas on the Adriatic, generated 72.9 million kuna in revenue in the first six months of this year, which is 24 percent less than in the same period last year. According to the company's financial report published at the end of last week, the company recorded a loss of 13.5 million kuna when compared to profits of almost 7 million kuna a year earlier.
Kristijan Pavic pointed out on Tuesday that the achieved business results showed that there was an unfounded fear that due to the coronavirus pandemic, there will be no season to be had in 2020 for Croatian nautical tourism.
"In terms of annual berths, we generated 50 million kuna in revenue, which is at the level of 2019, which allowed us to keep the current number of employees and not reduce salaries. In the first part of the year, we achieved 30 percent of last year's transit result, and in July that number rose to 69 percent. I expect a positive trend to grow in both August and during the off-season,'' Kristijan Pavic said.
Pavic visited the ACI marina in Dubrovnik, emphasiing that the Dubrovnik region was most affected by the coronavirus pandemic crisis, primarily due to the lack of air connections. "In July, there was a recovery through the growth of transit and I believe that this trend will continue in August and during the off-season, so that we can ultimately view this region as successful," Kristijan Pavic said.
He announced that ACI is following the trends in the development of megayacht marinas, so after the average length of berths in the marina in Rovinj are extended from 11 to 17 metres, a new investment is expected in the ACI marina Dubrovnik. "The county spatial plan enabled us to expand the marina down the Ombla river, so now we're working on a project that will enable the acceptance of much larger yachts," Pavic said.
The director of the ACI marina Dubrovnik, Leo Ajdukovic, pointed out that the marina recorded 30 percent of last year's result at the beginning of July, and is currently at 50 percent.
"It's hard to compare it to last year, which was the most cost-effective and best in history for us. The numbers have been improving in July and August and we're going in a new direction,'' said Ajdukovic, adding that charter cancellations are becoming less frequent.
At the end of July, ACI received a building permit for the renovation of the Sorkocevic summer house in the ACI marina Dubrovnik, and the project worth more than 60 million kuna will apply for European Union funds. The renovation of the building and the associated garden is planned, and among the future facilities will be a school of old crafts, a restaurant, galleries and boutiques.
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More Polish Tourists Holidaying in Croatia This Year Than 2019
In the first five days of August, more than 3.9 million overnight stays were realised by Polish tourists in Croatia, which is almost 70 percent of last year's result achieved in the very same period.
As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes on the 6th of August, 2020, about 65,000 arrivals and almost 380,000 overnight stays from the Polish market have been made so far in August, which is a 4 percent increase in traffic in arrivals and 10 percent in overnight stays realised by Polish tourists when compared to the same period last year. Even for such a small sample of a mere 5 summer days, the data is almost unbelievable for this year, in which all markets around the world are declining as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
"After an excellent July, we expect even better tourist results in August. Namely, in addition to the Polish market, where the turnover has also increased, we've excellent results in August from the markets of Germany and Slovenia, where we recorded about 96 percent of last year's turnover in the same period. These results confirm that our country is perceived as a safe and quality tourist destination, and it's up to all of us to respond by behaving and adhering to all of the prescribed epidemiological measures and maintain that status,'' said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board, Kristjan Stanicic, adding that from the Czech market, Croatia achieved almost 80 percent of last year's result in the first five days of this month, and from the Austrian market - more than 60 percent.
The Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) pointed out that recently the national Polish television TVP dedicated its edition of the most watched morning show in Poland entirely to Croatia as a tourist destination. It is a show called "Pytanie na śniadanie" which, according to the Nielsen Audience Measurement, is watched by about 485 thousand Polish viewers every day for three hours. The show about Croatia presented natural beauty, cultural heritage and eno-gastronomic offer of the country, and the guest on the show was Agnieszka Puszczewicz, the director of the CNTB Representation in Poland.
"Visiting the show was a great opportunity to present different motives for the arrival of Polish tourists to Croatia in front of a large number of viewers. We mustn't forget that Croatia is one of the favourite summer destinations of Poles to which they're always happy to return. I believe that the Polish market will have a strong share in the overall results of Croatian tourism during this very challenging year as well,'' concluded Puszczewicz.
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Journalist and Politician Milovan Sibl Dies
ZAGREB, Aug 6, 2020 - Former MP, minister of information, and director of Hina Milovan Sibl died in Zagreb on Thursday.
Sibl was born in Zagreb in 1942. He was one of the founders of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party, minister of information in 1990-1991, director of Hina from 1991 to 1997, and an HDZ member of the Croatian parliament from 1992 to 2000.
In 1995 Sibl was decorated by the late president Franjo Tudjman.
After 2000, Sibl left the HDZ and formed and led the Only Croatia - Movement for Croatia political party.
Shipment of Disinfectant, Masks Arrives from China
ZAGREB, Aug 6, 2020 - The unloading of 139 tonnes of disinfectant and a smaller quantity of masks to combat the COVID-19 epidemic, which arrived by ship from Shanghai, began in the northern Adriatic port of Rijeka on Thursday.
The cargo which arrived aboard the Ever Excel was procured from the Chinese companies Sinopharm and MEHECO.
The protective equipment will be collected by the Civil Protection Directorate and distributed to the relevant bodies, the government said in a press release.
The shipment is worth €1.2 million and it was paid from European funds. The goods were bought by the government with the mediation of the buffer stocks directorate and the help of the Croatian Embassy to China.
Damir Zoric Elected New Director General of Employers' Association
ZAGREB, Aug 6, 2020 - The Croatian Employers' Association (HUP) Executive Board on Thursday elected Damir Zoric the new director-general, and the decision takes effect on September 1.
Until now, Zoric was the acting general director after director-general Davor Majetic announced on July 13 that he was leaving HUP. Majetic was director-general since 2010.
Croats The Most Numerous Guests on Hvar This Year
August 6, 2020 – For years, Hvar has been too expensive to be a popular holiday destination for domestic tourists. This year, the lower prices and general accessibility have attracted an increased number of domestic guests on Hvar.
Traditionally, the largest number of tourists on Hvar were from the USA and the UK. According to Petar Razović, director of the Hvar Tourist Board, "the main reason for the increase in domestic guests in Hvar Town is, unfortunately, COVID-19, which affected the sense of security of local guests who may have spent their holidays outside Croatia, as well as the general accessibility of Hvar for domestic guests.''
For the past five years, domestic guests have accounted for 8 percent of the total arrivals. From the beginning of this year to the end of July, their share was as high as 18 percent.
All tourism workers have well estimated that prices are the factor that will attract domestic guests.
Discounts and service customization
However, significant changes in prices and services have made Hvar more accessible to all guests this year, not just locals. In some private accommodation, prices have been reduced by up to 50 percent, while in hotels, the service itself has been increased.
"After several years in Hvar Town, hotels have once again introduced half board possibilities, rooms of a higher category were awarded free of charge (in the sense of free upgrades), and excursions were offered included in the price of the room," explains Razović.
Catering facilities have introduced discounts for domestic guests between 10 and 20 percent.
Source: Hvar Tourist Board
In addition, this year, the prices of motorways, catamarans, and ferries haven't changed, which are all essential to arrival on the island of Hvar. However, on the other hand, there is a problem with parking in Hvar Town, because this year most tourists, both domestic and foreign, are coming by car, and not by plane as usual.
Comparisons with previous years
Director Razović compares 2020 with the 60s of the last century when Hvar had a unique marketing strategy all over the world where guests could get various discounts. Free overnight stays were offered for rainy and snowy days because Hvar has always been promoted as the island with the highest number of hours of sunshine in the world.
"If we look at the recent past, today, Hvar Town is recording the same tourist results as in 1996, so it's easy to compare the impact of COVID-19 with the Croatian War of Independence,'' describes Razović.
Plans for the future
The number of domestic guests in the future will mostly depend, of course, on price fluctuations, and the Tourist Board will continue to promote Hvar on the domestic market.
Domestic guests will be invited to mostly visit Hvar in the pre-season and post-season when they can enjoy cultural events (the Za Križen procession, Hvar Theatre Days, the Lavender Festival), sports events (the Hvar Half Marathon), as well as agricultural activities such as organised grape and olive picking.
They also plan to open hotels and private accommodation earlier, which will offer guests additional facilities.
Razović says that he is "convinced that prices will still be at this year's level and that domestic guests will opt for their vacation in places that gravitate to the city of Hvar, namely Milna, Sveta Nedjelja, Jagodna, Bojanić Bad, Velo Grablje, and Brusje. "
Source: Hvar Tourist Board
Hvar's prices have dropped drastically, local guests decided to take advantage of that and spend their holidays on Hvar, which might not have otherwise been the case. Thus, Hvar has finally become more accessible to domestic guests who want to enjoy a quality and safe holiday in their own country.
For Hvar, the rule has always been that you have to visit it at least once and enjoy all its charms.
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Pupovac: Anyone Who Thinks State Can Be Excuse for War Crimes Is Seriously Mistaken
ZAGREB, Aug 6, 2020 - Anyone who thinks that the state can be an excuse for war crimes is seriously mistaken, the leader of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), Milorad Pupovac, said in Uzdolje, near Knin, on Thursday, in an address to a memorial ceremony for eight Serb civilians killed there in the wake of Operation Storm 25 years ago.
"Even more mistaken are those who think that peace can be built by ignoring killings like these and without showing empathy for the suffering that people endured," he added.
Pupovac said that the victims had been "perfidiously and inhumanely" killed by those who thought they were doing a big thing and those big things justified such crimes.
Pupovac said that the people attending the commemoration had gathered together to stand up to such thinking and belief, adding that they would continue to organise such memorials to condemn those crimes and encourage the authorities to identify those responsibly and bring them to justice.
"We will continue to gather together in the belief that by respecting the suffering endured by our compatriots, both Croats, and Serbs, we will create a society of peace in which we will close the chapter on the war rather than reopen it every year, a society in which people will be able to live in peace and look to the future," Pupovac said.
War crimes against Serbs seldom prosecuted
SDSS MP Anja Simpraga warned that while the war crimes committed against Croats were recognised and formally commemorated and many Serbs were prosecuted and punished for those crimes, this could not be said of the war crimes committed against Serbs and of their expulsion.
"War crimes against Serbs have been seldom punished, particularly those committed during or in the wake of Operation Storm. The places of their suffering are marked and commemorated by Serb organisations only, and they don't seem to exist for the state and the government. The same is true of the expulsion of nearly 200,000 Serbs during Operation Storm alone, not counting those expelled during Operation Flash and those expelled from many towns outside the war zones," Simpraga said.
She said that there was no public awareness among the Croats of such large-scale suffering of Serbs and no awareness of the need to express regret and empathy.
"Condemnations of war crimes are getting fewer and fewer over the years and are giving way to callousness and unchristian ridicule, hatred of the remaining Serbs, intolerance towards what makes them different from Croats, and violence," she added.
Simpraga recalled that in addition to the 200,000 Serbs who had fled from Operation Storm, nearly 2,000 had been killed during or in the wake of the Croatian military offensive, and "hundreds of villages and a thousand houses" had been devastated. She said it was high time to shed light on the war crimes, what had happened during the war, and the damage that had been done not just to Serbs but to Croatia itself.
"It is necessary to stop the hatred and violence against Serbs and start building a society of tolerance and respect for diversity. It is also necessary to stop keeping quiet about other people's suffering during the war and ridiculing it but rather show respect for the suffering of all (both Croats and Serbs). That's what honourable warriors and wise and honest politicians do and what true priests preach," Simpraga said.
Stevan, Janja and Djurdjija Beric, Milos Cosic, and Sava, Milica, Jandrija and Krstan Sare were killed in Uzdolje on 6 August 1995. No one has been brought to account for these murders.
One More Person Dies, 28 New Cases of Coronavirus in Croatia
ZAGREB, Aug 6 (Hina) - In the past 24 hours there have been 28 new cases of the coronavirus detected in Croatia, bringing the total number of active cases to 561, while one more person has died, the national COVID response team said on Thursday.
There are currently 110 people in-hospital treatment, with seven being on ventilators.
Since the first case was recorded in Croatia on 25 February 2020, there has been a total of 5,404 people infected with the disease and 155 people have died, while 4,688 have recovered.
There are currently 2,171 people in self-isolation.
To date a total of 125,317 tests have been conducted for the virus, 934 in the past 24 hours, a press release by the response team noted.
Food Industry Competitiveness Drop Can Be Curbed with Strong Measures - Analysis
ZAGREB, Aug 6, 2020 - The drop in the competitiveness of the Croatian food industry needs to be stopped on time with strong measures, investments in developing new products and innovation as well as by improving the investment climate, the Smarter consultancy says in an analysis released on Thursday.
"Considering that this is a challenging time for all sectors, it is necessary to support further growth and strengthen the food and beverages industry, with emphasis on exports and greater investment in developing new products and innovation, but in particular on improving the investment climate," the consulting firm specialising in agriculture and the food industry said.
Smarter's Zvjezdana Blazic notes that in its package of measures to help the economy the European Commission has set a maximum grant of €100,000 for farms while food manufacturers can get up to €800,000.
There have been no serious initiatives to boost the food industry in Croatia, as has been the case in some EU countries. We believe that now is the time to tackle this issue as Croatia's international competitiveness is declining, said Blazic.
Smarter recommends establishing a forum for the food industry on the model of the European Union, which would include all stakeholders in the chain to search for solutions that would strengthen the industry's competitiveness.
The share of the food industry in Croatia's GDP was 4% in 2014, falling to 2.9% in 2017. The share of the manufacturing industry in GDP also decreased, from 26.9% in 2014 to 22.5% in 2017. The share of employment in the food industry in total employment in the manufacturing industry stagnates around 3.6% in manufacturing and about 20% in the food industry. The total number of workers was 47,275 at the end of 2019, decreasing over the past few years.
The analysis shows that the reason for low productivity in Croatia's food industry is due to insufficient investment in research and development. Investment in R&D is a mere 0,13% of the value of production whereas the EU average is 0.23%.
Croatia needs to strengthen its food industry in order to keep in step with strong competition in the EU, the analysis said.
Croatia needs to do everything to reduce this industry's exposure to additional parafiscal charges, said Blazic.
Optimism in Dubrovnik: 6,000 Tourists Recorded in Adriatic Pearl
August 6, 2020 - Just a few days ago, headlines revealed that Dubrovnik is among the most affected tourist destinations in Croatia. Still, despite poor numbers, the Adriatic Pearl has reason to be optimistic.
HRTurizam reports that in August, we can finally see crowds of tourists on Stradun, which is best illustrated by the data that in Dubrovnik in the last two days, the number of visitors has risen to 6,000.
"It started…. The number on the counter reached 6,000 visitors. There were lines to enter the walls. We are recovering step by step," wrote Mayor Mate Frankovic on his Facebook profile.
Thus, 10,316 overnight stays were recorded yesterday, with a little more than 6,000 guests currently staying in the historic city.
While Dubrovnik is finally looking forward to receiving guests, the current numbers are still far from ideal. Currently, in August, the city is at 37% of overnight stays compared to last year. From January 1 to July 31, 113,912 arrivals were recorded in Dubrovnik, or only 14% of last year's tourist traffic and 347,848 overnight stays, also 14% of last year's tourist traffic in the same period, which best shows the difficult situation until early August.
As constructive criticism is often written about the tourist development of Dubrovnik, positive examples should be praised, as is the case now. Namely, Mayor Mate Frankovic is very active in promoting Dubrovnik as a safe destination that is open to tourists.
Recently, Frankovic wrote to the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson after announcing the potential of a two-week quarantine for Croatia, in which he stressed that Dubrovnik is one of the safest European travel destinations with detailed protocols in all situations, including the number of infected, which was reported by many British media outlets, such as The Telegraph.
It is certainly worth mentioning the proposal and lobbying of Mayor Frankovic that daily data on the pages of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control be divided by counties.
Also, many international media were in Dubrovnik for two weeks, from Bloomberg, Reuters, and the Associated Press to ABC News, which had three live reports from Dubrovnik.
In any case, this year, Dubrovnik is fighting for every guest.
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